I've got an older Citori with a full choke top barrel and modified bottom barrel. I only plan on shooting skeet with it. Would I be an idiot to open the top choke up to skeet and leave the bottom at modified? Installing choke tubes looks to be a very expensive option.
Changing Citori choke
- Thread starter emr333
- Start date
- Location
- Saskatchewan
NO problem, as long as you don't mind shooting the top barrel first, opposite of most shooters who want to minimize recoil on the first shot. The top barrel has a tiny bit more torque upwards when fired.
IC/MOD would be even better for resale.
Skeet/Mod would suck for resale... and I don't recommend it for a general purpose gun either... first of all, you have to measure the bores @ muzzle to know what you have... "Full/Mod" is meaningless. I just did a Citori Grade 2 that was designated Full/Mod, but the bores measured at .685 & .705... so basically xtra-xtra full & xtra full... they were very tight... I opened them to .715 top and .725 bottom... which is a great field combo... if you are including skeet as a regular use, you might want to go .725 top and .735 bottom... this would still be an acceptable field choking... IMO whatever you do, ream the chokes to adjacent values and keep the more open choke in the bottom tube.
- Location
- Saskatchewan
Hoyt, I respectfully disagree with your instruction to measure the bores at the muzzle. It matters more what the difference is between choke and bore, not the diameter of muzzle only. The bore diameters can vary a lot between 12 ga guns, as much as 10 thousandths of an inch difference. " Back bored" barrels are very oversized, some European barrels are under standard dimensions. So what matters is a good measurement of the difference between bore and choke. That is a difficult measurement to make, and requires specialized equipment. I have such a tool, and it has been an education for me. A lot of good shooting can be done with a double with 0.010" and 0.020" choke, or about IC and light modified.
EMR 333 the only Sask. smith I personally know who opens chokes is AC Douglas in Saskatoon. He does not have a bore gauge, ( or did not a couple years ago) but relies on standard reamers and bore bushings to do his work. Sufficient for most purposes, but not an expert. Like the others said, i'd suggest you open to IC bottom and Mod top, and call it good.
EMR 333 the only Sask. smith I personally know who opens chokes is AC Douglas in Saskatoon. He does not have a bore gauge, ( or did not a couple years ago) but relies on standard reamers and bore bushings to do his work. Sufficient for most purposes, but not an expert. Like the others said, i'd suggest you open to IC bottom and Mod top, and call it good.
The more you experiment and measure choke, the more you learn. Browning chokes are nominally. 010 and. 020 for IC and Mod, but the pattern board reveals all, in the real world. Lighter constriction than nominal often delivers with modern wads, when measuring percentages on the pattern board.
If the desire is really for only a skeet gun, don't handicap yourself with too much choke. Chose a qualified smith to do the alteration. I have seen a number of off centre choke alterations, which can't help shooting to point of aim.
If the desire is really for only a skeet gun, don't handicap yourself with too much choke. Chose a qualified smith to do the alteration. I have seen a number of off centre choke alterations, which can't help shooting to point of aim.
