.044 choke is ridiculous, 99% of the time, especially with modern loads. The 1% of the time it might be useful if you’re in the habit of shooting 70 yard ducks or Turkeys & coyotes from across the field…and even that’s dependent on if the gun patterns good with the loads you’re using. It may have worked just fine with fiber wads, etc, but in my experience, those extra full constrictions aren’t worth a crap with modem loads. Most of my experience with guns with copious amounts of choke is mostly limited to older American, German, Italian & Spanish made guns. I’ve owned a few German & Spanish guns with tight bores that were .040+ with choke and almost all of them threw blown patterns with modern(plastic wad) ammunition. Pattern the gun as suggested with the loads you’ll be using and throw in a few loads that you won’t be using just for comparison. Maybe I’m wrong, maybe it’ll throw gorgeous patterns. Im thinking it’ll be one or two things, patterns the size of a small fist or totally blown, both equally worthless.
Obviously I’m in a different camp when it comes to adjusting chokes on a shotgun. Im all for it. If you have a gun with original chokes that don’t do what they were intended to do because of technology changes in ammunition etc, then all you have is an original gun that shoots shitty patterns that finds its way to the back of the safe or cabinet because you don’t like how it performs. What’s the point in that. Make it right so it does what it needs to do efficiently so you, the owner, can enjoy the gun.
