What choke should I get?

[Sir Plus]

The short version:
For my 12 ga I already have a cylinder barrel, what choke should my 2nd barrel have? I only plan on having these two barrels.

The long version:
I recently purchased an Ithaca 37 from the 70s in near mint condition. It only came with a professionally sawed off 19 inch cyl barrel. The quality of the gun is making me consider to sell my other pumps and buying a second barrel for my Ithaca that will allow me to do everything.

Because ithaca barrels are more then 300$ I only plan on buying one. So which barrel and choke should it be? Because it will be complemented by a cyl barrel, certainly not IC, but maybe full or IM?

It will only be used for hunting so clay shooting criteria are of no concern. I want to be able to hunt as many species as possible.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Gnome75]

I would go with IM. From what I have researched and been told by people you can still put steel shot through old IM barrels. If this is wrong I say go with full and just accept that you can't use steel shot.

 

[iceman2]

When you say only be used for hunting do you mean water fowl? If yes then mod is probably as tight as you want for steel shot. Why not buy a barrel with choke tubes or have one threaded for tubes?

 

[guntech]

Modified at the tightest if you want to hunt ducks/geese with steel shot.

But Improved Cylinder would be my choice - good pattern with steel on ducks and good pattern for lead on upland birds.

The cylinder barrel is basically for zombies in your hallway, kind of useless.

 

[Sir Plus]

Yeah I found their choke kit for 60$ (US) more. That's probably the best thing since I'd get all the chokes I could need

 

[Sir Plus]

The cylinder barrel is basically for zombies in your hallway, kind of useless.

I hunt all my rabbits with a cylinder with 7 1/2 shot. I've never needed tighter than that in the thick conifer cover where I get them.
And I use it for slugs too and plan on soldering some crude sights on it for accuracy.

 

[hunter5425]

|You could get your existing barrel fitted with choke tubes depending on the wall thickness but it is a bit short for many hunting situations.

 

[1963beretta]

I'd go for a modified barrel. I would find it to be the most versatile for all hunting situations

Just out of curiosity, whats a professionally sawed off barrel? Anyone with a heart beat can take a hacksaw to a barrel. What makes a professional hacksaw different than any other hacksaw?

 

[guntech]

I hunt all my rabbits with a cylinder with 7 1/2 shot. I've never needed tighter than that in the thick conifer cover where I get them.
And I use it for slugs too and plan on soldering some crude sights on it for accuracy.

Typically cylinder bores don't pattern well (it can have open spots, not very uniform) and yet with just the smallest amount of constriction improves the quality of the pattern... slugs will work fine with any choke and sights will help with accuracy.

 

[Sir Plus]

I'd go for a modified barrel. I would find it to be the most versatile for all hunting situations

Just out of curiosity, whats a professionally sawed off barrel? Anyone with a heart beat can take a hacksaw to a barrel. What makes a professional hacksaw different than any other hacksaw?

I've bought a shotgun that had a poorly cut barrel and the pattern was all over the place. The pellets would leave the barrel at 45 degrees in all directions and this barrel was useless. To the naked eye it looked good but with tools I could see the cut was not absolutely straight.
A factory cylinder barrel or well made cut job still has an acceptable grouping at a short distance.