Guns: Low recoil buckshot patterning

I have a shotgun class coming up later this month, so I've been testing out some budget low recoil 00 buckshot options.

While all of the loads cycled fine in my tacticool Remington 870 Wingmaster, none of the patterns were tight enough to be safe past 10-15 yards. Here are some typical patterns from 10 yards for each load:

PMC "One-Shot" Low Velocity Buckshot:

Fiocchi Exacta low recoil buckshot:

Rio Royal Buck low velocity:

 

I hate to sound like a commercial, but if you own a shotgun and think you might use it for anything beyond across-the-room distances, you need to stoke it with something like Flite Control or Versatite.

Food: Dry January (and Beyond)

Rates of alcoholism for lawyers are much higher than for the general population, and while I'm nowhere near having any kind of problem, I did notice that I was drinking most days of the week without even realizing it.  That, coupled with the latest scientific evidence that no amount of alcohol is "safe," has made me consciously reduce my alcohol consumption over the last few months.

The effects have been noticeable and immediate: I've lost weight, ran my fastest 5k and half-marathon times in years, and have slept deeper and longer (I've also mostly quit caffeine, too).

Going from 1-2 drinks a day to 1-2 drinks a week can be an adjustment, but thankfully, there are lots of non-alcoholic options nowadays.  While NA wine is still pretty terrible, the NA beers are close enough to the real thing that most casual drinkers (like me) won't mind the difference, especially at a meal or a party. 

Common NA beers that I can recommend are Heineken 0.0 (which is what you'll find in most restaurants and bars), Guiness 0, Blue Moon NA, and most of the Athletic and Partake brews. I hate the "hop water" or "hoppy refresher"-type concoctions (too thin and watery), and for similar reasons, I didn't like the beers I've tried from Clausthaler, BrewDog, or CERIA.

If you're embarking on Dry January (or beyond), I wish you the best!