GEAR
A Complete Guide to Chokes
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| CHOKE TUBE | CONSTRICTION | 3-SHOT AVERAGE: |
|---|---|---|
| Carlson's Sporting Clays IM | .705 | 51 |
| Winchester factory Modified | .728 | 40 |
Test Gun: Winchester Super X2*.
Test Load: Fiocchi 3.5 in, 1.56-ounce T.
Distance: 40 yards .
Notes: Even with Ts, IM can vastly improve pattern density over the old standby Mod. * The SX2 has an overbored barrel with an approximate .741 diameter tubes are flushmount, while all others are extended.
Many modern shotguns come with three screw-in chokes--Improved Cylinder, Modified and Full. These are the chokes most familiar to hunters and shooters. However, several other constrictions are often overlooked.
Let's take a look at these other choke options and what they're used for. All of the measurements listed are for 12-gauge shotguns with an inside bore diameter of around .730 inch. However, the degree of choke and their uses are pretty much the same regardless of bore size.
Intermediate Chokes (0-40 yards)
Cylinder (.730)--Cylinder measures the same as the barrel's inside bore diameter. It has no constriction, positive or negative. Patterns open up quickly, so it's another good choice for skeet, or for home defense. Some deer hunters also use Cylinder when shooting rifled slugs.
Skeet (.725)--Designed for the game of the same name, Skeet's also a good choice for close-flushing quail. Some slug hunters also use it. Skeet also works well on the sporting clays course for incoming targets or bouncing rabbits.
Improved Cylinder (.720)--One of the common constrictions, IC is often recommended for close-flushing birds or decoying ducks and geese. However, I've never had much luck with it on live targets. Whenever IC is screwed into my gun's barrel, doves always seem to fly just out of range. Although I've had some success on pheasants using IC, in both 12 and 20 gauges, I find geese rarely come close enough to me to make it a viable option. For trap from the 16-yard line, IC is a good choice, and deer hunters swear by it. When I polled some Iowa deer hunters several years ago, the majority of them said their best groups with rifled slugs were shot through IC-choked barrels. My own testing confirms this, as did the deer my dad shot a few years ago on the run--using slugs and an IC choke.
