In my younger years I would buy a sxs and just go out and shoot birds. I usually did great even with a gun that didn't fit me very well. It wasn't until 25 years later after I became a member of a local gun club that I started testing my reloads in my guns. With some guns I couldn't figure out why I was missing certain birds on skeet. Well...now I know. Like Stan said, certain guns like certain loads. Sometimes you are changing the payload and sometimes you are altering the powder charge, type of powder, etc. How do you find all of this out? Go to the pattern board and also use a chronograph! I owned well over 200 sxs guns and over the years I have only kicked 2 or 3 to the curb. Testing is crucial to get the most out of your gun. On the down side, you might just find out like I did that some of your favorite loads you have been using for 20 years do not perform the way you thought they did! Experimentation is part of the fun in my book.
