determining choke

[Duffy]

I have two Browning Auto 5s one in 20 ga and one in 12. How can I determine what choke is in each barrel? i want to be able to shoot steel throught these without damaging them. If they are modified can I safely shoot the steel? Please and thanks.

Robin in Rocky

 

[guntech]

If you think they have been altered you will have to measure them... other wise the barrels are marked with *. How many *'s do you see. if you see one * that is a full choke, ** is a modified.. Either of those two are a little tight for steel...

Steel shot can be used in more open chokes... the older thinner barrelled shotguns should be no tighter than improved cylinder.

Have a gunsmith inspect and alter them if required.

 

[sbtennex]

Yes, you can shoot steel with a lead modified choke. Once steel became mandatory it was very common to ream out full chokes to modified. Advantage of choke inserts is simply that some guns like more or less choke - seems to depend on the load a lot more than it ever did with lead. Higher velocity steel loadings appear to pattern tighter than slower loads which jives with what we'd found years ago, that faster burning powders usually had the same effect with lead shot. I shoot steel all the time in my 10 ga O/U and it has full chokes - but the 10 ga full on this one mics the same as a Rem with a modified (lead) insert.
Here's a table of barrel constriction - you can use your calipers to determine choke.
.000 Cylinder
.005 Skeet
.010 Improved Cylinder
.015 Light Modified
.020 Modified
.025 Improved Modified
.030 Light Full
.035 Full
.045 Extra Full
.050 Super Full

 

[stovepipe699]

I just had the choke reamed in my old 500 Mossy. It came with a fixed full choke, which was great for lead shot, and why the old guns typically came that way. As mentioned by others, your bbl will say on it what choke it came with from the factory. A gunsmith will be able to check your choke, and ream it out to work well with steel. My smith did mine to somewhere betwen IC and Mod (light mod or skeet II I guess) and it shoots a nice pattern. If you don't know a gunsmith, ask around and find a good one. ( not necessarily an expensive one ) Good luck!