old chestnut

[Doctor Lecter]

question to competition clay pigeon shooters do any of you use 1/4 choke and if so with what cartridge I'm talking reg shoots not straw bailers tia

 

[Daz W]

Yep, 1/4 & 1/4 in both barrels on my DT11. Cylinder for anything close, or rabbits. Used to have a Browning XS, and I'd shoot 3/8 or Skeet. The DT seems to pattern a bit tighter than the Browning, so now using less choke. Shoot Fiocchi F3 Pistons 8.5 (UK 8) and FBlack 7.5 (UK 7).

Different guns will certainly pattern differently with the same choke restriction and the same cartridge.

Interesting TGS youtube video "Do you need bigger cartridges?" where Jonny Carter and James Bradley Day shoot some pattern plates. 1/4 choke in JC's DT11 is almost as tight as JBD's 3/4 (think it was a 694).

 

[donna]

For my normal round I use 1/4 and 3/8 and change up/down if I need to. Not on straw balers but Coleys, Westfields, Owls, Barbury and the 1/4 is a phenomenal choke. I have a K80 and use RC2 7.5 cartridges. My chokes are Teague.

 

[Southern]

1/4 and 3/8 using s100 7.5 in my 694, shooting registereds.

 

[Charliedog]

I've been using 3/8 and cylinder with 7.5 Pro ones and don't normally need to change the cylinder, occasionally for 1 or 2 stands

 

[vmax1010]

1/4 and 3/8 in my invictus 7.5 fibre wad don't feel under guned at all

 

[Bebo]

3/8 3/8 fixed. Use 9 piston wads on really really close ones, 8s on everything else.

 

[Freddypip]

Slowing opening the chokes out. 4 years ago 3/8 & 5/8 and now . . .

Skeet (ordered a 1/4) and 3/8 in a Blaser F3. Might end up 1/4 & 3/8.

I do mess with cartridges. FBlu (P) normally, Bior for close stuff, and Sovereign 6.5 for distance. Happy with an 89 at Sporting Targets on Sunday with a Skeet & 3/8 combo. Quite a few closer, technical, targets, particularly in the opening stands where the Skeet was ideal.

I underatnd the F3 (cartridges) were rushed into production because of some hard clays in the middle east - they have a high antimony content. I think that also makes them pattern tighter as the lead is harder but that might well be me making stuff up in my head.

My two F3s are 18.7 bore and the chokes - accordingly to the Teague website - are for the older 18.6 barrels so I did pattern the Skeet on Saturday AM and it was a bit more open than I would have liked at 30 yards hence ordering the 1/4. Got a very disapproving look from Mr Husthwaite as I carried the pattern boards back to the car and he muttering something like "you won't learn anything from them", but I couldn't help myself !!!!

 

[TerryTibbs]

3/8, 3/8 and 7s for everything. Never really found any benefits in using the Piston style cartridges so stick with 7s for everything.

 

[westley]

1/4 & 1/4 with F Blues. Although I no longer shoot Comps. they do not alter the course, just for me. 40 years of 1/4 & 1/4, too late to start faffing about now.

 

[chesterse]

It’s hard to compare really as 1/4 in one make of gun will be different to another make and add to that the variation of different cartridges.

 

[jonz]

Skeet & 1/4 for most sporting targets, if its really 40yards + and not showing any belly I will go to 3/8 or 1/2 but it’s rare these days to find old style targets

 

[k80ben]

Just because it says 1/4 on the choke certainly doesn’t mean it’s 1/4.

To shoot a true comp with 1/4 wouldn’t be the smartest idea long term and the reasons are many.

A friend of mine Vincent Hancock who is the greatest Olympic Skeet shooter ever shoots 1/4 1/4 because it’s best pattern is 21 yard

No top shot shoots 1/4 for a reason. They also don’t shoot full like they claim. Meet up with a coach who’s actually good and do some testing

 

[Westward]

A couple of weeks ago at the Sunday Westfield reg sporting Steve had set a target over the pond that was easily nearer 60m+ than 50. It needed a huge lead, ask Sian as she broke 2 from 4 as did I (using a 1/2 choke and 2.4mm F Black shells).
I can accept that it would be possible to break it with a 1/4, but it's my belief having tested chokes at distance that, with a 1/4 choke, even if the shot cloud was always on target, the clay would not always break, simply because of too little pattern density.

 

[Martinj]

I shot that with 1/2 choke too and FBlack 8.5's (2,2mm) I wouldn't have been confident with any less choke, I used the 1/4 on the incomer which was closer.

 

[Jonny English]

I've shot 1/4 and 1/4 in my dt11 along with 3/8ths now and then and had some good results. But this last couple of weeks I've shot practise at Blyton and Orston with 1/2 and 1/2 in. Have I noticed any drop off in scores? No not at all, if anything shot slightly better. I'm not consciously thinking about what choke is in, but I'm maybe more aware I need to concentrate, but then I have confidence I can crunch any target at any distance. At the minute 1/2 and 1/2 is stopping in.

 

[vmax1010]

Slowing opening the chokes out. 4 years ago 3/8 & 5/8 and now . . .

Skeet (ordered a 1/4) and 3/8 in a Blaser F3. Might end up 1/4 & 3/8.

I do mess with cartridges. FBlu (P) normally, Bior for close stuff, and Sovereign 6.5 for distance. Happy with an 89 at Sporting Targets on Sunday with a Skeet & 3/8 combo. Quite a few closer, technical, targets, particularly in the opening stands where the Skeet was ideal.

I underatnd the F3 (cartridges) were rushed into production because of some hard clays in the middle east - they have a high antimony content. I think that also makes them pattern tighter as the lead is harder but that might well be me making stuff up in my head.

My two F3s are 18.7 bore and the chokes - accordingly to the Teague website - are for the older 18.6 barrels so I did pattern the Skeet on Saturday AM and it was a bit more open than I would have liked at 30 yards hence ordering the 1/4. Got a very disapproving look from Mr Husthwaite as I carried the pattern boards back to the car and he muttering something like "you won't learn anything from them", but I couldn't help myself !!!!

What you learnt is you have confidence in your choice of cartridge choke combination

 

[vmax1010]

Just because it says 1/4 on the choke certainly doesn’t mean it’s 1/4.

To shoot a true comp with 1/4 wouldn’t be the smartest idea long term and the reasons are many.

A friend of mine Vincent Hancock who is the greatest Olympic Skeet shooter ever shoots 1/4 1/4 because it’s best pattern is 21 yard

No top shot shoots 1/4 for a reason. They also don’t shoot full like they claim. Meet up with a coach who’s actually good and do some testing

Didn't you win a championship with 1/4 1/4 some years ago?

 

[Oldblaster]

For me it depends on the shoot 1/4 and 1/2 will be fine for most shoots, can't see the point shooting 1/4 and 1/4 when you have the choice to mix it up. Eley Olympic Blues my old favourites work just fine.