Hi, i recently purchased a Winchester 2200 shotgun in a 30'' full choke barrel chambered for 2 3/4. I'm wondering if I can use steel shot in this firearm. At the store i asked about this and was told it's more to do with the much older shotguns, this one was labelled as being a 1991 model. I'm new to firearms and after reading more about this i'm not sure what the actual deal is. Most anecdotal accounts are of people who actually have used steel shot in their older shotguns with no perceptible problems. And lots of second hand information saying this is a big no no. Am i restricted to size #2 and smaller due to full choke? This firearm was intended for Duck/Geese/Upland hunting. I didn't realize how expensive the alternative non-toxic shot was, such as Kent Tungsten Matrix. $45-50 a box seems very expensive to learn on. The savings of purchasing a used firearm are null if i cannot fire it at a reasonable price for practice or it will not work for what i wanted to use it for. I have read lots of posts all over with some saying full choke is all they use and some saying Mod choke is all they use. It's all very confusing for a newcomer. Any info would help, thanks a lot.
Winchester 2200 30'' Barrel 2 3/4'' full choke question
- Thread starter Jaag
- Start date
Keep reading and decide for yourself,
. There is always the possibilty of damaging the barrel when using steel shot through a full choke due to the possibility that the steel shot will not constrict enough to safely pass through and create higher pressure levels in the barrel.
. There is always the possibilty of damaging the barrel when using steel shot through a full choke due to the possibility that the steel shot will not constrict enough to safely pass through and create higher pressure levels in the barrel.
i have the same shotgun and question. i am evaluating the possibility: another barrel with removable choke or a gunsmith that will tread the barrell for me but on the price i'm not sure if it's worth it. the other is simply have a gunsmith openning the bore to a larger choke but it will still be a fixed one.
Yeah same boat for me. I'm not sure if doing those mods are worth the money, for a couple hundred more i could just buy a new pump with interchangeable chokes that can shoot steel shot. I am also considering just practice shooting clays with lead shot and then using the Kent tungsten matrix ammo or similar when actually hunting, might be a good option. I spoke with my uncle yesterday who is a long time hunter and he said he used full choke for all his duck and goose hunting, considering everyone seems to use a Mod choke now with steel shot to give a tight "full choke" pattern i figure may using the Kent TM shot that acts a lot more like lead would be a good option considering i'm locked into a fixed full choke barrel. I'd rather not gunsmith the firearm, i could just return it and someone who appreciates it would probably prefer i hadn't cut it up. Let me know what you decide Dr-Snake. My uncle also looked into the barrel and said it's seen very little shot so it's probably best i don't just shoot steel through it.
- Location
- northern Ontario
the wall in that shotgun is to thin to thread you could put andt adjustable but im not realy a fan the best option would be to have it reamed to a mod then everything will be good
I consulted 2 gunsmiths that refused to cut threads into mine to choke it they said it would be to thin and that it would be a dangerous gun
there were very few 2200 s made with chokes if any I wasn't able to track any down and im not shure about the interchangeability of the barrels with other similar models
reaming the choke shouldn't be to expensive
I use mine for skeet and upland hunting and I cut the choke off then resquared and reinstalled the bead sight and no problem I have used it to hunt waterfowl with some success you just loose some range and need to patern test different loads to ofind one it likes Winchester bb hyper kills stuff dead in mine I have an 887 for waterfowl now witch is much better and not very expensive used
hope this helps happy hunting
I consulted 2 gunsmiths that refused to cut threads into mine to choke it they said it would be to thin and that it would be a dangerous gun
there were very few 2200 s made with chokes if any I wasn't able to track any down and im not shure about the interchangeability of the barrels with other similar models
reaming the choke shouldn't be to expensive
I use mine for skeet and upland hunting and I cut the choke off then resquared and reinstalled the bead sight and no problem I have used it to hunt waterfowl with some success you just loose some range and need to patern test different loads to ofind one it likes Winchester bb hyper kills stuff dead in mine I have an 887 for waterfowl now witch is much better and not very expensive used
hope this helps happy hunting
i forgot to say what i found about the barrel. winchester 1200/2200 is the same shotgun with different stock and fore end. barrel from the 1300 are compatible with the 1200/2200(except for the defender model if i remember correctly) it add some possibility for the barrel
- Location
- northern Ontario
that's cool if you get a new barrel and its a good fit please let me know that would be cool I might be able to upgrade mine
- Location
- Southern Vancouver Island
I was going to say that the barrels of these guns have enough meat on them for choke tube conversion, so
Ty's solution is correct & at a decent price.
- Location
- northern Ontario
yeah very cool how thick of a wall do you need to choke a barrel
Provided that your barrel has an OD of .845 of greater, you can install ANY choke. They are all the same external size...the actual choking happens on the inside. You can safely shoot steel or hevi-shot. It's not the barrel that is affected by the steel, it's the construction at the end.
My turnaround time is 1 week.
My turnaround time is 1 week.
