what choke size

[Evo]

hi all , just looking for some opinions,, i have been attending north wales Shooting school for the past 6 months,basically to keep my eye in for the rough shooting that i do,,i am using a sXs 28inch barrels as i have used sxs since i was 10 yrs young thats some 38yrs now,i have really started to get the bug for the clays and really enjoy having comps against my shooting buddies,doing very well i might add against them,all the time we have been going they have told me not to go on the olympic stand as it is too difficult,went on it and hit 15/25 first attempt and 16/25 on the second attempt i was well chuffed,my question is this,,,my gun is a 3/4 and full choke and what i was wondering is would i be better using a more open choke ie;1/2 and 3/4 or 1/4 and 1/2 the lads i shoot with use multi choke o/u but are not hitting any more than me. i have read a few posts on here and was wondering would i be best to get my gun adjusted or leave it how it is and buy a o/u multi choke for the clays,,thanks in advance,,bobby

 

[Will Hewland]

You will get potentially a lot of replies to this. Conventional thinking is that for clays 1/4 and half is about right. You might be missing some close stuff with full choke.

In your case, if you know and love the gun, that is worth a lot more than choke size. What I would do is pattern test a few different cartridges and find that they spread quite differently. Find one that opens up well at close range and have two options of cartridge when you shoot.

My gun is fixed half and half and I use one cartridge for 90% of targets and another for very close stuff.

CSC3

 

[jinxy72]

evo as clever has said quarter + half or half+half would cover most grounds .. regards buying a o/u .. have u shot with one ?? u said u have been shooting sxs for 38yrs and it would be a good idea to try an o/u before u buy one .. u may find u don't like it as much as an sxs and theres nothing stopping u buying a multi choke sxs or even having your gun converted to multi choke which would save u some cash … just another option for u . Regarding what clever has put about the carts .. i think thats a reference to different shot sizes … maybe using size 9's for the closer stuff to give more shot spread .. cleversc3??

 

[Will Hewland]

It's a myth jinxy. 9s are a waste of time in my opinion and don't produce a bigger 'diameter' pattern necessarily. It is more a question of shot quality and wad type etc. pattern test a few, you will be very surprised. At 15 yards, I can produce a 10" wide pattern or a 21" wide pattern with two different cartridges and the widest one is 7.5 shot.

Cheers

CSC3

 

[optima]

It's a myth jinxy. 9s are a waste of time in my opinion and don't produce a bigger 'diameter' pattern necessarily. It is more a question of shot quality and wad type etc. pattern test a few, you will be very surprised. At 15 yards, I can produce a 10" wide pattern or a 21" wide pattern with two different cartridges and the widest one is 7.5 shot.

Cheers

CSC3

Which two shells do you use clever??and what shot sizes

 

[Will Hewland]

Hmmm.. Trade secret..

I used to use Clever T3 7.5. (uk 7). At 15 yards, it makes a 10" pattern. I use a few of these on long edge on birds. Mainly I use T2 8 (uk 7.5) which are great on most things. My gun is half and half.

Took me ages to find a wide spreader! Loathe to divulge that one! ))

CSC3

 

[Westward]

Took me ages to find a wide spreader! Loathe to divulge that one! ))

CSC3

Most of us like to keep a wide spreader all to ourselves don't we chaps?

 

[Will Hewland]

))))

 

[EdSolomons]

I love to see a good wide spreader....

 

[Evo]

thanks for the replies gents,,yes i have used an o/u many times,,a beretta silver pigeon and also a browning heritage and i did not like either but i feel and see everyone is using o/u,s at the clay ground and this makes me feel a bit out of place,its just the thick forend that does not feel right,also the two i have used feel very heavy in comparison with my sxs,,also the gun i use is very light,only problem being is the barrels do tend to get hot when i put a lot of carts through them ,but i feel more comfortable using the sxs and as you all prob know confidence is a major thing and i use this gun at least 3 to 4 times a week and it just feels like an extension of my arm,,,,thanks again for the help and suggestions ,,,,cheers bobby

oh and sorry to all about the photo i will change it this week as it was the only one i had on laptop that was a close up of me

 

[Salopian]

Evo, nothing wrong with the photo, Wirrals got Talent?

 

[40UP]

Hi Evo, come and say hello on saturday at Sealand remember the man with one gun often knows how to use it.

 

[Evo]

Hi Evo, come and say hello on saturday at Sealand remember the man with one gun often knows how to use it.

would love to pop up saturday but ive got two gigs one starts at 12 and then doing a wedding at 7pm,,never mind will certainly take the offer up some other time thanks

 

[Evo]

Evo, nothing wrong with the photo, Wirrals got Talent?

:.: :.: :.: :.:

 

[jinxy72]

It's a myth jinxy. 9s are a waste of time in my opinion and don't produce a bigger 'diameter' pattern necessarily. It is more a question of shot quality and wad type etc. pattern test a few, you will be very surprised. At 15 yards, I can produce a 10" wide pattern or a 21" wide pattern with two different cartridges and the widest one is 7.5 shot.

Cheers

CSC3

CleverSC3 .. i know u don't want to divulge trade secrets .. fair point really .. but do u use a wide spreader on the closer stuff rather than the distance stuff .. or the other way round ?? my logic being if u use something that spreads wide at a longer distance then it will / could make an ineffective pattern ?? right or wrong ??

 

[Will Hewland]

Hi,

On the close stuff, as you surmise. It is all about shooting very close stuff with a pattern that is bigger than the bleeding clay!

Cheers,

CSC3