Best of luck with it, Dr. P.
I find myself in the position of disagreeing with two posters here with whom I have a lot of respect, and rarely disagree. But, in this instance I do. Actually, in retrospect, I seem to find myself "defending" the usefulness of tighter than average chokes a bit more often than that, probably because of my life's experiences with them allowing me to see what they are capable of.
Joe Wood and buzz are both posters for whom I have respect. However, the premise .............. " Cylinder can provide killing patterns out to 25 or 30 yards, great for flushing birds. The full choke will reach on out another 10 yards or so.", is one that I have strong disagreement with. Not the first part, but the last.
We all are products of our experiences, and form our opinions based upon them. I guess I am making an assumption here that Joe and buzz are primarily close range users of shotguns for hunting, and I could be in total error about that. I know Joe is an avid quail hunter, and I envy his opportunities to do so. Not sure about buzz, maybe mostly grouse? Again, not sure, so the above assumption may be wrong on both parts. If so, I apologize for my error in that assumption.
But, guys, let's examine for a minute the idea that full choke only adds another 10 yards or so to the killing range of a shotgun.
1) There are so many documented cases today of expert shooters killing consistently at 50 yards MORE than that range, that it cannot be denied. There are numerous videos on youtube of Digweed killing pigeons and crows at 90 to 110 yards. Not occasionally, but regularly. Before you think, "Yeah, but that's Digweed, not the average hunter", stop a moment. We are not discussing the shooting abilities of a man, but the killing ability of a shotgun, and the difference between cylinder and full choke. If only one man on earth can do it, then the full choke is capable of it. Digweed does not change the capabilities of the gun itself, only utilizes it to it's fullest potential. I kill doves dead, not crippled, with an IM choke and 1 oz. of 7 1/2s at 60 to 70 yards consistently, in the late season. I believe that is nearing the reliable killing limit of 7 1/2 shot on a dove with IM, so I don't push it any further.
2) If full choke only added 10 yards (or so) to cylinder, what would be the sense in ever having anything in between, such as the very useful improved cylinder? What would it add, only 3-4 yards, or the wonderful modified, 7-8 yards?
3) In defense of our tendency to see things based upon our paradigms, I offer this anecdote. I know a former GA State skeet champion, many times over, ladies' division. She came out to our local sporting clays range about 10 years ago to see what it was like. She, with her husband who is also an accomplished skeet shooter, shot a round of 100. If I recall correctly, her score was in the low 30s, his even less. They left with their feelings hurt. He was more angry, stating flatly that many presentations on that course were beyond the capabilities of a shotgun. My buddy had just shot the course in the upper 90s, with a Mossberg. Our experience shapes our opinions. They thought that anything over 35-40 yards was out of range of a shotgun, whereas I know that even a modified choke is eminently useful at that distance.
Again, please don't take my stance as being argumentative. I'm just taking a different position based upon what I know to be true in my experiences. Again, not shooter ability, but capability of the tool itself.
With respect, SRH
