choke for game

[ips]

Even then ⅝ would probably cope, I went on a couple of 'High Bird Days' and ¾ and ½ was enough, I think people over choke game guns as the new cartridges pattern tighter.

thanks for info. I quite fancy half and half in an ideal world pref single trig ss

 

[ChrisPackham]

thanks for info. I quite fancy half and half in an ideal world pref single trig ss

On the couple of days I did with my clay gun before I had 690ii or Centenary I used ½ and ½ and it seemed fine but maybe a little tight on closer stuff (beretta extended chokes if that makes any difference), which leads me to another observation, I am not sure all chokes are created equal ( Ie from one manufacturer to another)

 

[FreeShot]

Leave it as it is and choose your cartridges according to situation - since you have longish shots well covered find somehing to ease your close distance problem - something like this:

Free Shots

 

[chippy]

I would open it up to 5 thou in both barrels. You cannot get any deader than dead.

 

[wylye]

I loaned a gun to a mate to go shooting good pheasants in December last. He came back full of it and wanted to buy the gun, almost at any price. He was less keen when I told him the 20 year old 686 had been owned by a skeet shooter and the chokes had been opened out to 5 thou and 10 thou. Said he couldn't miss. Makes you wonder.

 

[Will Hewland]

Even with fibre wads, cartridges with 5 and 6 size shot will hold tight patterns. It's a different world from 8 shot.

 

[PhilR]

My 46 year old B25 A1 skeet gun is choked 5 thou in both barrels, provided I give the birds sufficient lead (forward allowance) they fall down dead.

 

[Geordieboy]

2 x half chokes and 30gram 6 shot for Standard Birds

2 x 3/4 Chokes and 32 - 34 gram 5 shot for HIgh birds.

For a long time as a lad (Long time ago that), I had a SxS with the barrels cut down to 25" and True Cylinder.  I killed so many pigeons with that gun.....using Eley Olympic Trap 7's.   Looking at your gun I'd say 3/8 and 5/8 will do everything you need to.  I don't think it costs a lot to get a gun bored out to a smaller choke.

 

[salop sniper]

Since I first shot game on my first beaters day about 16 years ago I have always used 1/4 & 1/2 choke and 30gram 6` fiber and for that shoot it was fine....

This year though I had two beaters days on two local shoots run by the same game keeper with far better birds with greater hight and distances involved. Day one I was using my normal combination for clay of 3/8ths in both barrels for the happy medium between 1/4 & 1/2 and I was using my normal load of 30gram 6`s, I just wasnt totally happy with the down range effect on pheasants.

Day two I tried two changes..... 1/2 choke in both barrels and 32gram 5`s, I perceived a notable difference, only one bird not cleanly killed the rest were dead in the air and to back this up I had my best ever shot on a hen bird on the last drive of this day (yesterday), My neibouring gun confessed after he thought I wasting my time shooting as the bird  was along way up and out.... Until the bird fell, I could have danced on the spot but the bird had held a nice line and my estimated led for once was bob on.

So next year I will be using 1/2 & 1/2 choke and size 5 shot in 30ram or 32gram.

For my pigeon shooting though I will remain with 3/8ths in both barrels and 30gram 6`s.

ATB

Matt

 

[Darkside]

1/2 1/2 is fine for most...I shot 32g 4's on the first drive yesterday, 36g 4's on the second drive and 40g 4's on the last drive...you could see the difference in striking energy between my 4's and the gun either side of me who were using 6's!!!

 

[salop sniper]

I would rather the tighter choke and hopefully be more defined between a clean kill or miss.So the choke size should keep a smaller/tighter patern but also I want what hits to have more retained energy to cause as much effect as possible.

I guess its just trial and error based on your own shooting and experiences.

ATB

Matt

 

[ips]

40g flamin Eck. Don't think my knackered neck and shoulder would like that. Seems consensus is half or poss quarter half then.

 

[Hamster]

I don't have as much game experience as a lot of people on here but even so found 1/2 to be noticeably better than anything more open and for pigeon flighted at medium to very high (which I do have a lot of experience of) I'd say 1/2 is the minimum to get the birds down dead rather than rely on gravity to deliver the blow. 

 

[ips]

I must say that I struggle to accept quarter to be an adequate pattern for anything other than a very close phessie but of course this is speculative not based on my bag of a mere five birds.

 

[Will Hewland]

I must say that I struggle to accept quarter to be an adequate pattern for anything other than a very close phessie but of course this is speculative not based on my bag of a mere five birds.

Fire a 5 shot cartridge into a pattern plate, next to your usual clay cartridge. Your mind may feel rested after that.

 

[ips]

ah yes I see your point will didn't look on it like that

 

[Jonny English]

I have patterned my high pheasant extreme against superfast at 30 yards and the difference was amazing. Superfast fibre 7 1/2 approx 31-33" spread, xtrm 6's 26-27" xtrm 5's 24-25" spread all through 1/2 choke in a browning 525 all at the same range and fibre wad. The difference was staggering, I've shot have choke around game shoots this year In Lincolnshire and have felt a little tight at times, going to try 1/4 and 1/4 next year.

 

[ChrisPackham]

This is something I hadn't thought of, is it due to the higher retained energy of the larger shot size I wonder? Although steel shot breaks this theory as it patterns tighter (allegedly)

 

[ips]

so what your saying is that larger shot size and therefore less of them equals smaller / denser pattern ?

 

[Jonny English]

so what your saying is that larger shot size and therefore less of them equals smaller / denser pattern ?

Yes the evidence from my pattern plate test would suggest that the larger the shot diameter the tighter the spread, from 24-25 inch for continental 5's up to 32-33" for UK 7 1/2 is a lot tighter.  I have found this year that stuff has been dead or breeding stock.

The other aspect is judging range, a lot of people like to think they shoot game a long way off, but in reality the majority of game is shot inside 40 yards apparently or your average shoot.  If you think about it, you are pegged a maximum of 50 yards apart and you very rarely (or shouldn't be) shooting a bird directly over your neighbouring gun.  As for height I use wooden telegraph poles for a gauge on height, a standard telegraph pole is in the region of 10 yards or 9 metres tall roughly.  If you imagine 2 or 3 of them one on top of the other its a good old distance up, if you shot a bird 30 yards up straight over your head it would look a fair way up.  So it will be uncommon for you to shoot at much game outside 40 yards unless you are on the proper high bird shoots, so 1/4 choke is more than often plenty tight enough for your average game shoot.