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are these guns suitable for steel shot, with ic and mod choke tubes installed?

I use Briley extended chokes. the choke part happens after the threads outside the barrel. Used them for the past 30 years , NO Problem

bill

Generally, don't use steel with full choke installed. I've never seen a warning against mod and steel. Some tube manf. may warn against improved mod, but I haven't seen it.

external chokes sound like a good idea in order to avoid barrel bulging...

With the proper choke constriction you won't have "barrel bulging". Screw-in chokes are not a necessity to prevent that.

SRH

Every removeable Full Choke that I have is labeled lead shot only, or something to that effect. And yes, I have seen Improved Modified choke tubes that warn against using them with shot other than lead.

Every removeable Full Choke that I have is labeled lead shot only, or something to that effect. And yes, I have seen Improved Modified choke tubes that warn against using them with shot other than lead.

That would include my Briley thin wall tubes.

so, it sounds like modified is the tightest tube one should use with steel shot...even if the actual choke portion of the tube is external to the barrels?

That is the general recommendation by most. However, there is no guarantee you'll bulge a full choke barrel with steel shot, even with heavy usage. Worth Matthewson, the waterfowling author from the Pacific Northwest, wrote that he chased ducks hard for a long time with a L C Smith, using steel shot. After several years of such usage the gun developed a minor issue which caused him to carry it to his gunsmith. 'Smith checked the chokes for him while it was there. It was then that he learned that at least one barrel was full choke. He said there had been absolutely no visible damage done to it. Others haven't been so lucky.

IMO, there's just no need for anything over .020" with steel. That will kill a mallard as far as I feel comfortable shooting steel at them. I'll take longer shots with bismuth and tighter chokes, but I intentionally limit my range a bit with steel. It's not the lack of pattern density, but the lost energy of steel at range that concerns me. I like to see them "dishragged", belly up and red legs waving at the sky........ not swimming away wounded.

SRH