Tight chokes and targets...

[bamboozler]

When shooting skeet, 5-stand or sporting clays most doublegunners in my part of the world choose guns with loose constrictions---cylinder, skeet or IC...at most a Modified choke. From postings here I gather many of you serious target shooters are selecting guns with tighter chokes than one would normally associate when shooting these games. Would those of you that do, would you kindly share your philosophy on why you choose them?

[Stan Hillis]

I have shot registered sporting for about 6 years or so, and had always changed chokes in my O/U according to perceived need. I was shooting in the high 70's to low 80's consistently, but seemed to be stymied and could not improve further. I bought a used MX-8 about 1 1/2 yrs. ago with the intent of having the full choked barrels bored and tapped for choke tubes. Couldn't be done safely, not enough metal at muzzles, so I had them opened to .020" and .020". Began to shoot with trepidation, fully expecting to have problems on close, fast birds, rabbit targets, etc. Didn't happen. I can't explain it all, but my shooting began to improve greatly. I shot very well at some major tournaments last year, punching up into AA at the Turkey Shoot in August, with a 186/200 in the main event. All I know for certain is that I seem to be less distracted before shooting by not worrying with choke selection/swapping, and that the confidence that comes with turning targets literally to dust with the modifieds feels very good.

Not saying it's for everyone, or that I'll never go back to changing chokes. But, for now, I'm lovin' the results of the change and have no immediate plans to go back.

[wburns]

I don't shoot at that level, just local trap and skeet shoots. I started out swapping chokes as well. I also found if I use a good modified choke I hit better. I think it opens up well enough for close range work and allows you to reach a little further out if you don't get on the bird right away. Whatever happens I know it works for me.

[Silvers]

Controversial subject. The following is MY OPINION but it's supported by many really good shooters. While open chokes do have their place, they often contribute to spray and pray Churchill type shooting where the game or clay is hit with the fringe of the pattern not its center, and the shooter thinks he's a great shot. However said shooter often falls on his face on longer targets when he needs to "acquire it" and see the correct lead for a fraction of a second before shooting. I hestitate to use the word "aim" when referring to shotgun shooting but that's what it is. You can get away on closer targets if you have an open choke gun and are somewhere in its vicinity, but longish targets must be centered, little room for error. Using tight chokes on closer targets forces the shooter to concentrate OR MISS. No fringe hits. He must learn how to shoot. This cascades into gaining confidence and shooting better at both close and long range targets typical of sporting clays courses - or most hunting for that matter.

This is a very controversial subject that cannot be "proven" one way or the other however I believe you will find most accomplished shots using tighter chokes for a given presentation than casual shooters generally do.

Silvers

[fox-admin]

Frank: I couldn't agree with you more. I am not a serious target shooter but have been a duck hunter for 30+ years. I think the old timers had it correct as far as tight chokes are concerned. I have seen way to many ducks crippled with open chokes especially with steel shot. Tight chokes in most cases either kills em or misses them. The best duck guns today are the tight choked 12 bores with plenty of drop from the vintage era. I think more drops works very well with the heavy clothing required to hunt ducks. It's very difficult to get your cheek on the stock when you have a heavy sweater and a duck hunting jacket. I know the current trend is straighter stocks but I think more drop works better on hunting guns, especially duck guns.

[eightbore]

Frank's post keeps me from having to repeat the same points. I have a bad day with tight chokes occasionally, but when I have a good day, I feel really good about it. The "bad day" is not caused by tight chokes, it is caused by bad shooting. The loose choke shooter will be beaten badly by the tight choke shooter when all birds are thrown at longer ranges. The loose choke shooter will not be able to center long birds consistently enough to come off the course with a good score. The Churchill style shooter cannot be consistent on fifty to sixty yard birds. Aiming with a tight cheek on the stock has a place in good shotgun shooting.

[Stan Hillis]

Excellent explanations of what I have found to be true but couldn't put into words, by both Silvers and eightbore. When I do shoot guns that have choke tubes, such as in subguage events, I use interchangeable chokes. When patterning these chokes extensively I found a very even distribution all the way out to the edge of the pattern. No hot core with a dispersed fringe as with almost all fixed chokes I have ever patterned. I attribute this to the design of this particular brand of chokes which have slots which supposedly help to strip the wad quickly from the shot charge, not allowing it to ride in the back of the charge for a distance, interrupting the normal distribution of the shot. Whether or not this is the reason for the very evenly distributed patterns or not, I cannot say, but the results are obvious on the pattern board. What I'm getting to is that since shooting the fixed modifieds I can actually tell if I am really centering the birds in my pattern because they are the ones that turn to dust. They break like that because they are in the core of the pattern. When I am having an "off day" I get much more "normal" breaks at all ranges, much like the breaks from the choke tubes which have no hot core.

Very well put, Frank and Murphy. Thanks, Stan