What chokes for sporting clays, trap and skeet?
- Thread starter MD
- Start date
A skeet or cylinder choke works best for Skeet. Adding a mod and a full gives you a pretty solid range. From there you may want to look st some of the in between chokes depending on your specific application.
Brad.
Brad.
For skeet improved cylinder or more open (skeet, cylinder)
For trap modified or tighter (improved modified, full)
For sporting clays any of the above depending on the target distance. Most sporting clays layouts can be shot with either IC or Modified.
FWIW, I shoot sporting and shoot Light modified most of the time which is between IC and modified
For trap modified or tighter (improved modified, full)
For sporting clays any of the above depending on the target distance. Most sporting clays layouts can be shot with either IC or Modified.
FWIW, I shoot sporting and shoot Light modified most of the time which is between IC and modified
You guys should quit worrying about chokes so much, and start worrying about patterns. Half the time a "modified" choke will throw a pattern that you associate with a "full" choke. The degree of "choke" can be varied by switching loads. A shell with a full length shot cup and hardened shot will throw a much tighter pattern than one with just a felt wad and soft shot. The difference is dramatic. An hour or four at the patterning board, with various shells and at a variety of distances, will save you a lot of money on choke tubes, and give you an idea of how far you can shoot before you run out of pattern. There is no point in debating the merits of improved - modified vs. full if you do not know what your barrel and loads are doing.
Sharptail
Sharptail
beretta boy
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Orillia, Ontario
Sage advice from the "Sharptail".
IMHO - get all the chokes, pattern them at the various distances you encounter with the shells you use - then you'll know exactly what they do.
Patterns for Skeet - shoot #9's at 21 yds - look for well-distrbuted even pattern of about 70 - 75 percent. For trap, look for the same kind of pattern with 8's at about 34 yards for 16 yd. singles, with 7-1/2's at 43 yards for 27yd. handicap.
Choke designations are otherwise normally made at 40 yards - percentage - number of shot within a 30" circle. Actually count the number of shot within your test shells - often not the "advertised" number of pellets in a given load !
And, just because a choke is marked "Modified", doesn't neccessarily mean it is. Pattern it to find out !
Enjoy the learning curve.
IMHO - get all the chokes, pattern them at the various distances you encounter with the shells you use - then you'll know exactly what they do.
Patterns for Skeet - shoot #9's at 21 yds - look for well-distrbuted even pattern of about 70 - 75 percent. For trap, look for the same kind of pattern with 8's at about 34 yards for 16 yd. singles, with 7-1/2's at 43 yards for 27yd. handicap.
Choke designations are otherwise normally made at 40 yards - percentage - number of shot within a 30" circle. Actually count the number of shot within your test shells - often not the "advertised" number of pellets in a given load !
And, just because a choke is marked "Modified", doesn't neccessarily mean it is. Pattern it to find out !
Enjoy the learning curve.
Jamie, I really have no idea what I am doing, but I do try to learn. I get down to Calgary once or twice a year. I was just down there for the gun show. When I'm headed down again I'll pm you. "Picking my brain" cannot involve the use of tools.
Sharptail
Sharptail
Good advice on chokes from Sharptail and BB but where the heck were you guys a few years back when I was lining the pockets of Briley and Teague among others.
I now have an extensive collection of choke tubes the majority of which rarely get used.
I absolutely hate counting pellets. Generally I pattern guns for POI and then test constrictions and ammunition looking for pattern density, consistency and the point at which holes open up in the pattern.
I learned the hard way that you are much better off at a sporting clays station sorting out a plan to shoot the target than changing chokes. Now I put in Light Modified and rarely change them.
I now have an extensive collection of choke tubes the majority of which rarely get used.
I absolutely hate counting pellets. Generally I pattern guns for POI and then test constrictions and ammunition looking for pattern density, consistency and the point at which holes open up in the pattern.
I learned the hard way that you are much better off at a sporting clays station sorting out a plan to shoot the target than changing chokes. Now I put in Light Modified and rarely change them.
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beretta boy
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Orillia, Ontario
Claybuster:
You've paid your dues "earned" your knowledge ... and now you KNOW, you don't have to guess !
Me too ... but changing chokes is also a "social" thing at the stations, and a chance to collect your thoughts before you shoot that particular station.
We have some devious course setters ... 10 yard birds and 35 yard birds in a pair, long crossers followed by a 5 yard rabbit, then 2 stations later, a stratospheric high tower, and to end up, overhead incomers about 10 yards out. Most of the time, I can get away with a .007" (tight) Skeet Choke and a .014" Lt. Mod. ... but have got about a dozen other Optima chokes in the bag to choose from ... incl 2 Cylinder (blue) , 2 Beretta Skeet (.003") (red) 2 "US Skeet" (.007") (purple), 2 Imp. Cyl.(yellow) a light Mod. (Orange), 2 Mod. (green) , 2 Imp. Mod (black) and a Full (white). Haven't found any need for a Lt. Full yet !!!
Between 5-Stand, Sporting, Skeet, Trap & Olympic Trap, at several different Clubs, most of those chokes actually do get used at some point or another ... but say 5 of them get pretty much most of the use.
You've paid your dues "earned" your knowledge ... and now you KNOW, you don't have to guess !
Me too ... but changing chokes is also a "social" thing at the stations, and a chance to collect your thoughts before you shoot that particular station.
We have some devious course setters ... 10 yard birds and 35 yard birds in a pair, long crossers followed by a 5 yard rabbit, then 2 stations later, a stratospheric high tower, and to end up, overhead incomers about 10 yards out. Most of the time, I can get away with a .007" (tight) Skeet Choke and a .014" Lt. Mod. ... but have got about a dozen other Optima chokes in the bag to choose from ... incl 2 Cylinder (blue) , 2 Beretta Skeet (.003") (red) 2 "US Skeet" (.007") (purple), 2 Imp. Cyl.(yellow) a light Mod. (Orange), 2 Mod. (green) , 2 Imp. Mod (black) and a Full (white). Haven't found any need for a Lt. Full yet !!!
Between 5-Stand, Sporting, Skeet, Trap & Olympic Trap, at several different Clubs, most of those chokes actually do get used at some point or another ... but say 5 of them get pretty much most of the use.
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