choke tube preferences?

[proven]

i recently came across a good deal on a nib 28"vent rib, remchoked barrel for my 870p. looking to broaden my horizons a bit and add a few chokes to my kit for purposes of clay shooting and perhaps a bit of hunting in the near future.

it came with a modified installed. i was thinking along the lines of a cylinder or imp cyl, and a full.

are there certain brands that i should be looking at? extended vs. flush pros and cons? i really haven't the first clue about chokes.

i understand that patterning will be paramount. i'm just looking for a good starting point.

thanks

 

[Virginian]

I have had equally good luck with RemChokes, Browning Invectors (in Brownings of course), Carlsons, TruLock, Colonial, and Briley choke tubes. And I pattern everything. The difference between the bore and the constriction is the key. I prefer extended for targets, flush for hunting. Hunting I never change afield and the extended chokes are easy to change and check with the fingers. No ports and such on anything. Make sure its rated for steel if you shoot steel.
IC, Mod, and Full have been the "standards" for a long time, and are a good starting point for most anything. Good luck.

 

[oneounceload]

Choke constriction depends on what you intend to do.

Shooting Skeet? Get a Skeet choke -.005
Shooting Trap? Get a Mod for 16 yards and a IM or F for further back
Shooting Sporting Clays? You'll want a SK, IC, LM, M, IM
Hunting planted quail over dogs? Sk and IC fill the bill
Hunting wild western pheasants? M and IM work great
and on and on it goes.........................

I prefer extended because I can immediately see what I have in the barrels and can change them quickly - (I shoot sporting clays). Briley, Trulock among others, all make good chokes

 

[tryshoot]

I leave the mod in my 11-87 all the time.

 

[MCgunner]

Choke constriction really depends on what you do with it. Me, I shoot ducks and doves about 99 percent of my shooting with a shotgun. For that, I find modified works and I never change chokes. I/C has some utility on ducks over decoys, but I've been shooting modified for the last 10 years and never changed it out. This is with steel shot and patterns pretty tight, full choke pattern.

If you hunt quail or some other flushing bird taken close or shoot skeet, you might want skeet or I/C. I've never even seen a skeet range and don't hunt quail...no dog. Scaled quail I've hunted, but modified choke is kinda necessary with them as they tend to be shot further away in my experience.

Turkey, I've used full choke on turkey. There are extra full turkey chokes and my 10 gauge came with one. I had to order a modified choke for it as i wanted to use it on geese with steel T shot, but I have patterned that turkey choke with 6s and it patters more like a rifle than a shotgun. Just what you need to hit a turkey head at the far side of 40 yards. I'd prefer my .22 magnum, though, for turkey, legal in Texas on Rio Grandes.

So, what do you intend to do with the gun? You'll need to pattern whatever choke you buy, too.

 

[jmr40]

If I had to choose 1 choke for everything it would be IC. With steel shot they pattern about like Modified and is the choke I use most for duck or geese. If they fly high I use modified. Generally full choke is not recommended for steel shot.

I tend to use the same IC for most dove, quail, rabbit, clays and almost anything other than turkey. For turkey I use an extra full. I don't think I have ever used a factory full choke tube and rarely ever use Modified.

 

[MCgunner]

The only time I/C comes in handy on doves for me is over tanks when the shots are 20-25 yards, 30 max. I really like my double choked I/C-Mod, can reach out there with that mod choke barrel. I default to mod with a single barrel repeater. I can hit 'em up close with modified choke. I can't hit 'em out there at 40 yards without high chance of cripples with I/C.

 

[rugerman]

In my 870 wingmaster the choke is a fixed modified, works for me!

 

[Telekinesis]

The general consensus from all the trap shooters I compete with (and my personal experience) is that factory chokes suck compared to Briley and Seminole, so I would go with either of those. I prefer Briley, but I know a lot of guys who use Seminole and have no complaints. Another thing to look at if you want to keep flyers out of your pattern is to have the forcing cones lengthened. It also helps cut a tad bit of recoil as well. I prefer extended chokes as they're easier to change, easy to see exactly what choke you have in your gun, and if you are resting the muzzle on anything or hit the muzzle on something, a choke is a LOT easier to replace than a barrel.

For American trap I use a Light Modified for 16 yards, a Mod for up to 23 yards, and a IM for 27 yards.
International trap I use Mod for the first shot and IM for the second. A Full choke is sometimes helpful for practice, but not mandatory.

 

[rcmodel]

IMO: Most every hunter would kill more game with less shells if they used an IC choke and nothing else.

Except during Turkey season, and maybe duck & goose season if not hunting them over decoys.

Decoys?
IC choke wins again!

Todays plastic shot-cup shells pattern too tight out of Mod or Full for anyone less then an expert shot to hit with them.

rc

 

[proven]

thanks for all the info, guys. i'll start looking for an imp/cyl and a full. i don't have much in mind other than busting clays for now, but would like to play around a bit and have a couple tricks up my sleeve should i do some bird hunting in the future.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Glad you're finally getting that barrel.

For GP shotgunning, open chokes offer more than Full.

I use Cylinder(no choke) and Skeet( just a skosh) more than Full. Full''s for Squirellin', Handicap Trap, and Turkey.

I use LM more than anything else, but IC and Mod aren't far behind.

I like extended chokes. The longer tapers are kinder to pellet roundess and one needs no wrench.

Still, standard flush mount Remchokes have served me well. I did have one that was non concentric, but the shop made good on it.

HTH....

 

[MCgunner]

Decoys?
IC choke wins again!

I want the tightest pattern I can get late season on ducks even over decoys as on public hunt land they're skiddish. Early season, I/C works, but I seem to be able to hit as many with modified and modified gives me a bit more range. With teal up close and in fast, I/C is better and some shots, hell, cylinder would be best. But, I normally go afield with modified. If they're too close and fast, I can sometimes let 'em get some distance. I don't consider myself an expert, but I can shoot well enough and have been doing it for 45 years.

On snow geese, I want as tight a pattern as possible, decoys or not, as those 30 yard shots are only common on perfect days, low ceiling days. Any clear day or high ceiling, I'll get more 60 yard shots than 30 by far. Snows ain't stupid like Canadas and they get an education by the time they get down here. My 10 gauge patterns in excess of 90 percent at 40 yards on a 30" pattern circle. With steel T, that thing is deadly on geese and if it's windy, steel Ts hold together well. The only way a 12 works anywhere near as good is with hevishot BBs and you gotta be J Paul Getty to afford those damned things at over 3 bucks a pop. No geese are worth that kinda money. I'm not one of Obama's 1 percenters, might shoot 12s on geese if I was, would still want a tight pattern, though. 10 gauge generally patterns better than 12 3 1/2" Ts, or so they say. I know it patterns danged tight. I just got a Mossy 535 and haven't gotten any 3.5" Ts to pattern it with, but I ain't holding my breath that it'll beat the 10 gauge or even come close.

 

[proven]

Glad you're finally getting that barrel.

it's been a long time coming

thanks for all the help. i like the idea of the extended chokes for all the reasons mentioned. i'm thinking of picking up a couple of carlson's to start.

can't wait to get to the range this weekend. my 870 hasn't gotten the attention it deserves lately, but that's about to change.

 

[Dave McCracken]

There's a couple Carlson's here.Good chokes.

Long time? Most of a decade since you shot Frankenstein and I told you to do so. Of course, school,etc, intervened.

870s need regular exercise. So do their owners....

 

[throdgrain]

We use Teague chokes over here, you guys ever hear of 'em?

As far as sporting clays goes, I always use IC choke, or M if I'm feeling adventureous I don't think I've ever installed my full choke into my gun ...

 

[SammyIamToday]

Another vote for Carlson's chokes. Very fine and the company will treat you right.

The preceding advice for choke type is all pretty good, so I won't rehash that.

 

[oneounceload]

Teagues are excellent chokes. Some shooters I shoot sporting with use them and like them a lot

Throd - have you ever tried a LM (.015)? A good all around choke