Poly Choke..yea or nay?

[Furncliff]

I did a search and came up with very little in the way of opinions on the Poly Choke and similar. I've been keeping my eye out for a 20 ga to introduce shotguns to my daughter (she's 28 and a proficient hand gun and rifle shooter). Guns that fit in the budget are older and have these devices fairly often. Our shooting is informal clay smashing .

Thanks for your input.

 

[rjrivero]

I put one on my Saiga-12. I like it. They can get "stuck" if not kept clean and lubed, so if you're looking at 2nd hand guns, be aware of that. A good soaking in some penetrating oil and a sturdy strap wrench *should* get most of them moving again.

 

[oneounceload]

20 gauge guns tend be lighter than 12 gauge guns and therefore will have MORE recoil than a typical 12.

You need to find her the heaviest 12 gauge she can handle that FITS and shoot the lightest loads out of it. Add in a gas action and a good recoil pad and the perceived recoil will also be less.

That being said, modern guns like the wally world Beretta 3901 will not have the poly choke, but it will have choke tubes. The polychoke will add weight right at the very end of the barrel which will upset the balance, mess with any possible swing dynamics, and generally not allow for the best performance. You would be better suited getting her a gun that fits with choke tubes, even if used

 

[rcmodel]

+1 on choke tubes.

Not that the balance will be much different though.

Todays barrels are mostly all steel shot rated, and heavier wall tubes then the old guns when Poly-Chokes were invogue.

The weight of one pretty much cancels the weight of the other.

I do agree though that a 12 with light target loads will not kick as bad as a lighter 20.

rc

 

[T Bran]

My first 12 ga a Mossberg 600 has a factory polychoke type system on it. Guess since I learned the ropes on that old gun it has never bothered me busting clays or birds.
I actually prefer the poly to the screw in chokes on my other guns. Its more conveniant in the field than swapping tubes back and forth.
Just my .02
LUCK
T

 

[rcmodel]

I could go 5 or 10 years without swapping chokes in the hunting fields though.

In fact, I do.

Last time I changed was to put a Turkey tube in two yours ago, and take it out the next day after I killed a turkey.

Course, I am a firm believer you could hunt almost anything with an Imp Cyl choke and come home with more game and less empty hulls.

Been doing that too for a very long time.
With todays shot-cup wads, you will miss way more shots with too much choke then with not enough.

rc

 

[oneounceload]

Agree - the old standby in a double gun of IC/M is as appropriate today as they were 100 years ago, even with the differences in ammo

 

[tactikel]

I have a poly-choke on my Rem mod 17 and like it. Keep in mind poly chokes came out 60 years before choke tubes became popular. IMHO choke tubes are the way to go, easily swapped out, plenty of aftermarket options, and no bulge at the muzzle to throw off your sight picture. Poly chokes can be adjusted in seconds, think dialing down on a wild flushing pheasant, or dialing up on a dog on point 5 yards in front of you. Safety is first, so be mindful of placing your hand close to the muzzle in a stressful situation. Good luck!

 

[T Bran]

Polys are old tech for sure but they still work pretty well. I really like them in the dove fields. When you see a flock of high flyers coming it only takes a twist of the wrist and your mod is a full another twist and you are back to mod or any where in between.
I definately agree to use caution while adjusting as it is way to easy to put your hand or face in front of the muzzle.
T

 

[6x6pinz]

clay games where you have all the time in the world to make changes, the tubes work well. In the field I prefer and use polychokes on all my shotguns. I just never know how far the birds will be away on a particular day unlike clay games. I really hated having 11 tubes for my benelli and having to keep track of them in the field even though I usually only use modified or Xfull settings on the poly choke.

 

[Virginian]

NAY. Hate them. Had one (1). It, and a few inches of barrel, are still somewhere out in the duck marsh. We don't write.
(The barrel issue wasn't the fault of the choke - it was our collective karma forcing a fast resolution).

 

[oneounceload]

I really hated having 11 tubes for my benelli and having to keep track of them in the field even though I usually only use modified or Xfull settings on the poly choke.

Sounds to me like the M or IM in there will work for what you are hunting

 

[chas08]

Polys are old tech for sure but they still work pretty well.

That about sums it up for me also. I have a couple of guns with them and like them fine. I wouldn't let it be a deal breaker on a purchase. They are very convenient in the field. Just make sure the piece that is attached to the barrel has all of its petals and never fire the gun without the adjusting collar.

 

[jmr40]

Course, I am a firm believer you could hunt almost anything with an Imp Cyl choke and come home with more game and less empty hulls.

We think alike. I use IC for everything from dove to goose. Steel shot patterns pretty tight in even an IC tube. Kill more birds with fewer shots than with any other choke. I guess if I were a better shot I could take advantage of tighter modified tubes. During turkey season I change to full of extra-full.

 

[skip50]

Poly Choke II

I hung a PC II on a 20 ga. pump gun for 5 stand. It works great. I can go to a full or xtra full for the long distance shots and back to IC or cylinder for the close-in targets. Works like a charm.

 

[Sniper66]

I saw a poly land about 50 yds in front of our duck blind one day when it blew off the end of the gun....not mine, but a guy I had never hunted with. I'll never allow one in my gun cabinet. And really, are they butt-ugly or what??

 

[rjrivero]

Polys are old tech for sure but they still work pretty well.

"Old tech" has gone tacticool.

 

[gp911]

LOL at Virginian. "We don't write." My cousin had one on a 20ga years ago and eventually got rid of it. I like the concept but I grew up relying on marksmanship with old full-choked guns and never saw the need for my usage. Ymmv.

 

[oneounceload]

"Old tech" has gone tacticool.

Is that in case that incoming duck is heading for you out of control?

 

[Salmoneye]

Love variable chokes...

Only issue I have ever seen is 'plastic' fouling from wads on the petals...

I use them on older solid guns for everything from informal clays, to hot steel loads for waterfowl...

If you will be shooting steel, open the choke to nothing tighter than Mod, and pattern with it set there, and IC...

My Savage 775A with 'Savage Choke' wants IC for steel...Patterns like I'm shooting a Full with lead...Cylinder patterns like a Mod...

My Sister has a Springfield 745B, and it wants MOD with steel...

[/rant]

 

[RPRNY]

PCII (screws into your choke threads) is useful on a semi for upland and clays. Good for ducks when they are coming in close over decoys. I have done a lot of pattern work with the PCII (non vented) and mine does not pattern well tighter than IM. One theory is that because of the way the fingers "close" to make the choke tighter, there is very little parallel in the choke tube. It's a very abrupt constriction and that strings out and disrupts patterns. Others however feel the PC II does pattern well at Full and X-tra.

On 20 ga for a girl, as per above, a light 20 and full house loads is a bad combo. Fiocchi target lites in 3/4ths oz would be very helpful.

 

[Hocka Louis]

Me like.