Waterfowl chokes

[the_taxidermist]

I am new to waterfowling, but having a blast!
I have a question concerning chokes that I have not been able to get answered with any certainty;
I know that you cannot shoot steel through a full choke unless the choke is rated for steel, the old "set" full choke barrels are dangerous with steel shot!
Found that out the hard way!!
Ask me about the big hole in my back sometime!

What I am trying to find out is if you can shoot steel through any modified choke? Or do they need to be stamped "steel" too?
On a recent goose trip I spent the whole trip with a full choke in my 870 Express because of the uncertainty; a modified would have worked very well as the birds were decoying great.

Maybe some of you guys who have been doing this longer can clear it up for me?

[BrotherWolf]

I shoot modified choke all the time...ducks geese etc...

If I remeber right if you have chokes that are not stamped for steel
a improved choke for lead will give you a mod pattern in steel and a mod choke for lead will give you a full choke in steel?

[SImudBogger]

i shoot modified in both my remingtons, 870 and 11-87. Full would be safe, it would just have a badd pattern.

[ogrejager]

Remington tubes that are not full choke generally are not stamped "steel." However; they are safe to shoot steel. They just only stamp "steel" on the full chokes that are safe to use with steel.

[gottafish]

I put a briliey duck choke in mine and had a vast improvement in pattern http://www.briley.com/articles/what_chokes.html

[steelheadslayer]

In my guns, the full chokes are printed not to be used with steel. The mods and IC's are good. I went with an aftermarket tube, Kicks High Flyer Mod, and it's been great. It actually slows the wad down to improve patterns. Size of shot will have an effect too. It pays to pattern your gun and choke combos with your various hunting loads to see what gives you the best performance.

[DogZilla15]

It takes a while but go out and shoot some paper with different chokes and loads to see what works best in your gun. Every gun is different every load is different.

[duckboy]

I shoot an over under ,so I get 2 chokes. I used to run Cyl and Mod, but switched to Imp Cyl and Mod... and then they got stuck in there... So I've just kept using Imp Cyl and Mod.

Either works just fine out to 40 yards or so...#2 3'' 1&1/8 OZ

[billc_sbio]

The Rem barrel I bought to put on my current 870 was a N.I.B. 870 SP barrel that came with 3 Rem Chokes.

For whatever reason (probably that the barrel's bore dimesion was slightly oversize) it shot Extra Tight, even with the most open Choke Tubes!

I ended up using a "Cylinder" Tube (no choke) and it still shot "about right" at Duck Decoying ranges.

Later, I bought a couple of Cabela's "Hevi-Shot" tubes (which are actually Carlson Extended Steel Shot Tubes, I checked on this with Carlson) in Imp. Cyl. and Mod.

These work GREAT!

FWIW just remember that Steel Shot "typically" (and what's typical?) shoots 1 choke TIGHTER than what Choke Tubes are marked (unless they're specially marked FOR Steel)

So generally speaking, you'll get one choke tighter pattern than what the choke is marked.

HOWEVER, "choke" is really the ratio of the choke's tightest diameter to the Barrel's diameter, and both of these can VARY within dimensional parameters!

So, the only real "test" is to pattern your gun WITH the loads you're going to be shooting, AT the range you plan to be shooting it at.

Oh, and I've seen a Rem Choke clearly miss marked (was marked "Imp. Cyl." and was OBVIOUSLY "Full" from its extra thick walls )

[Wak]

[quote=
I know that you cannot shoot steel through a full choke unless the choke is rated for steel, the old "set" full choke barrels are dangerous with steel shot!
Found that out the hard way!!
Ask me about the big hole in my back sometime!
quote]


I have an old "set" full choke barrel on my 870. I have never had a problem with it. What did you find out the hard way?

[the_taxidermist]

"I have an old "set" full choke barrel on my 870. I have never had a problem with it. What did you find out the hard way?"[/quote]


The fellow next to me in a pit blind last weekend was shooting an 1187 with full choke 32" barrel; it blew up after just 4 rounds of 3" #2's; put a 4" piece of shrapnel in my back!
Luckily, I've got some extra "padding" and it missed anything critical, could have been a LOT worse!!
One of the guys hunting was a physicians asst, he cleaned and bandaged it in the blind, I never left until the hunting was done.

[Dr Strangelove]

There are exceptions... Kick's High Fliers rate their constrictions for steel shot; if lead is used, it's one choke more open. ie Mod = Mod steel and IC Lead. Patternmasters are also a little screwy; with large (BB) steel shot, they shoot full, but with small shot (#6), they pattern mod.

[billc_sbio]

Originally Posted by Dr Strangelove

There are exceptions... Kick's High Fliers rate their constrictions for steel shot; if lead is used, it's one choke more open. ie Mod = Mod steel and IC Lead. Patternmasters are also a little screwy; with large (BB) steel shot, they shoot full, but with small shot (#6), they pattern mod.

Yes, well the SIZE of shot going through the choke is part of "equation" of how it works.

Typically, Chokes are rated with a nominal shot size (I'm pretty sure it's #6s).

As the shot size get LARGER whatever the choke is "looks" to the shot like it's tighter (more constriction).

This is because the larger shot size is LESS Fluid than smaller sized shot.

This is the case with both Lead and Steel Shot (as well as other shot types as well).

So IF your choke patterns "Mod" with #6s it might pattern "Full" using #2s

Often really LARGE sizes of shot (BBs, BBBs etc) will benefit by OPENING the choke constriction up when shooting them.