'Tis better to have patterned, than to not have patterned at all. The patterning board taught me that shooting #4s out of my Hasting's barrel, on my A5, with the IC tube in, was pretty much a waste of time. There were holes in the pattern my dog could run through. It taught me that my first year Ruger Red Label didn't shoot to POA with either barrel. We also discovered another A5 that had a pattern about 10 feet right of center at 40 yards, very handy on right hand crossing shots, but, not for much else. We also discovered that my Brother's Savage Fox, with modified and full 30" barrels, would consistantly put a Federal slug through the center of a pop can at 40 yards with the modified choke barrel-the full choke barrel put the slug somewhere else. We never did find out where. My brother shot a LOT of deer with that gun, always aware it was a single shot for that use.
These were all good things to know. The pattern board is an excellent place to start, but, the answers aren't always simple or predictable.
Few people take enough time to find out where their guns are shooting, in my experience.
Best,
Ted
