doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Opening chokes

YOU are the one that originally said that "few guys actually do" (change choke tubes). Are you saying that you were referring to me when you made that statement, Ted?

And, I'll let you know when I'm done, like I did in the other thread.

SRH

Stan,
No. I have met a total of one guy with a choke tube holster and the speed wrench to change choke tubes while he was shooting. It never used to be this way, but, my club is actully packed with high school kids who shoot on their trap and skeet leagues, and observing them, and the rest of us oldsters, "few" actually mess with the tubes in their guns.
I never said "nobody" Stan, you did.
Have a drink Stan. Have a cigar in the gunroom, if that is what you do. Do what makes Stan happy on a Saturday night. If you are surrounded by guys who change their chokes tubes persistantly, be thankful for the company on the range, and enjoy your shooting.
And, have a blessed holiday season, Stan.

Best,
Ted

I'll have a cigar next week, Ted. I limit myself to one a week, after smoking 5-6 a day for many years. My life insurance company (Prudential) has a rate for "occasional cigar smokers". I fit into that group, according to their standards. Got a Cohiba I've been saving back in the humidor, maybe it'll be next.

All my best, SRH

Phew ! !
O.M

What are you going to do Cobb ?
O.M

Conclusion re nobody/few, etc: Blanket statements using words like "nobody" don't work well, because there's almost always SOMEBODY who does whatever. Nobody I know/few people I know . . . those will usually keep one on the safe side. But when it comes to shooting, chokes, etc, it's worth recognizing that there's a different world inhabited by those who shoot clay targets competitively (especially sporting clays, where--unlike skeet or 16 yard trap--you can have shots at widely varying distances) and those who are more into hunting and "recreational" clay shooting.

I used to work one leg of the Wisconsin Ironman sporting clays shoot as a puller or scorer. 400 targets over 2 days, 100 each at 4 different clubs. I saw more guys changing chokes in that one event than I did the entire remainder of the year. Matter of fact, hunting and mainly shooting skeet, and sporting clays mostly at sxs shoots or with guys who shoot sxs, I might have gone an entire year without seeing anyone change chokes.

All my shooting buddies change chokes to fit what they perceive as the ideal situation, and most shoot O/Us so that they can have an open choke for a close target and a tighter one for further away birds. And, as Larry said, sporting clay competitors are the ones who do so the most. I have found that, even though most of the top shooters in the genre can change chokes, there are some at the pinnacle of the game who rarely do. I used to, but found it distracting (which probably says something about my limited mental capacity) and have done the best shooting of my life since I began shooting a fixed choke Perazzi with two .020" chokes. I had them opened to that from F & F.

That is not an indictment of choke changing in general, it's just not conducive to my best shooting at this time.

SRH

Thanks for the input and sorry to start a s**t storm over "some" and "many". An informal sporting clays shooter, my limited experience is some change tubes on virtually every station and many never change from one end of the course to the other. I've decided to go with .005 and .010, boring but open enough for grouse hunting in heavy cover yet enough choke for open shots over a pointing dog. I may have mentioned I'm an avid handloader, if the patterning board disappoints me I can always make up some spreader loads. And to those that suggested a more British choking choice, I did consider wide open and full. I've got a couple friends that are deadly with this set up in the open country but I do have other guns for that occasion. Remember, my goal was a dedicated forest grouse gun.

Cool. Does your Uggy look like this?



Cyl and IC gun, opened from Mod and Full. It duplicates the choke in another gun I own, but, this one has 28" tubes.

It has done anything I needed it to do. I don't take 40-50 yard shots with it, however. You could do far worse than an Uggy with the chokes opened for forrest grouse.

Best,
Ted

I shoot in the open country of the west with a pointer. While I rarely shoot a 12ga, I would definitely feel ideally equipped with a cylinder bore first barrel. The second barrel choke choice seems to bring into consideration the shooter's characteristics. I like something about modified or less. But I've had great luck with a .000/.005 combination. Cylinder will reach out pretty far, IMO.