[Mr. K]

200 feet away and he shot it down with a shotgun?

Thats 66 yards.

must be a tight pattern of shot

or the drone was a lot closer than he claims

note: I AM NOT an expert on the spread patter of shot at 66 yards- anyone here can help?

[Cletus.D.Yokel]

:: must be a tight pattern of shot ::

Nope. 30-inch “goose” barrel.

[V_TWIN]

Coulda been a slug

[wrench]

At 200 ft his pattern would have been thin . He would have several pellets hit the drone, most likely a prop or two, Very little damage.

If he “dusted” the drone, it was way closer than 200 ft.

[katana]

Since shotguns, birdshot shells, are used to bring down geese and ducks in flight at around 200’ altitude it’s probably safe to assume that they could be effective on a slow moving or stationary drone hovering at the same height. For part of the flight the drone may well have been at a high altitude, but the judge took the home owner’s word that the drone pilot was playing voyeur and using it to take video of his sunbathing daughters. When this story was first posted I believed him too.

[Tijeras_Slim]

I’ve successfully broken clays at 60 yards using #7.5 shot and a light modified choke, so going to #4 and a improved modified or full choke would do the job.

[Aut Pax Aut Bellum]

66 yards is pushing it, but not impossible. It would require a heavy hunting load and a full choke. Barrel length does not really affect range—that is an old wives tale, it’s about buffering the shot, hardening the shot so it does not deform and flies true, and proper constriction with a choke to tighten the pattern. A heavy shot load and a heavy powder charge, say in a 3” or even a 3 1/2” 12 gauge, full choke or even a super full (like used in turkey hunting) , yea, it can be done.

[MMaschin]

This is from the original story, and explains how the shot could have been easily accomplished -

I didn't shoot across the road, I didn't shoot across my neighbor's fences, I shot directly into the air.

The downward force of gravity is a major factor in the spread of shotgun shot. Not all shot will be of the same velocity, and slower shot will drop faster. If you shoot straight up, then the slower shot will still drop, or slow, but it will still be on line.

So, if the shot was straight up, and the drone was hovering, the shot would have been much easier, even at a distance, with a shotgun vs a rifle.