Fixed choke - opening it up!

[AW13]

I have a gun I really enjoy shooting and use it for most diciplines.  It has 1/4 and 3/4 fixed chokes. I don't want to sell the gun but it could do with a slightly more open top choke.  Has anyone experience of opening up fixed chokes, the do's and don't etc.  I am thinking about opening up the top choke to a 1/4 as well.  

Thanks

 

[FreeShot]

Please let us know which gun it is and what do you intend to shoot with it.

 

[AW13]

It's a Miroku MK60.  I will be shooting my usual current mix of sporting, skeet, compak and the occaisional DTL.  

 

[MJJ]

My second favorite combination. I would leave it as it is. You may or may not have any problems if the bores are chromed.

 

[FreeShot]

It's a Miroku MK60.  I will be shooting my usual current mix of sporting, skeet, compak and the occaisional DTL.  

I would leave it as it is.

 

[chippy]

I would go 1/4. 3/8.

 

[westley]

It may cost a good bit more BUT what about having it Teagued  ? At least it would make it more 'sellable' should you ever decide to part with it. There is a 3800 Miroku Trap in the local gunshop, that has been bored out to 1/8 in both barrels. It has sat on the shelf for some 18 months, nobody will touch it because,  now, it is neither one thing or another. Of course if it is going to a 'for ever' gun, get it bored out by a GOOD Gunsmith. You could just have the top barrel done.

 

[ChrisPackham]

There isn't that much diffference between 3/4 and, say 1/2, which many people would suggest 1/4 and 1/2 is ideal. I would leave it as it is

 

[Will Hewland]

3/4 is too much. 1/2 is great, as is 3/8. For my head, I need the same choke in both so I don't get distracted.. so for you that maybe means open one up to 1/4..

 

[AW13]

On my semi which has changable chokes i tend to just use the IC, I'm not a choke twiddler and don't want to get myself hung up by an indecisions on which choke to use. See the clay and kill it whatever the choke is the sort of mantra I shoot by, not sure whether that is a purist view but it usually works for me.

That is the thinking behind my thought process.

Cheers 

 

[Paul120]

Leave it or go for full multichoke. 

 

[Bebo]

When I first started shooting I had a multi-choke gun. Thought it had quarter and half in when I bought it.  Took over a year of shooting before I realised it was half and three-quarters.  Swopped down to quarter and half, didn't really make any difference to my scores, but using the barrel selector if I had a really close target second barrel seemed to help (in my head).  Now have fixed 3/8, 3/8.  Again, don't think it's made a huge difference. Scores have been a little more consistent but I think that's just down to gradual improvement.

As I've now got the same chokes in both barrels, I carry a box of 9s around with me.  Either plastic piston wads or fibres, depending on the ground.  If I've got a really close target that I'm worried I'm over-choked on, I use what have been named by 'friends' as my 'cheating cartridges'. Probably doesn't make a blind bit of difference in reality, but in my head it gives me the same confidence I would have had using a quarter choke. Maybe stick with it and get yourself some 'cheating cartridges' for targets you think that 3/4 is too much for that particular target?

 

[Doctor Lecter]

gun shops  have plenty of guns  for sale that have been choke adjusted ,   which must mean  they did not work as expected  for the gun owner !!    leave it original   I have tried every combination known to man  /   and to be honest  it aint made much difference ,    its all about  skillset   ,  mine is very average !

 

[Will Hewland]

gun shops  have plenty of guns  for sale that have been choke adjusted ,   which must mean  they did not work as expected  for the gun owner !!    leave it original   I have tried every combination known to man  /   and to be honest  it aint made much difference ,    its all about  skillset   ,  mine is very average !

Chokes per se won't make (almost) any difference to your scores. However, you worrying about your chokes may well do, so put in "the best" ones and just concentrate on shooting..

 

[FreeShot]

It is the same dilema I  was going trough back in '13 - was having an affair with my first gun - it was a Browning Ultra trap choked 3/4 and 1/1...I was dead set I need a Sporter instead of Trap gun to shoot Sporting - based on...squat...off season feeling...as of now, I am sitting with sporter na adjustable chokes in the very same spot I was 4 years ago...I lost at least 2 years to overcome the "benefits" of new gun...there is a catch tho - as it is with the chokes, loads..stuff...you have to trully believe it to make anything out of it - all the rest is just pure shooting!

 

[balltrap]

Some say 100 chips are better than 99 smokers, I would take the smokers, using open chokes can give you the odd extra kill but did you hit it with the top, bottom, or edge of the pattern, of course, you will never know !  shooting tight chokes you will know your on it. Just my view and i will not be convinced otherwise Those that shoot sporting will say what about a close driven target, i would say even with open chokes the shot does not have time to open up on them.

You will learn more shooting tighter chokes

 

[chippy]

Some say 100 chips are better than 99 smokers, I would take the smokers, using open chokes can give you the odd extra kill but did you hit it with the top, bottom, or edge of the pattern, of course, you will never know !  shooting tight chokes you will know your on it. Just my view and i will not be convinced otherwise Those that shoot sporting will say what about a close driven target, i would say even with open chokes the shot does not have time to open up on them.

You will learn more shooting tighter chokes

This is true I've learnt an awful lot from shooting tight chokes.

Mainly. use open ones and hit more.

 

[ChrisPackham]

Those that shoot sporting will say what about a close driven target, i would say even with open chokes the shot does not have time to open up on them

This is a good point

 

[AW13]

the above is why I use skeet for practice only. my thoughts are if you can hit the clays from stand 4 with  3/4 choke then you are properly focussed on the target and not relying on the spread.

Still trying to decide whether 3/4 is too tight though