I'm a newby on the shotguns with chokes. How do you know which choke to use, you have full, modified, improved modified, improved cylinder, modified. This stuff is all greek to me. My old Wingmaster was just load and shot. Any help out there.

Sdhunter,

They are essecially just forcing the shot to leave the barrel in a tighter pattern then the old cylinder. There arnt any standards in sizes each company makes them slightly different but the simple list from least constriction to most is:

Cylinder
Skeet
Improved Cylinder
Modified
Improved Modified
Full
Extra Full
Turkey

Now this is doesnt mean if you take a box of #4's from Remington for example that if you use a Full shoke that you will have a more open pattern then the Turkey, you need to test the loadings to your gun at lets say 30 yards and see what one makes acceptiable patterns to you.

It depends on your gun so unless you test the loads yourself you wont know what patterns tight enough. As I said there is no standard but the lower on the list I posted generally should have tigher patterns because of the more constriction and will also have more recoil I'm told

Dimitri

Well, every choke has a specific purpose and all relating mostly distance and patterning.

But instead of being very long winded Here is an explination from the Mossberg web site -----> Choke Information

Things have just got more complicated with time, If you want to live the past, screw in a Modified and go hunting! :):)

Well I'll try again, Choke tubes are a waste of $ & time. for decades and more, we got along with out them, why do we need them know? We dont!

Crackshot,

For decades we had two barrels - one modified and one full.

My pump has two barrelt bu I don't have time to change them between shots - so I have removable choke tubes that I can replace for when I want to shoot doves or geese, deer or partridge.

The idea is I only need one gun with three or so chokes to screw in to cover all my hunting needs. The old side by side is not what we use anymore.
If they were not needed then they wouldn't sell like they do. Could you hunt pheasant, geese and deer with a single barrel and a single choke?

My great Grand father got along with just one shotgun (1897) with one barrel and killed alot of critters for the pot, And did not "need" abunch of choke tubes or two barrels to get the job done, "You cant miss what you never had".
I have a Remington 870 "Ducks unlimited" 1970 w/ one barrel and one choke "full" and for years it filled the game bag just fine.
YES, I can hunt geese , deer, rabbits and pheasants with one choke because until I was old enough to get my own gun all I had was one gun, with one barrel with one choke, and it worked fine.

Crackshot,
I think you are in need an A Model Ford, real bad.
Ed

I've got two Beretta's - one O/U and one semi auto.

On the O/U I don't know what chokes I use anymore. Can't remember what I screwed in. And they have the old and new measurements now... so I couldn't tell you exactly what it is anyway. I gauge them with the mark one eye ball. I shoot the bottom barrel first, the idea being that it is more in line with my shoulder so the gun recoils back instead of pivoting upwards (is this true?). the gun is a 682 gold E and it's not my favourite as it's got a palm swell which is more of a hinderance than a help.

As for the semi auto, can't miss with it. No matter how hard I try I just seem to hit things. That's about 5/8's choke - just over half and it shoots anything.

Considering what a choke does to the pattern of lead, I think there use is limited. Remember that a shot string is like a swarm of wasps, flying through the air. The tighter the choke the greater the density of wasps - or shot. As long as the clay, bird, rabbit or otherwise is in the pattern then it's been shot.

So I suppose that there is a trade off between the area and the density of the shot string, the weight and size of the pellet, the number of pellets and how far away the target is.

IMHO, more attention should be given to the size of shot and less to the type of choke.

Well, that's my two cents worth.

Daveyboy retires to a safe distance and waits for the explosion...

Daveyboy wrote:

Considering what a choke does to the pattern of lead, I think there use is limited. Remember that a shot string is like a swarm of wasps, flying through the air. The tighter the choke the greater the density of wasps - or shot. As long as the clay, bird, rabbit or otherwise is in the pattern then it's been shot. So I suppose that there is a trade off between the area and the density of the shot string, the weight and size of the pellet, the number of pellets and how far away the target is. IMHO, more attention should be given to the size of shot and less to the type of choke. Well, that's my two cents worth. Daveyboy retires to a safe distance and waits for the explosion...

INCOMING...............KA BOOOOM



What you say makes sense Daveyboy, but unfortunately Murphy steps in regularly, and.......there is always gaps in the density of the shot string.

I have shot a fair bit of Trap and Skeet and have seen what should have been clean hits resulting in a satisfying cloud of dust actually result in a miss or just a chipped clay. Very frustrating.

Of course the are many factors that contribute to the "quality" of the shot string....powder charge, wad, shot size, velocity, hull quality and integrity etc etc etc. I have found that interchangeable chokes assist in overcoming these variables......well I reckon they help me hit targets more often.


Move over mate, I am joining you under the overhead protection awaiting more incoming explosions.

Cheers, Vince

Nice debate on shotgun chokes, especially the interchangeable ones. The screw in ones, in my opinion only, have given us alittle more flexibility in the use of our shotguns. They have also given us the perception of being better shots by selectively being able to open up the chokes. Are they completely necessary. I don't know, but they sure are convenient. My favorite 20 has a fixed full choke and I'm still able to shoot my share of pheasants, grouse and partridge with it with know problem. Guess in reality, I'm still on the fence, as to weather or not they are a necessity.
Several of my guns do have screw in chokes, mostly they stay on Mod., but I do have the option to change them if need be. I'm sure there's no end to the debate. Headin for Idaho now to look for a bear.--tr

With all the Modern Wad cups and hulls on the market, the actual choke is a rather moot point now, as I have a 12ga with absolutley no choke in it and can make it shoot like it has a modified choke just by what reloaded shell I put in it.

Let me put it this way...

For clays, open chokes and number 7 or 8 shot - whatever they've got in the shop. All you need it to chip it and you score the point. Shoot quickly.

For wabbits I use 32g of 5 shot and tight chokes as every pellet needs to go in. One shot hitting it means an injured rabbit and not a dead one. Headshots preferred if it's for the pot or the dog.

Technical arguement, bah! Humbug!

Real life, kill the bloody thing.

"I think there's a Bullsh*t storm coming this way, Sir"

"Battern down the hatches and take cover!!!"



Daveyboy

Got your boots on Daveyboy? :):);)
Ive said all I'm going to on the subject. I have never been a shotgun fan and dont claim to be one now, they are "pot" guns and thats all they will ever be to me.