Hunting Washington Forum
Other Hunting => Upland Birds => Topic started by: hoyt77 on January 05, 2010, 10:32:57 AM
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So I have been trying to find out what is the best choke to use in my o/u shotgun. My first shotgun was a semi 1100 with a mod. barrel. Now with my new o/u I have different chokes to use. What would be the best for the pheasants, chukar, and quail.
What do you all use for these upland birds in you shotgun?
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mod on the 1st barrel and full on the 2nd. or maybe i/c then mod. kinda depends on your shooting skills i guess and what you plan to be shooting. i wouldn't use a full choke on quail and i wouldn't use an i/c on pheasants.
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I shot mod in my autoloader this last season.
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Depends on what you're hunting, and where. With just a single barrel shotgun such as your 1100, the modified is hard to beat, for pheasant and chukar. For quail I would prefer skeet or improved cylinder. With a double barrel shotgun it's nice to have either improved cylinder/modified or modified/full. You have the more open choke for your first shot and the tighter choke for your second shot. For chukar I'd probably go with the modified/full all of the time. For pheasants I'd use the more open choke combination for earlier in the season, generally. It kind of depends on how the hunting is at that particular time. You can change your chokes as conditions change. Sometimes when pheasant hunting I like to have improved cylinder in one barrel and a full choke in the other. This allows me to quickly pick which choke I need when a bird flushes. It seems a lot of times pheasants will either be holding really tight and getting up at my feet, or jumping up 40 to 50 yards out. I do like to have the big pattern of the improved cylinder when they get up close like that. Otherwise you have to wait and let them get out there a ways before shooting, and that's not an easy thing to do.
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For quail and the majority of upland hunting: I/C & Modified.
For late season pheasant: Skeet #2 (a weak Modified) & Modified or Modified & Improved Modified.
I hunt over a flushing dog. With a pointer, I/C and Modified would be fine almost all season.
Tom
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In the Ruger I shoot Full and Extra full for pheasant/Chucker.
I/C for heavy steel shoot on ducks..
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Thanks every one this was exactly what I was looking to find out.
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You can, of course, also adjust your patterns by changing shells. If I'm shooting my over/under and I happen to have the improved cylinder choke in the bottom barrel, if I find the birds are generally giving me long shots I will be sure to load up with at least 1 1/4 ounce loads of 5's. If I'm getting relatively close shots I'll stick with lighter loads such as 1 1/8 ounce of 6's or 7 1/2's.
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It really depends on how you hunt and what. if you hunt over a pointer you can usually get by with low base 7.5's and open chokes. if you hunt over a lab you may need to step up to big boy 6's and mod or tighter chokes. I hunt with a 16ga that is mod and a bit looser and low base 7.5's and 6's....I kill a lot of birds every year. most guys go with huge pellets in tight groups hoping to break wings. I try more little pellets and hope for head hits. as bobcat said different shells will patern differently. not all 6's shoot the same, wad design has a lot to do with it. I personally like to have open chokes more then tight.
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I shoot modified in the bottom and full in the top, I always shoot the bottom first. That was the best patterns I could get with 3/4 oz load of # 7.5 in my ruger red label 28 ga. Take the chokes and pattern them with different loads and shot to see what you like the best. :dunno:
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mod for me
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I always use an I/C and mod. Still have to wait for those quail to get out a little ways so you dont blow them up.
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:)The best is to pattern your gun. My Modified choke might be the same as your IC. The range you expect to shoot is important also.
Carl
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There is a great article on chokes in, I think, Shooting Times. Saw it and read it while I was waiting for the wife at Walmart. This couple has done years of research to into how chokes pattern. They patterned chokes from 10 to 40 yards or so. They found that even though shot spreads there is a cone where most of the shot stays. They had cutouts to show the area of shot at each distance. Modified ended up being the best choke.
I typically use IC but after reading that article I may change my mind as to what I use.
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If you are shooting over a pointer, skeet in the first, improved modified in the second is hard to beat. Ic/m is a great all around combo too. I have shot pheasants dead at 50 yards with ic and 1 oz. 6's in my 16ga. sxs, so don't fall into the trap of thinking you need a tight choke. Most hunters don't have the skills to shoot tight chokes well at longer ranges, and it becomes more of a handicap than a help.
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i shoot an i/c for chukars usualy they flush close to the dog later in the season they may be more wary so i will change to mod but seem to do the best with i/c
