Sporting Clays Choke Selection

[Salopian]

I thought I would open this discussion as some newbies may find it useful in their career development.

Please feel free to debate , ridicule, disagree or give us your opinion.

There is no doubt that Sporting Clays and cartridges have made tremendous progress over the last 40 years.

Then we rarely saw a multichoke gun and cartridges were often Eley Impax or Winchester AA in shot size 6 or 7.

This lead to Sporting shooters preferring to carry two guns, a skeet gun for close stuff and a Trap gun for distance.

As the multichoke became promoted by the Manufacturers ( remember we are motivated by sales) many ventured to buy or try one  and they gained popularity and are now almost universally accepted as Sporting Guns.

So what choke choice should we use? Multiple choice obviously !

Why then do many leading shots shoot fixed choke guns?

Why then do many leading shots shoot multichoke guns but never change the choke choice?

Why do many change chokes for every stand?

Lots of questions and many coy answers when the questions are asked.

Many top competitors choose to shoot tight chokes, but all the tuition books and DVD's recommend 1/4  & 1/2

Richard Faulds I believe shoots F & F from a multichoke

George Digweed professes to use tight chokes? From a fixed choke gun.

Many use 3/4 or F choke  and often only use 7.5 shot .

* NOTE of caution:-  Many  barrel failures whilst shooting Fibre wads are caused by neglect and none secured choke tubes ( keep them clean and keep them tight).

Yes we know that the Top Flight  are very well practiced and confident about their shot placement , but are they actually handicapping themselves using such tight patterns and lower pellet counts/less dense patterns?

Cartridges, nowadays we are literally spoiled for choice.

It is my belief that with a cartridge that you personally have confidence with and with 1/2 choke or perhaps if you need a choice 3/8 & 5/8 choke you will be suitably equipped for most targets thrown at a Sporting clay competition.

Those of you who are interested in experiments, shoot a Fiocchi FBlack 7 1/2 through Full choke  at a pattern board or a piece of card at 20-25 yards, the usual distance of the majority of clay target distances or the distance lots of Rabbit targets are bowled along for you. 

I look forward to your views and reasoning.

 

[no.1topdog]

It would be easier to debate the meaning of life, the universe and everything?  :sarcastic:

Personally, I've found what works for me through experiment and experience and I stick to it because I have confidence in what I do.

If you have doubt that you have the correct choke, cartridge or whatever, you have just lost the competition!  Many will disagree with my choices so I won't even try to explain.    :biggrin:

 

[Will Hewland]

Potentially massive answer required.. Shortest possible synopsis of my opinion:

Of course there is a perfect choke and cartridge combo for each target in sporting. However, it is almost completely impractical / impossible to evaluate targets, calculate needs and make perfect changes for each target in competition circumstance. Even the (rather estimated and subjective) choke / cartridge twiddling that many do may well distract the shooter from getting on and concentrating on the 99% important part of the whole thing, which is pointing the gun in the right place.

For me, it's half choke and a proven cartridge. Then concentrate on the actual act of shooting as best I can. In reality, most experienced shooters will tell you the same thing, that closer targets are almost always always easier to hit, so set the gun up for what mostly suits longer targets and leave well alone.

 

[wylye]

I agree with everything you say.

 

[Ocean19]

My fairly novice view is that a lot of people would be surprised by how well looser chokes perform.

I shoot all my sporting targets at various grounds with 1/4 and 1/4 I never feel under choked on long targets. I shoot Fiocchi Golden trap which I think are fairly tight patterning, but even so I never feel the need to go tighter until I am shooting ABT.

I prefer to have 2 chokes the same and just get on with shooting rather than fret about which barrel and which choke.

 

[dashman1]

Every body has there opion whos right its all personal choice mine is both barrels choked the same 1/2 and1/2 works for me atb

 

[Jim Wheeler]

as an average, most sporting targets will break with any choke, within a 35m range. the issue of edge on, fast, distant targets are better addressed by full choke,, to ensure a few pellets will strike. I must say it's not often I change from 1/2 and 1/2, too much fiddling, and more to worry about.

lets face it, if your 'on' the target, it breaks!

 

[ExSCA]

My opinion :

I try really hard not to think about chokes. I use half and half, and stick to the same shell for most of my shooting.  I occasionally stick a 6.5 in for something a bit further away and edge on - that's for my head, rather than some technical edge, it just makes me think differently about the shot. 

I know for a fact that my gun, chokes and cartridges are MUCH better than me - and anything I miss is down to my technique... I can honestly say I have never seen a target that is beyond the ballistic capability of my combination. 

If I look at the people I shoot with (mostly people better than me) - they can hit targets with the same shells, the same choke combinations, in the same conditions - and can often help me when I have missed - when I have the opportunity to hear that feedback and shoot a target again - I often hit it. I didn't magically choke down, or put a better shell in.

So, I call 'pull' with only less variables in my mind.  My technique and attitude is 99% of the shot that I make. 

 

[Mike Bartlett]

I followed George Digweed round the World Sporting 2 years ago and watched him miss a pair of close rabbits on a stand. I straighted the same stand with open chokes and i genuinely think that if he could have put in some open chokes he wouldn't have missed them!! As a result i always change chokes for rabbits and use as open a choke as the distance dictates and i believe that if it jumps or does anything else untoward then i will have more chance of hitting it.

It has always worked very well for me since then.

 

[Salopian]

Ian ( Wylye) 

 Thanks for your succinct reply. I just have to fathom who you are agreeing with ( it is rarely me :haha: ) .

As I said hopefully it will cause some debate and we may learn a few little gems.

 

[shootinguru]

3/8ths will kill ANY sporting or fitasc target with a 7.5 shot cartridge! if you miss it blame yourself! :fie:

 

[chubby]

1/2 and 1/2 8shot :crazy:

 

[ips]

What's choke ?

 

[SIMON-B]

What's choke ?

It's what trap shooters do when they see an incoming clay.

.Tin hat on and running like buggery.

" thats when the fight started "

 

[ips]

What's an in coming ?

 

[Will Hewland]

It's what trap shooters do when they see an incoming clay.

.Tin hat on and running like buggery.

" thats when the fight started "

Finally, your strap line has a purpose..

 

[Jim Wheeler]

"CHOKE"

what happens when purchasing cartridge's, or a pint in the pub!!

 

[shredder]

I have been hitting all sporting targets with my cylinder and skeet chokes with 8s. Only do sporting for a bit of a break though.

 

[paul b]

half and half 8.5 f blacks unless its realy close then i will put cylinder in with 9s if i have some.

I wouldnt recomend slopys favourite choice of f black 7.5 full and full  :haha: