Pattern Testing with an Advanced Degree

Jake Sleasman, founder of Blue Collar Outdoors USA, teamed up with Erik Kauffman, owner of Kinetic Gunwerks, and other outdoor industry friends to offer a day of pattern testing for $200. With the price of TSS continuing to rise and the cost of testing different ammunition and chokes to find the right pattern, attendees felt like the day was well worth the price of admission.

“I got my money’s worth to figure out the most effective and ethical pattern for my gun,” said Danny Balogna, who traveled from Prince George County, Virginia, to test his Maverick 88 20 gauge. Balogna is relatively new to turkey hunting and had never shot TSS before the event. He tested Flatline No. 8 ½ over 9s and Epic No. 9s with different turkey chokes and found a pattern that put nearly 300 pellets in a 12-inch circle at 40 yards. Just those two boxes of ammunition alone would have cost several hundred dollars.

Sleasman, who tests nearly every ammunition, gun and choke on the market on his social media channels, said the event was designed to help people find their hunting pattern, not to assess how far TSS can shoot. He was even surprised that the group of hunters helped dispel that misnomer.

“I was worried about too many people wanting to have a screaming tight core to be able to reach out,” he said. “We didn’t have one person say that. They were all looking for a more open (hunting) pattern at 30 yards and under.

“Not a single one was looking for TSS to extend their range. I think that message is finally going out there, and that gives me a lot of hope.”

All 13 guns at the patterning event were subgauges — 20, 28 and .410 bore. Paul Thomas, with Mossy Oak Properties in Kentucky, used the event to fine tune his Mossberg SA 28-gauge. Health issues had forced him to switch from left to right-handed shooting, and with declining vision in his right eye, he’s had to adjust to aiming with his left eye. A low-recoil subgauge was needed, and TSS helped improve his patterns at 40 yards and in.

“This has allowed me to continue turkey hunting, and I’m happy with the progress we’ve made (at the event),” Thomas said.

He tested three different types of shells and determined the stock choke on the Mossberg patterned the best for his hunting preference.

Greg Maher with Meadow Creek Mounts in South Carolina helped sponsor the event and aided with each shooter’s point of aim and pattern impact. With every gun mounted with a red dot, Maher noted that most optics are designed for pistols. He helped attendees try moving their optics further away from the eyes on the receiver mount, which provides a more natural field of view for turkey hunting.

He also detailed the change in point of impact when switching loads and chokes, which is more prominent in TSS than with lead ammunition, he said.

“It was fun to be able to show people how much that changed after each shot,” Maher said.

Nearly every hunter in attendance said they planned to continue shooting TSS despite rising costs, although some agreed they would monitor it and may switch back to lead if costs don’t stabilize soon.

Sleasman said he hopes to host more events like this one in the future, possibly closer to turkey season and in other parts of the country.

“The group of people we had from all over (as far away as Missouri), they all had a mindset of finding a good pattern,” he said. “We were able to talk with them about how they hunt and where they hunt. They were all good at taking advice and still giving their opinions.”

Check out the new BCO channel and results from the advanced pattern day: www.youtube.com/@bco-thepatternboys.