doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Would you choke tube this sxs?

Pattern it and compare to the type of shooting you plan to do. It the patterns are too tight for your shooting then consider opening the chokes or installing choke tubes.

If you invest $300 - $400 into having choke tubes installed in this $900 gun please realize that you will have $1200+ invested into a gun that will sell for a little over $900. So... think about what you really need. Spreader loads might be a better option for the occasional grouse hunt. Or, having a professional open one or both chokes might the solution. Buying another shotgun with open bores/cut barrels for $500 is an option.

But if you really, really want to spend the money on having choke tubes installed, it's your money and your gun.

I don't know if I would chock tube any side by side as I think they look odd with tubes. I did have Mike Orlen put choke tubes in a Charles Daly Miruko 20ga O/U that was F/M. Although great guns the Miruko Daly's are not collector grade guns. Mike put tubes in that gun for much less than you would pay elsewhere. I did this because in a gun safe full of shotguns the little Daly is one the two best handling and pointing guns I own. It just seems to fit me. The tubes increased it's usefulness and enjoyment for me many fold.

If I were you I would have the gun opened to IC/M, use it and see how you like it. Then if you want the tight pattern versatility back put the tubes in it.

This will be your gun, it's not a museum piece. If I put a few hundred more into a gun than it's worth but I really enjoy and shoot tha gun well and I am happy who cares.

Guys,

Thanks for your opinions.

I tend to agree with Joe Wood. "What is so sacrosanct about a few thousanths at the muzzle of a shotgun that overides all consideration of adjusting the gun to better serve it's user."
Like I said, this isn't a Purdey, Holland & Holland or Boss. It will undoubtedly be worth a little more in the future, but it won't be worth $5,000 in five lifetimes.

The original chokes are a compromise. They are a one-size fits-all, simplify-inventory, middle of the road solution to producing what fits the needs of most people some/most of the time. These trends originated when shells were filled with felt wads and the guns just tend to shoot too tight with modern design wads/shells. I own two PW 375 loaders and I could try to replicate the older technology loading materials, but that is a little too much trouble. I imagine the builders of these pieces expected us to adjust them to our needs if their guesstimation of chokes did not suit us. Few of us would really question a quality 7 lb. 12 gauge double with 30 inch barre;s opened up by a quality shop to Imp Cyl/Mod choking for a reasonable price. Those chokes cover a lot of ground, and I doubt they would have a huge effect on the value of a fairly standard field piece.

I love the term "stewardship" applied to these guns as that truly reflects what we are doing. Every gun I buy is purchased contemplating that my three boys will end up babysitting them for twenty or thirty more years until they are passed on.

I rarely buy a gun less than thirty years old- 40 is more the average. I buy them for their craftmanship. I buy them because caring hands built them for generations to enjoy. The engraving is beautiful compared to what is called engraving on production guns now. The barrels ring like church bells when struck. The least of them has "soul" that no plastic/camo/overbored/choke tubed wonder ever will. They do need to have some utility for me however. That is why I have stayed away from short chambered guns so far and why I always veer toward more modern chambers and stock dimensions. I don't enjoy any gun that just has to spend most of it's existence in the safe, be babied or I have to worry about some youngster unraveling it by dropping a couple of AA's or STS's into the chambers.

I will, for sure, spend some time getting to know this one before I do anything to it. It might be another of those magical ones that just kills everytning it's pointed at, with no modification.

I do think, taking all your opinions into consideration, that I would probably just have someone open up the tight barrel a little if it works out that it is too tight. The point about choke tubes seeming odd in a sxs is well taken, and I agree with that. I love them in my pumps, autos and o/u's, but they just don't seem right in a quality double- kind of like a wakeboard tower on a beautiful old wooden Chris-Craft.

Thank you all for your wisdom and opinions.

Duff - I have two Miroku SxSes - one an ejector gun made for the European Market.And another Charles Daly gun - with a extra set of barrels. I had the extra set opened to IC & LM and the orginal set I left at M & F. I could shed myself of all my other guns and be well served with the Daly for the rest of my hunting days.

Calm down, Rockie! You know you couldn't do it.

Duff, I would leave it. And maybe pickup another sometime with more open chokes. You obviously can do what you want, but the gun is what it is and why not keep it what is. And by all means, see how it patterns as is.

tim

Mark is spot on...don't even measure it, pattern it for what you intend to use it for. If you think it to be too tightly choked, start shooting patterns with cheap promo loads of the desired shot size/pellet count/velocity and see what happens....and work through a few different load/velocity combinations from there. Could be non-issue. At the very least, a good excuse to shoot a bunch!

Best,
Mark

My opinion is no, on choke tubes. If you want a more versatile gun, make the left barrel IC, skeet or even cylinder. Leave the full barrel alone. If you're having the farcing cones lengthened to reduce recoil, it won't. Won't do anything else significant for you either, IMO.

Jim,

Why do my TWO Winchester 101's Kick so bad compared to the other dozen or so guns I have regularly shot?

A whole lot of people (and some damned knowledgeable ones)will take exception to your assertion that lenghtening the forcing cones will have NO effect on anything. No efeect on recoil whatsover? Absolutely no effect on patterning?

I'll have to respectfully disagreee with you on that one.

I use my guns for skeet (informal), sporting clays (just for practice and fun), doves, quail and infrequent pheasant trips. I certainly don't feel the need for a full choke ever for any of these endeavours. I've got a well-used old 870 Express and a Baikal/Remington SPR453 for ducks with TruLock .715 Skeet 2 choke tubes. That takes care of any full choke needs I ever encounter.

Duff, I'll respectfully disagree with you that Model 101 kick harder than the many other of my guns. Just doesn't happen.
Those of you who think that must have problems with the fit of a 101's stock.