Chokes

[MigdaleGal]

Hi All,

What's everyones opinion on which chokes to have in your gun? Still not really understanding the principles behind all the different ones.

Thanks

MG

 

[optima]

If your just starting out nowt wrong with quarter, quarter there,s not much it won,t kill

 

[psych4shooting]

below is a link to a mini podcast from Carl Bloxham on chokes.

http://youtu.be/KpU0jhjxrRw

 

[Fuzrat]

Agree with Optima. I used to be a choke fiddler but I am now trying to stick to 3/8 and 1/2 for everything. I might still stick a skeet choke in if something is silly close but trying to de-clutter the mind and keep everything as simple as possible Not the brightest so simple suits me very well :lol: :.:

 

[VicW]

Most of my clay shooting has been done with semi-autos where you only have one choke to play with.

Although I have experimented with chokes,and kept Nigel Teague and Chris Potter (Briley) in Range Rovers,I have never been a choke changer while on a course.

To my way of thinking I have got enough to think about studying the birds and shooting them without introducing another decision and then,afterwards,wondering whether I had chosen the right choke(s) if I shot the stand badly.

Currently I use an o/u with fixed 1/4 chokes and there isn't much I can't break if I am doing the job right.

Occasionally I feel that a tighter choke would have been beneficial,edge on going away midis for example, and if I change guns,(or should that be when!),I would probably opt for 1/2 chokes.

Interesting to note that Beretta have just introduced the Outlander semi-auto multi choke with only one choke supplied, a 1/2.

For anyone starting out I would suggest 1/4 chokes and suck it and see.

Vic.

 

[EdSolomons]

Until you really know your onions don't bother changing choke as it will distract you, give you one more thing to blame and take birds off you. I shoot just over 3/4 at everything unless it's a close bunny then open right up. Stick a couple of halves in and focus on texhnique....

 

[JonSkeet2]

Until you really know your onions don't bother changing choke as it will distract you, give you one more thing to blame and take birds off you. I shoot just over 3/4 at everything unless it's a close bunny then open right up. Stick a couple of halves in and focus on texhnique....

Completely agree with Ed, I took his advice and only have a single barrel so only 1 choice so am currently shooting everything with 38 and will probably move to half in the next couple of months. It really improves your lead picture and accuracy and the kills you get really help your confidence.

I'm now shooting skeet with 12 in practice and it's fantastic seeing a clay disappear; theory being to refine my lead pictures which should help my scores.

Cheers,

Jon.

 

[Fuzrat]

A little non-speaking cameo about a minute in from shootclay admin on the video

 

[ExSCA]

Oh yeah - I look flipping amazing on that....

 

[Scuta]

1/2 & 1/2 & 8's for all sporting. Worry about shooting the clay & nothing else..........

 

[TobyM]

Fixed choke ¼ and ½ on my sporter

Fixed choke ¾ and full on my trap gun

Job done!

 

[DoubleBarrelledDon]

Heres one to ponder.....my favourites were always negative 5 thou and cylinder for everything....fitasc included and I didnt ever feel at a disadvantage and was able to break some seriously long birds with it. However as a favour to someone I am shooting full and extra full for a couple of months and to be honest i dont think its affected my scores in the slightest though I am enjoying dusting stuff at long range. I tested a Fabarm Elos C at Wylye Valley today that had improved cyliner and 3/4 in it and on the long crosser at the top of the bank there was no discernable difference in the quality of the kills between the two barrels, go figure.......

 

[Salopian]

3/4 & Full will break every target presentation IF you place the pattern in the correct area.

Shot size 9 is perfect for skeet type targets, Shot size 8 is perfect for any clay showing underside or a lot of face, Shot size 7 or 7 1/2 is perfect for every clay at any distance or angle.

If you hit all the easy targets and most of the hard ones you will possibly win.

If you hit all of the hard targets and some of the easy ones you will probably lose.

The only problem we are now left with is concentration, if we lapse, our tight chokes will let a few slip under the radar. Half choke patterning shows that over the spectrum of distances that we shoot clays there are more usable pellets using half choke than any other choke combination.

So it's half choke for me with 7 1/2's and concentrate.

 

[Will Hewland]

I had my gun fixed at 1/2 and 1/2. If ever I want to go `tighter` then all I need do is drop in a classy cartridge and the pattern is smaller.

It is largely a mind game / trade off. At Westfield last week there a (rare) easy l-r close crosser, showing its belly. At that range I estimate I had only a 15" diameter pattern. I missed the last one trying to improve the kill, from knocking the front off on the first three. I gave it a minute reduction in leeeed and missed it! Doubtless it would have been hit with a skeet choke, but I would not have been so aware of where I was hitting the clay on the first three. Feedback is good..

CSC3

 

[Westward]

In America where they seem to spend more time pattern testing than shooting clays, they obsess constantly about chokes & shells. Here's a worthy article that explains why half choke (Modified) is the only one you need.

http://www.shootingt...eclouds_201002/

 

[VicW]

Since going back to using a semiauto I have also gone back to using 1/2 choke and I still don't change chokes for different presentations of targets.

I have found the occasional round of skeet using the half choke gives me confidence in breaking close birds with it.

I know that our American friends are mad keen choke changers to the extent that they are known to use modified battery screwdrivers to,allegedly,speed up the process.

Can you imagine that going on behind you when you are in the cage concentrating on your last,potential high gun,bird.

'Pull-whirr,whirr,whirr!!' 'Kill,loss'

Vic.

 

[Hamster]

Half is too much on the close stuff and not enough on the really hard. The trouble with accepting the limitations of any given choke means you're not utilising everything at your disposal.

 

[VicW]

Hammy I agree but having chosen to use a semiauto I have but one choke.

So do I choke for the forty yard edge on or the twenty yard rabbit?

I prefer to choke for the edge on because I can usually hit the rabbit with the tighter choke.

Vic.

 

[tonky70]

What size is light modified on a beretta?