Chokes , Shot Size, or Both

[roy reali]

One advantage of two-barreled shotguns is the ability to have two different chokes in one gun. But I suppose, you can have the same choke in both barrels and use shells with two different shot sizes. Finally, you could do both, use two chokes and two shot sizes.

How do you guys set up your multi-barrel shotgun for birds hunting? Two chokes? Two shot sizes? Both?

 

[Scorch]

Most SXS come from the factory with two different chokes, so most people learn that the right barrel goes first, then the left, or vice versa. I learned to shoot with an old Savage 311 SXS, so I have heard the old saw about "you get two different chokes so you can shoot birds coming in or going away", but IME there is not enough of a difference between modified and full to say you should use it that way. Now I hunt with an O/U or a semiauto, and I never really feel like there is a difference. I just shoot the birds wherever they are, don't bother trying to figure out which way they are going.

 

[oneounceload]

It all depends on what you are hunting. Doves coming into a millet field are different than chasing grouse in the trees, of walking up coveys of quail over pointers, or shooting waterfowl over decoys.

If you are using pretty much one gun for a wide variety of things, then having the ability to have as many combinations as possible makes sense. If, on the other hand, you have guns that are "mission-specific" -i.e., a close cover quail gun, a goose gun, a pheasant gun, then having fixed chokes- whether both the same or two different - isn't that big a deal

 

[Art Eatman]

SFAIK, the idea is that a shotgun is intended for flying birds, and the second shot will be at a somewhat longer distance. So, the more open choke for the first shot and the tighter choke for the longer second shot. Same size of shot pattern at each range (approximately).

 

[HiBC]

There are a lot of better shotgun shots than I am.I do not like to get a couple pellets in a bird and have them get away.I usually pass up the longer shots.Wounding 3 birds to pick up 2 really kills 5 birds.I try not to do that.
I tend toward open chokes most of the time,even on pheasant.Skeet/IC,or IC/mod is about as tight as I usually use.5's are about the largest shot I use on pheasants.Sometimes a skeet1 choke and 7 1/2s is great on pheasants.Slaps them down! but I'm talking relatively close shots.Up close,you do not need so much pellet energy,or,you still have the velocity,to give you some pellet energy.Lots of pellets give pattern density.the bird gets more hits.open choke,larger pattern.It is a perfect combination for bad shots like me!If they are flushing a little farther,though,#5 Golden Pheasants.
I will sometimes load a 6 in the ic barrel and a 5 in the mod barrel.But,it may be silly.