Chokes for Clay games

[LexRex]

I am new to clay games and I recently picked up a Browning Citori 12 28". I was wondering what your recommendation might be for chokes. I'll primarily be shooting trap and sporting clays, maybe some skeet. I was wondering whether it would make sense, say for sporting clays, to install two different chokes, one for the first or closer shot and a tighter one for the follow up or farther shot?

Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[Al LaVodka]

IM for Trap -- average birds broken at 36 yards.
Al

 

[LexRex]

For both barrels?

 

[hillestadj]

Mod for trap should work just fine all the way back to about the 24-25 yard lines. After that I. Mod or Full, which ever tickles your fancy. Sporting clays you'll want a Skeet and IC, or IC and Mod, experiment a bit and see what works for you.

 

[oneounceload]

Three different games requiring three different scenarios.

Trap singles from 16? IC or M

Skeet? C or SK for everything

Sporting clays? C, IC, LM, M, IM, or F in any multiple combinations

What is your preference?

 

[LexRex]

Thanks for the info, I'll definitely have to experiment some.

 

[ArmedBear]

Except for Skeet, it's very common to have two different chokes for the very reason you said, usually open on the bottom, tighter on the top. And if it's an incoming target, you swap barrels before you call "pull".

Skeet shooters often use Skeet or Cylinder for both, although there are such things as Skeet I and II, or Skeet In and Skeet Out. If I have a gun that only came with one Skeet choke, I'll put it on top and IC on the bottom. Again, incomers get the open choke. Not worth sweating. Put in two Skeet or Cylinder chokes and have at it.

 

[Al LaVodka]

For both barrels?

For Singles trap, at the 16 yard line (not handicap), IM. For Doubles I'm all about IM and Full...

If u r buying commercial loads I'd go with 8 shot. If you wanna open the pattern a tad try the lighter 9's (or use them in Full anyway) or to close it up a tad try 7 1/2's (or use them in Modified choke anyway).

Al

 

[Armored farmer]

I have had a AA average from 16 yds for 25+ years and have never shot anything but full choke.

 

[UKShooter]

You have to be a very good shot if you shoot full all the time. Most of the top shots will do this.

If I did that, I'm not sure I would hit anything at all :/

 

[Jim Watson]

For ATA trap, I shot competitively with a full choke. Now slacked off to occasional recreational shooting, I use modifed. I have also shot improved modified. For doubles, when I had a screw choke O/U, I used improved cylinder and full.

For skeet, use skeet (very open) choke, cylinder, or improved cylinder.

For sporting clays, a lot of shooters carry around a bag full of choke tubes and wind them in and out to suit the stage. If you don't want to be bothered with that, improved cylinder and modified would get you by. Aftermarket choke tubes are available in "light modified" which seems popular.

 

[hopper810]

For S/C's it kind of depends on what ammo your gun patterns the best with. For myself and my reloads I shoot with a L/M and a MOD chokes. YMMV

 

[throdgrain]

I shoot all of those disciplines, a lot.

Improved Cylinder will be fine for all of them. Rule #1, dont tie your self into knots worrying about chokes

 

[ArmedBear]

If I did that, I'm not sure I would hit anything at all :/

Do you shoot American Trap?

I shoot it about once a year, and I break about 23 out of 25 without practice. American Trap is a very simplified clay discipline, with very limited gun movement and relatively slow targets that fly to the same height. The challenge is more about keeping your mind for wandering than it is hitting the targets, once you get the hang of it. WAY different from the International version.