Can somebody explain shotgun choke types to me ?

[RobSmith]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm guessing a 'tactical' shotgun is set up to be shot like a rifle, correct? That'll work for slugs at large stationary targets, but will be a severe detriment to wingshooting small, fast-flying objects. If you're looking for a 12 gauge rifle, a 'tactical' setup is fine. But it is not the right tool for the job if you're after birds or clays.

I actually prefer conventional "rifle" type sights, not being a scattergun guy, single bead is sort of arkward to me and for the few times I'll actually fire a shotgun during the period of a year, I just don't seem to be able to build up any kind of accuracy with them. Hard to conceptualise how anyone could miss with a shotgun but I just can't seem to get the right "sight picture" so the shot always ends up a few feet off from where I wanted it, and it never seems to be in the same direction (far left, far right, over, rarely below) . Also, I don't intend to use the thing very often, so the shock value of the gun's looks are sort of the whole point of getting it ... If any are being imported that is.

 

[Grouse Man]

That's a very good indication that whatever gun you're using now does not fit you well. There's no consistency in your mount or your sight picture. Because it is a 'pointing' firearm, there should be no rear sight on the gun; the effective rear sight is your eyeball and so it must be in the proper spot above the stock each time the gun is mounted. You should consider visiting a gunsmith who knows how to fit a shotgun.

Either that or you just need to shoot it a lot more than a few times a year. Pick up a case of ammo and see how fast you can shoot through it.

 

[Calum]

I was paging through an old Shotgun digest Book that I found at a garage sale and there was a huge article on fitting a shotgun, and I was blow away at how subtle little changes could make such a difference.

Following the instructions led me discovering that my stock was a touch too long for me...I have yet to trim it down, but tried a friends simuler "tactical" shotgun but has an adjustable stock, and once dial into my reach was quite an improvement overall.

So I +2 the idea of finding a good gunsmith that knows about fitting shotguns.