Stan, we have to remember the heritage of skeet: Invented by grouse hunters for off season practice. So, it's a game that relates closely to upland hunting. Usually, those attacking chokes like cylinder or skeet for upland hunting drag out the "well, how about pheasants?" argument. To which I respond: "Well, how about them?" I averaged between 65-70 wild roosters per season for a lot of years, back when Iowa was the #1 pheasant state in the nation--and I went to chokes that were progressively more open. Sure, you can take 40+ yard shots at pheasants--but you seldom HAVE to take those if you're in good pheasant country, and most pheasant hunters aren't capable of killing birds reliably at that range anyhow. Add to that the fact that if you happen to just take out a wing on a rooster you drop at 25 yards, your dog stands a better chance of recovering that cripple than one you drop at 45 yards--with more of a head start. So, since you admit that you don't hunt pheasants, I guess I've got a bit of an edge on you there--with the very bird that's usually cited as "Why I need a tight choke for upland hunting". The kind of wingshooting you do--you stated mostly doves and ducks--is not what McIntosh was talking about in the article. And he clearly wasn't talking about targets.
Stan, I could do a lot of things that might make me a better target shooter. Like shoot targets with guns that weigh more than 6 1/2 pounds. But for me, targets are a game. Hunting is not. I shoot targets with the same guns I take hunting. I shoot a lot of low gun at targets, because I understand that practicing gun mount on a regular basis will help me when I'm shooting birds. But then if I were young and really serious about target shooting, I'd make a lot of changes--starting with switching from right-handed to left, since I'm strongly left eye dominant. But I've learned to compensate for that, and since I'll turn 69 next month, I figure I'm too old a dog for that new trick.
Sam, I'd eliminate holes in 20ga cyl patterns beyond 20 yards by going to smaller size shot. I don't think you need 7 1/2's to kill grouse until you get out beyond 30 yards--never mind woodcock--and that's a pretty long poke at a grouse. But I don't think it's a bad idea to leave your L barrel choked IC and shoot something like an ounce of 7 1/2's. In my case, the vast majority of the woodcock and grouse I take are first barrel kills; there's frequently no followup shot possible if I miss, because the bird has disappeared in the cover. But I wouldn't suggest a gun with no choke in BOTH barrels, except maybe for woodcock exclusively.
