Shotgun Chokes

J

Jimmycootscoot

Member
Rating - 100%
6   0   0
Location
Richmond Hill, Ontario
This is a two part question.

Im in the market for some good quality extended chokes for my O/U....a lot of guys at my club shoot with Kicks chokes. What do you guys recommend?

Secondly, what are your "go to" choke constrictions for a round of sporting clays? I personally use a full and IM.
 
Mueller and Briley come mind.
If most 8f your targets are within 30-40 yards, then up to modified would be adequate.
Beyond 40 yards, then IM or full.

But this is a generalization. It depends on your loads and target appearance.
 
I use a Muller u1 and u2 for all sporting clays of reasonable presentation .these are the equivalent of an IC and LM . if I don't break the target it is not the fault of choke .
 
My go to chokes have been Briley, but my used K-20 came with plenty of Krieghoff chokes, so I am using them. My used Blaser F-3 came with Mullers, so that is what I will use in that gun. I use LM/LM (U2/U2)on my two local courses, but I might be better off switching to a slightly tighter set of chokes for a few targets. I just can't be bothered to change chokes out on the course.
 
The spray and pray guys can be very vocal with IC and skeet chokes saying it would never cost them a target. And more open choke guys can do very well.

In sporting clays there is no set regulation course so a soft course vs a more difficult field won’t have the same answer.

The current trend that I see is a mod mod in o/u or similar. I have been running this last time I Shot and worked well I only change to IM and full for mini type targets.

Best thing to do would be to record rounds with more open vs tighter I don’t have much money but would pretend to bet that the tighter chokes would yield a couple more targets a round.
 
Jimmycootscoot said:
This is a two part question.

Im in the market for some good quality extended chokes for my O/U....a lot of guys at my club shoot with Kicks chokes. What do you guys recommend?

Secondly, what are your "go to" choke constrictions for a round of sporting clays? I personally use a full and IM.
Click to expand...

I used to buy Briley tubes and have since switched to Muller. Muller are very easy to clean.
 
After shooting a couple of rounds at our local course with my U2 chokes, I switched to U1 chokes for two days, and my scores actually increased slightly on our course. The 1 ounce Kent loads actually pattern tighter than I expected with the Muller chokes. I use LM Briley chokes in my other guns. I will keep shooting the U1 chokes unless targets are added that they don't break well.
 
68firebird said:
I also am a Briley choke fan . They are right on for their constriction stamp on the side of the choke. I use IC and M chokes with good results.
Click to expand...

I will disagree with you on this. I have found that they do not always pattern as they are marked. I have found that the actual pattern varies with shot size, volume of shot, velocity and make of round. Just as important as deciding choke restriction and going along with choke restriction is determining range and type of target and best shot size to brake certain targets. I have used Briley chokes quite a bit and I like them best because some of the extended ones are color coded. I have tried Muller and like them because they are easy to clean and are clearly marked. I have found that U1 and U0, even though designed for closer range like skeet will smoke em from the 16 yard line and short handicap.

I am of the opinion that unless one is mentally disciplined, changing chokes for every different presentation is more of a distraction and the benefit of optimizing shot and choke restriction is lost.
I do not know if it is true or not, but I have often heard that shoots are won by scoring the long shots but also that shoots are often lost by missing the really short shots.

If I had to pick one for every clay game that I have tried, I would go with LM.
 
I don't worry much if a choke is a couple of thou over or under spec, it's how it performs at the pattern board that counts. If you don't have inclination for the pattern board then tighter is generally better. Ammo manufacturer, shot size and velocity all make a difference on how any choke tube will pattern too. I also don't worry much about changing chokes at every station and quit blaming lost targets on choke tubes many years ago! Mostly I use IC and Mod for the majority of stations on a sporting lays course, tighten up for the long shots and open up for the really really close ones! Mod and Full work well for trap doubles, don't care what the name on them is for the most part as long as the patterns look ok.
Color coded choke tubes work best! :)
 
I shoot Briley, but I have to think chokes are way over rated. If I miss, it wasn't the choke, though I acknowledge I pick up a bird or two I didn't deserve with choke selection. Since others have been posting it, I use SK and LM and while I may switch the order (isn't that the whole idea of an O/U), I never switch out to other chokes. If you are Master class, I believe time at the pattern board may bear fruit. For my part, I'll concentrate on move mount and focus. The master class shooter could whupp my butt with a blunderbuss. :rolleyes:
 
Whatever chokes you choose, use a good lube on them, I have had to remove two stuck chokes for friends already this year. One had only been used one night to shoot trap, and the shooter broke the wrench trying to remove it. The other had been in the gun longer, but in both cases, they were installed with little lube, and I had to soak the end of the barrel overnight in Kroil to 're.ove them. I use anti seize on the threads, and I never have issues, even though I only remove the chokes once per year for cleaning in my skeet gun.
 
Combat Photog said:
Rhino, Muller, Teague, Briley, Kicks, Comp n Choke are all going to do the job as will your factory chokes
Click to expand...

I think you hit the nail on the head. I think for the most part clever marketing has convinced us that we need something special. For me I think the color coded extended tubes and the big black Muller tubes have a certain kool appeal.
 
Combat Photog said:
Rhino, Muller, Teague, Briley, Kicks, Comp n Choke are all going to do the job as will your factory chokes
Click to expand...


Bingo!

I often listen to guys say that they purchased a certain brand of choke tubes because they were machined more precisely than the tubes that came with the gun and that might be true, but it's irrelevant in reality. Most shooters can't tell if a target is 30 yards away or 50 yards away most of the time anyway so the choke tube choice doesn't mean much, just make sure you have enough choke and focus on shooting.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom