16 gauge choke for pheasant

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grebber

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Hi

Just wondering I purchased a sweet sixteen a little while back and was thinking of taking it out pheasant hunting. I measured the choke and it is around a light full based on the measurement. I was talking to a few people and they suggested reaming it out. I am looking for suggestions on what choke to take it to or should I leave it. Mostly the gun would be used for pheasant, rabbit, maybe the odd round of skeet if I don't get out hunting as much as I would like.

Thanks

Grebber
 
For wild birds that flush easily I'd leave it alone. If you hunt farm raised birds ic works. Mod is a good compromise.

Personally I prefer chokes or the tighter side. Those old guns patterned pretty good
 
brybenn said:
For wild birds that flush easily I'd leave it alone. If you hunt farm raised birds ic works. Mod is a good compromise.

Personally I prefer chokes or the tighter side. Those old guns patterned pretty good
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I agree. Especially if it is a true sweet 16. Going to hurt the value on that one and it is highly collectable unaltered
Cheers
 
it maters if you hunt behind a pointing dog or a flusher, or walk up pheasants. In those situations I use IC, Mod, and IM in my 16's. In my doubles I use IC/Mod or Mod/Mod. We hunt only wild birds. But I have fast reflexes. Those old sweet 16's had very smooth chokes that patterned well, because of a parallel section after the choke section. I once had a Browning magnum 20 opened up from full to light modified for shooting steel. The gunsmith said never again- he head to ream for a very long time because of the straight section. it actually damaged his reamer. So i 'd suggest leaving it alone, it may be just fine for your pheasant hunting. Or at least pattern it first with a few different shells and see how it shoots. An ounce of 6's will kill any pheasant quite efficiently if you hit them in the centre of the pattern.
 
I know lots of people who shoot pheasants both farmed and released with full choke guns, and I have a few that are mod/full that I shoot with as well.
I wouldn't worry near so much about reaming out the choke, as I would being able to hit with the gun where I am looking.
If that is what the gun came with and you are okay with it, give 'er bullets!
If not, ream it out.
I have guns from cylinder to full in all gauges and if I miss a bird it's not because of the choke!:p
Cat
 
Back in the day (and not that long ago), probably 85% of the guns sold were full choke and people used them to hunt everything from grouse to geese. You learn to shoot. As already mentioned, if a bird is missed it is most often not the fault of the choke although many like to blame it on that. Leave the gun alone, especially a sweet 16.
 
Thanks for all the advise. We will be shooting farm raised pheasants behind a pointing dog. From most it seems like a good idea to just leave it alone. I have not had a chance to pattern it but shot a round of skeet with it and got a 20.
 
grebber said:
Thanks for all the advise. We will be shooting farm raised pheasants behind a pointing dog. From most it seems like a good idea to just leave it alone. I have not had a chance to pattern it but shot a round of skeet with it and got a 20.
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I don't think you have a choke problem, and with a 20/25 your form ain't bad either. Which ones did you miss?

You can control pattern with your loads, handloaded or commercial. I have an 870 in 16, very close to full, 0.634", that I use to bust blackbirds, and the odd Hun-part. The old school shotguns, before steel, and pre-plastic wads, choke very tight, and they work well with old school shells. I have a full choke, 0.690", model 12 in 12 that feathers blackbirds if I do my part. A 1897 from 1903 with a does the same.

Opening the choke on a 16 will limit the range fairly dramatically, only 1 1/8 oz of shot to begin with. I've hit Hun-parts at 40, but that is it, IMO.
 
I agree with prity much all above. I hunt over a pointer and this year took out my old mod 12 in 16 ga full choke just for the fun of it. I enjoyed the old gun but had to remember to give the birds the 3 count to let them get out far enough to not blow them all to hell. Great gauge perfect for upland birds.
 
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