doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com What chokes do you prefer? Do you care?

I think the first Fox that Michael McIntosh owned was choked like that. He and his friends figured the gun was ordered as a squirrel gun. I seem to recall he said the figuring was fueled by a bit of Maker's Mark, however.

Why don't you pattern the gun, use it a bit for what you intend to, and then make the decision about how it should be choked, for your own use? Later in the season, when the roosters and grouse have gotten a bit smarter, it might be the perfect gun, just the way it is.

Best,
Ted

26", full and full. collectors would like that. so, try some spreader loads and see what patterns you get. polywad and rst both sell fine spreader loads. and they can be ordered on line.

In answer to your two questions-----I prefer Full in the left barrel and Mod in the right barrel. Do I care? For my own guns yes I care. I care that some nit wit didn't get in there with a Roto-Rooter and change it from what it was when it left the factory.

On chokes, I'll throw this out for thot & you decide if it sticks to your wall or not .. I was recently having a discussion with a friend who is a long time master class sporty clays shooter, prior owner of a premier facility, has literally grown up shooting his entire life & who today shoots 200 or so sporty targets per day, almost every day, except when there is a tournament being held somewhere that he can attend. He was telling me that some years ago he used what he thot was the most 'target appropriate' choke(s)for each station & target presentation he shot, keeping meticulous records for a year. Next he shot everything for a couple of quarters with tight chokes & then followed that by using only open chokes, again keeping very accurate records. He could not prove to himself that the choke or lack of it made any real dif. in his scores. Today, he may have a couple of U-2's or a U-3's stuck in the bbls. and just shoots and has decided that he does not really care what the choke is, knowing that even open chokes tend to be "hot" in their centers. Simply put, its a matter of keeping your focus and concentration on the bird for a good result much more so than any choke. FWIW, he uses 28 gram 1145~1200 fps loads exclusively, both #7.5's & #8's.

On game, I'm of the opinion that using size appropriate shot for the intended quarry is more important than the choke & if you intend to eat it, using some restraint about taking close in or in your face shots.

Buy the gun if you like it & take Rocketman's advice, but if you don't shoot it that well consider a hot oil stock bend or LOP adjustment, or both rather than a choke alteration.

kind regards, tw

+100.....

What really amazes me is how often this topic comes up........same b.s., over and over and over....every month or so it comes up again with the same responses over and over.........I can sure see how Poly Choke and Cutts Compensator sold all those barrel chop jobs in the 30's, 40's and 50's with the huge variation of opinions regarding choke.....what a SALES pitch they put on..........and people bought up that b.s. like liberals at a pay window.........

The fact is, choke doesn't have much to do with it if you have good eyesight and eye hand coordination IMO....one can adjust ammo now days to meet any need and to match any gun with specific reloading AND PROVE IT AT THE PATTERNING BOARD......i.e., payload, wads, charge, speeds, size, length, etc, etc, etc.......You can make any shotgun pattern as you wish with these variations if you are diligent and patient......BUT people are ALWAYS looking for that "silver bullet" thinking there is something that will magically turn them into Annie Oakley........sorry, but only practice will turn a shooter into a decent shot.......always been that way and it will never change........The Easterners grind out their barrels because they hunt grouse in small lot telephone booth areas with thick brush........The Westerners like full and modified because they can usually see the horizon and more often than not, hunt other birds more than grouse and never hunt in any telephone booth.........just the way it is.......

Others will argue of course, but like bald men who have been looking for something that grows hair since time began, shooting often and reloading with variation and patience will usually fill the "silver bullet" niche..........JMHO mileage will vary............

Like everyone else, when this topic of choke comes up, I get a little amused because there are so many varied convictions. I think choke does matter some for hunting and like Stan said, spreader shells will only open choke constriction by one point. I think it does make a little difference on what species we are talking and how we are hunting that particular quarry, in terms of dog, no dog, choke, little choke, etc. I like to shoot skeet occasionally with a trap gun because I believe it is tougher than hitting the targets with a .410 skeet gun, and it's fun to see targets turn into ink balls. But I'm not going to hunt bobwhite quail over a staunch pointing dog with my trap gun. And it's not because I couldn't connect with a few of them, but rather because they would be turned into a rag, even with spreaders.......040" constriction isn't for quail hunting unless you are on a pur�e diet! Agree, Doug???? But that same trap gun might be just the trick for hunting pheasants with a flushing dog. Agree, Doug???

Have you EVER tried slowing your load way down to see what happens out of your full .040 over your pointing dog where distance is close ........have you Buzz....????.... Have you ever tried adjusting different payloads, shot size and shot cups at MUCH slower speeds with your .040......have you Buzz....????.... Like so many others, I'm sure your answer is NO......????..... Try it sometime Buzz, you may just amaze yourself on what patterns an .040 or any shotgun can throw at reduced speeds and close range for you up close over the dog people.......

I tell people all the time that I have never missed a bird because I used the wrong choke- I've missed more than a few because I stopped swinging or lifted my head, however!
Davide

pa: interesting...any more details, such as:

if full choke gun shoots full patterns at say 1200fps at 30 yards, what would one expect the same gun to shoot at same distance say at 1000 psi?

and have heard larger shot, like 4's and 6's will typically shoot tighter patterns than say 9's and 8's?

My experience, though perhaps not as extensive as some, is that a reduction in velocity most often brings on an increase in pattern % while an increase will often reduce it a bit. A reduced payload at an increased velocity will often drop the density a good bit. Also keep in mind that for this purpose its not what goes into the 30" circle thats so important, but what goes into the central core. As a general rule a tighter choked gun is far more apt to have a higher Central Thickening to the pattern.