Just back from the range with some hard data on the difference between a standard flush-mount Mod and a Trulock Mod choke on my H&R TDC 20 Gauge
From the patterning board at approx. 16 yards (Rio Top Target #9 7/8 Oz shells used);
I used one of those square rifle scope sight-in 100 yard targets, the one with the four orange wedges in the center and the groups of four 1" squares on the corners, as my aiming point, aiming for the center of the target on each shot.
the flush choke (not sure what brand, think it's a Mossberg AccuChoke, I got it used) throws a very wide, open pattern with a couple good sized voids in the pattern, and the pattern took up the entire target paper and more, extending off the target paper, no real focus point of the pattern
the Trulock Mod extended choke tube threw a much denser pattern, no voids, and the entire pattern fit inside the target paper, there was a clear center point to the pattern where the shot cloud was densest
On the trap range;
last week, I shot with the flush Mod tube, when I hit the EOF's, they tended to disintegrate in a "chippy" manner, large fragments splaying out in all directions, when I hit an EOF with the Trulock Mod, it actually dissapeared in a puff of clay smoke, almost no fragmentation, it just vanished
The flush choke gave me a greater margin of error, I could be slightly "off" the EOF and still break it, with the Trulock, I had to concentrate more on keeping the muzzle on target, it feels like it throws a pattern closer to a Full choke
After a couple games of trap, I went back to the pattern board to see how the Trulock Mod and Full chokes patterned Federal #3 Buck (20 pellet Maximum 2 3/4" shells), I also wanted to see what the recoil felt like shooting full power shells in the TDC 20 Gauge, I've heard that in general, the H&R Topper line is okay with light trap/skeet/clays shells, but recoil gets downright nasty with Buck and slugs...
With the Mod TL choke in place, the TDC throws a 8" or so pattern of #3 Buck at approx. 16 yards, and recoil is negligible, it was easily tolerable, and actually pleasant to shoot, thanks to my homemade recoil absorber in the stock, the actual pattern wasn't all that good, most of the pellets struck high and left, with a few striking low right, there was a definite "hole" in the lower left of the pattern, this combination would *NOT* be acceptable for hunting or HD, due to the hole in the pattern
with the Full choke in, at 16 yards, the TDC throws a 4-5" pattern, an absolutely gorgeous pattern at that, balanced, round, and predictable, this combination *would* be acceptable for hunting/HD...
The more I think about it, the more I just plain like the patterns that the Full Trulock choke tube throws, when I compare patterning board targets of the #9 shells, the Full choke tube stays generally within the four orange wedge "crosshair" sighting area on the target, whereas the Mod tube throws a pattern that basically fills the entire paper target, rough ballpark figure, I'd say the Full is about 50% tighter than the Mod, I like the density and accuracy of the Full, it's just, shall we say, a bit more "challenging" using it on the 16 yard line at the trap range, the Mod gives that extra margin of error
For my purposes, the extended Trulock choke tubes seem to throw a tighter pattern across the board, the Mod Trulock feels closer to a Full to me when compared against the ?Mossberg? Mod flush-fit, the Mossberg tube seems to throw a looser, less defined pattern, shooting at the EOF with that choke tube installed gives me a higher hit percentage due to the looser pattern, "aiming" is less critical than with the Trulock installed, with the Trulock, I have to be more on target or it will show me clear deficiencies in my shooting form
Trap would be "easier" with the Mossberg Mod tube in, but less precise, I prefer the challenge of using the Trulock tubes, I may have less margin of error, but the hits are more dramatic when I dust an EOF with those tubes
So, to sum up, in *my* case, I've found that extended choke tubes are more "precise" and throw tighter patterns than the equivalent flush-fits
Hmm, wonder how my gun would pattern with a Trulock Improved Cylinder at 16 yards, it'd probably throw a pattern closer to that of the Modified Mossberg tube.....
