Re-marking chokes after alteration

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Patrick Gidlet

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Hello

I think I've landed on the decision to open the chokes on my 1950 20ga superposed from Full/mod to Mod/IC. I know, I know its very controversial in some circles, but I will never sell the gun, and I might as well make it perfect for my needs.

Now, I know the reputable Browning gunsmiths in the USA, Arts, Midwest Gun Works etc, will update the choke markings. Thing is, here in Canada, out of the more reputable gunsmiths that Ive contacted, none here will restamp the markings. Is there a reason for this? Any recommendations for someone that will do this? Not that it matters in the end, but the some reason Id prefer things to be marked properly.

Thanks
Pat
 
I have no problem with you doing this, also I have no answer for your question. I want to speak to your reasons for opening the chokes. If it is to make for a nicer upland or general purpose gun - that's great. If you plan to open them so you can shoot steel - I suggest you reconsider. Browning says the barrels won't stand up to steel shot.

ht tp://www.browning.com/support/frequently-asked-questions/can-i-shoot-steel-shot-in-my-browning-shotgun.html
 
They probably don't have the appropriate stamps to make the Browning marks...

I would go a step farther and make it Skeet I and Skeet II...

Choke designation from the tightest to the most open are:
Extra Full, Full, Improved Modified, Modified, Skeet II, Improved Cylinder, Skeet I, and Cylinder Bore.
 
Thanks - definitely won't be shooting steel out of this one, Ive got newer guns for that. I was thinking skeet 1 and 2 for a while, but I have a BSS sporter, also a 20ga, that has those chokes. Its my go-to grouse gun and I probably shoot it best of any I own. It was originally Full/Mod but was opened up before I got it, and its always bugged me a tiny bit that ot wasn't marked. One of those silly things you only notice when cleaning the gun or whatever, and won't bug anyone else. I also like the idea of keeping the Superposed with a choke setup that it could have had from the factory, kinda the perfect field grade 1 setup with those 28" barrels. Those early 20 gauges are nice and slim, much nicer than the later non-lightening ones. My wife actually shoots the superposed most often. It fits her nice, shes a lefty and its neutral cast. She does well with the tight chokes, but its very limiting give the thick brush up here. And in N Dakota I still end up running an IC or mod depending on which shotgun Im carrying and the wind, dog behaviour that day, etc.

I have a 20ga auto 5 that I sent out to Briley for thinwall chokes, and I carry that 75% of the time. Made the mistake of using a friends 20ga A5 for s hunt and got hooked, but could only find one with full chokes. But with that one the serial on the barrel is much later than the gun so I had no qualms about altering it. Ive got 2 earlier 16ga auto 5s that I wouldn't alter. One is a sweet 16 with a mod choke, patterns great for our hunts out west. The other is a 30" full and only has sentimental value, its about as worn out as an Auto-5 can get, belonged to a relative who was an avid hunter and only had 1 shotgun, "beware the man with one gun".

Anyways, where was I going with all this. I was thinking maybe it has to do with the hardness of the extractor lumps. I cant imagine the stamps would be all that hard to come by. Just need an asterisk and a dash for those chokes.
 
Hey Patrick, you didn't run into a couple of Ontarions in a black Tacoma at a farm in NoDak last fall did you? We ran into a husband and wife team and stopped to talk for a bit on dirt road south of Elgin. I believe they had a couple of wirehairs and were from Thunder Bay.
 
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be2man said:
Hey Patrick, you didn't run into a couple of Ontarions in black Tacoma at a farm in NoDak last fall did you? We ran into a husband and wife team and stopped to talk for a bit on dirt road south of Elgin. I believe they had a couple of wirehairs and were from Thunder Bay.
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Yup that was us! Good to run into you on here haha. Going back this year?
 
Small world :d yeah heading back this year, likely go a week earlier the way things are working out. That country just gets under your skin. Look forward to it the whole rest of the year. Wish I lived in Thunder Bay though! A day less driving would be awesome! Just received a BSS 30" M/F I bought on the EE today that's gonna be along for the trip. May have Briley's in it by then.
 
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I did the same on a '50s -era Union Armera (Grulla) SxS 12 gauge. From Mod. & Full to .005" (about Skeet) and .015" (Lt. Mod.) and could care less about
what's stamped on it for choke. If someone down the road really wants to know, they will pattern it to find it's a very nicely choked grouse gun ! ;)

If it were a rifle re-chambered , I'd certainly feel obliged to have it remarked, but shotgun chokes, no. There's a lot of old "original" chokes out there that
have never been altered... that don't pattern to what they're marked. Add to that some factory choke tubes that don't perform even close to what they're
supposed to be ... and some that are even mismarked. A good bore gauge and patterning board is the only sure way to tell.
 
Yea you know what, Im gunna get it done and not worry about it. That guns not going anywhere, and a bit more open on the chokes and it will be a great bird gun.
Be2man, shoot me a pm in the fall, if we're out that way at the same time we can meet up for a beer. We'll be there the last week of Oct. Wouldn't miss it for anything.
 
Will do! As to the choke question, I had Joe Kroetsch open the chokes on a BSS for me a while back and he did remark the barrels. Nick Mackinson in Komoka likely would as well. Have you considered Briley thin walls? Lawry's with handle the export and paperwork. It is more expensive but gives you more options to match the configuration to the birds and conditions. I like having 2 degrees of choke difference on some of my upland guns. My 28 gauge grouse/woodcock gun is choked Sk/Mod.

ht tp://www.lawryshootingsports.com/page/briley-products
 
I'll give Joe a call, but will likely end up sending it to Nick. He said that he cannot mark them.

I sent my 20ga auto-5 to Briley via Lawrys, and it was a painless experience, other than the cost of shipping, which was a lot more than I thought it would be. Something nice about fixed chokes though!
 
I'll give Joe a call, but will likely end up sending it to Nick. He said that he cannot mark them.

I sent my 20ga auto-5 to Briley via Lawrys, and it was a painless experience, other than the cost of shipping, which was a lot more than I thought it would be. Something nice about fixed chokes though!
 
True. I'm thinking of making the new BSS into a Clays gun as it's got the weight and quality to stand up to a relatively high volume of shooting. Hard to beat fixed chokes for quality patterns though. I think Joe's pretty much retired now, doing the odd small rifle job but not shotgun work.
 
Just open it up and be done with it, whats so hard about that?
How many have bought a car that has has an over sized piston in it?
You know rebuilt hot rod engine that was supposed to be .10 oversized only to find out many years later that it is fact .30 over?
It ran fine till there where other issues and now its time to deal with it another way.
Tight Groups and Open Chokes
Rob
 
I just was given a Superposed 20 gauge that my Uncle had. It's one of the last ones made, I think from 1973 or some where's abouts.
Anyhow, he had it opened up and I believe both barrels are modified. I don't plan to shoot steel in it but he did. He lived right on the edge of the Delta Marsh and used it a fair bit for waterfowl. If steel shot is supposed to hurt them this gun didn't know that. There is no bulging at the muzzles, no scoring in the bores and no loose rib. And the gun works flawlessly.
 
Browning made Superposed shotguns much, much later than 1973 - as special order items and/or retailed in Europe and UK.
htp://www.shotgunlife.com/shotguns/art-of-the-gun/the-secret-of-the-browning-superposed.html
 
It seems odd that a smith wouldn't simply stamp the new constrictions into the barrels. Was any reason offered?

In any event it's always a good idea to measure the constrictions if you are considering a used gun with fixed chokes. Wall thickness and chamber length are also worth checking if you can.
 
Yes Pat go ahead a get it done so you can enjoy the gun the way you want, and like beretta boy states after your long gone the next guy can figure the chokes out. I had a couple of the choke tubes honed out on my Classic Double years ago, many at the time thought it was sacrilege, I was heavy into pheasant hunting at the time and it worked out well for my purposes. I know what choke is which as I marked them with one of those little vibrating metal engravers, and that's all that matters. So go for it.
 
mrgoat said:
Yes Pat go ahead a get it done so you can enjoy the gun the way you want, and like beretta boy states after your long gone the next guy can figure the chokes out. I had a couple of the choke tubes honed out on my Classic Double years ago, many at the time thought it was sacrilege, I was heavy into pheasant hunting at the time and it worked out well for my purposes. I know what choke is which as I marked them with one of those little vibrating metal engravers, and that's all that matters. So go for it.
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+1. There's no sacrilege involved. I once watched an American express shock and dismay to a Brit who had Teague thinwalls installed in a magnificent between the wars Boss sxs. The Brit dryly responded that it was a best gun, the one he wanted to use above all others and that he was not about to shoot a lesser gun because he couldn't change the chokes. It was hard logic to argue.
 
His gun, his choice.
I always wonder at the gall of a person who has the temerity to presume that he knows better than the owner.
This site is replete with armchair critics, particularly as related to surplus guns altered many years ago.
It might not be my choice, but it is also not my place to criticize.
 
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