LET'S TALK CHOKES!!!

[Dave Workman]

19 days and counting....now's a good time to talk chokes.

What choke do you prefer for doves, grouse?

Choke combinations (double guns)??


I'm debating between I/C & Modified or I/M and Modified on my new over and under.  With my S/S guns it's a no brainer. they all have fixed chokes and double triggers.

[CP]

Mod for single barrel

IC & IM for a double.

[Mr56Jeep]

Assuming steel, C and IC.   Or Skeet and Skeet on my 20. 

[snowpack]

I like anything from cylinder to modified for early season and modified to full for the part of the season.  Modified tends to be the general choke that would shine any season.

[Evil_EdwardO]

Rear naked if I can sneak up on them. 

I'm using a modified on my single barrel 20g.

[AspenBud]

For grouse...

Cylinder and IC for a double.

IC for auto's and pumps.

Use all season.

[newbs55]

Improved Cylinder if I am packing my 12 or my pump 410 is fixed full. Depends if it is blues or ruffed on the menu.

[CedarPants]

I/C and Modified in my OU

[Mr56Jeep]

For grouse...

Cylinder and IC for a double.

IC for auto's and pumps.

Use all season.

 

[BiggLuke]

I like my Pattern Master for doves. It's a super full choke. great for taking long shots... when everyone else misses.  lol....

For grouse, it depends. I also like really tight chokes so you can shoot the heads off 'em....  but mostly just use my 20 ga. double gun in mod. and IC.

[paulf919]

Haven't shot any birds yet but using mod on my 12 pump has been very successful in skeet sessions. 

[wadu1]

Cylinder and IC for a double, IC or Skeet for auto's and pumps. Sporting clays I shoot cylinder for most and long shots IC. I only change my shot size, #9 close, #8 med and 71/2 for long shots I use the same theory on birds from doves to geese. 

[Mr56Jeep]

Haven't shot any birds yet but using mod on my 12 pump has been very successful in skeet sessions.

Your Skeet scores will go up if you loosen up your choke a lot. 

[Stilly bay]

Tighter is more righter, Mod to full for just about every thing but early season grouse, then its Cyl and IC.
Less than Mod leaves too much room for cripples Especially if you are a crappy shot and just fringe them half the time.

[h2ofowlr]

Modified or full typically.  I like pass shooting the taller shots.  Makes it a challenge.

[Cascade_fisher]

I/C and Full on my O/U.  IC and Mod are really not much different out to 25 yards. At that point I prefer the Full for those shots so I don't wing a bunch a birds.  I used IC and Mod for years and have found the Full works better for me.

[Shoffy]

People will call me crazy and laugh, but I have always had the best luck connecting with flushing birds (mostly hunting chukar and quail) and knocking them down with 20Ga * O/U firing Mod. 1st and Full 2nd.
And the downed birds are never shot to heck that you cant still breast them out.
Last couple years after reading most guys use IC/Mod, I tried it out for myself and it just didn't work for me. I felt like I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn! Especially the 2nd shot usually on the furthest bird.
This fall I am switching back to Mod/Full

* I use a Ruger Red Label 20Ga / Federal #7-1/2 1oz game loads

[dawei]

My preferred upland gun is a 20ga SxS. For pheasant on the WW Release Sites I use CYL, & IMP CYL and Prairie Storm #3, & #4 steel. For grouse & rabbits it's usually IMP CYL, & MOD with #6 or #7½ Pb.

[Stilly bay]

My preferred upland gun is a 20ga SxS. For pheasant on the WW Release Sites I use CYL, & IMP CYL and Prairie Storm #3, & #4 steel. For grouse & rabbits it's usually IMP CYL, & MOD with #6 or #7½ Pb.

FWIW with the steel prairie storm out of a cyl and IC choke your pattern should look more like Mod and Improved Mod maybe light full.
steel shot always patterns a great deal tighter than lead. That is why you see so many Gimmick Shotgun shell specific chokes out there, the manufacturer does the patterning for you and calls an IC choke a Mod and charges $70 for it.

and if you have steel specific choke labeled MOD, its probably going to pattern IC with lead.

[PaulM]

For my Citori O/U I like Skeet and IC for grouse. Think about how many shots are quick and close. 15 yds is a close bird. I'm convinced looser is better in close quarters. My first day Saturday I used this and only had to use the second barrel on the last of the four birds. I think the first shot actually took him after a little more flight. 

[Bmcox86]

I have light modified in my pump and auto most of the time, in my ou I use ic and mod, if I'm going just for quail I will loosen up to skeet.

 Shooting over pointing dogs I tend to be real close before them guys flush. Almost killed on with the barrel last year.

Modified will reach out and touch the pheasant and the Chuckar, I knocked down a rooster last year with the dog on point at 60 yards with the garmin.

[fethrduster]

I had a really nice Lefever 12 double choked cyl/full, and for open country covey birds (huns, chukars and the occasional wild rooster), I did most of my killing with the full choke left barrel at 40-60yds.  The cylinder barrel proved to be almost useless unless the birds were at my feet.  So, unless you're hunting grouse, lm/f or ic/m is a great all around combo, and if I had to pick just one, it would be ic/f.    I had my Masquelier 16 hammer gun outfitted with a permanent Briley ic choke sleeve in the right, and sk, mod, and full tubes for the left, so I can use it for skeet and for upland birds.  I like skeet in the left barrel for skeet shooting, since the second shot on doubles is about 15 yds.

[HoofsandWings]

IC and LM. I select which barrel on my O/U. I have a new rifled dispersion choke for close range steel. I plan to use that over decoys.

[merkelman]

Nice gun Mark!

[fethrduster]

Thanks!  She's fun to shoot.

[Bill W]

I didn't realize there were so many people shooting Cyl and IC in their guns.   That's my choice(s) for upland and ducks out of my 12 gauge.   My 20 gauge requires tighter choking as it patterns looser than the 12.

[shorthair-on-point]

Mod Carlson choke for me. I will use the same choke for everything all season. I shoot better if I keep the consistency throughout the year. I have tried matching a choke to a condition but I don't feel I shoot as well when I do.

[wildweeds]

IC and Mod in my 20 o/u for most of the season, on towards the end of december and january I switch to mod/full. I play the skeet game with a 410 O/U choked IC/Mod it's a fixed choker so it is what it is.

[bobcat]

Sometimes for late season pheasants, with my Beretta I used to use the improved cylinder tube in the bottom barrel, and the full in the top barrel.

It seems the roosters would either flush at 40 yards (or further), in which case I would use the top barrel, or they would jump up right under my feet, and having the improved cylinder choke in I didn't need to worry about letting them get out there a ways before pulling the trigger.

[Bigshooter]

20ga O/U mod and full
28ga O/U mod and full
410   O/U full and full

[Ironhead]

I run mod in the top and mod in the bottom of my OU. If they get up close I kill em, and if they get up long I kill em.

[wadu1]

I had a really nice Lefever 12 double choked cyl/full, and for open country covey birds (huns, chukars and the occasional wild rooster), I did most of my killing with the full choke left barrel at 40-60yds.  The cylinder barrel proved to be almost useless unless the birds were at my feet.  So, unless you're hunting grouse, lm/f or ic/m is a great all around combo, and if I had to pick just one, it would be ic/f.    I had my Masquelier 16 hammer gun outfitted with a permanent Briley ic choke sleeve in the right, and sk, mod, and full tubes for the left, so I can use it for skeet and for upland birds.  I like skeet in the left barrel for skeet shooting, since the second shot on doubles is about 15 yds.

Now that is a great looking gun