I bought a Winchester 37a off of my brother in law for 25 bucks. I am planning on letting my son use it for dove hunting. The only problem is that is choked for full. Should I take it to the gunsmith and have it rechoked for modified or improved or just saw off the choke and have an open cylinder bore?
dove gun
- Thread starter Kirkwt
- Start date
Larry Ashcraft
New member
I don't believe I would saw it off. Hate to butcher a gun, even a $25 one. 
I've used all actions and chokes for doves, OU's, SxS's, pumps and autos, from full thru skeet. My best have been an auto in modified or my Citori with improved cylinder and skeet.
I would either have a gunsmith bore it out or have screw in choke tubes added. YMMV
I've used all actions and chokes for doves, OU's, SxS's, pumps and autos, from full thru skeet. My best have been an auto in modified or my Citori with improved cylinder and skeet.
I would either have a gunsmith bore it out or have screw in choke tubes added. YMMV
It's very hard to put choke back into a bore. I vehemently recommend patterning with your load of choice or several candidates for same and see how the spread and density are. You may want to see how it shoots for the boy in the field before any mods, don't fix it if it ain't broke.
Also, I can mimic a one increment choke change by going from a cheapo generic "field" laod to a trap load, or vice versa.
If you must open that choke, go at it lightly.
Also, the last 37 I saw around here was marked at $250. Card shooters and slug gunners want 37s badly.
HTH....
Also, I can mimic a one increment choke change by going from a cheapo generic "field" laod to a trap load, or vice versa.
If you must open that choke, go at it lightly.
Also, the last 37 I saw around here was marked at $250. Card shooters and slug gunners want 37s badly.
HTH....
Larry Ashcraft
New member
You're right of course, Dave, I should have thought of that.
When I was a kid, I killed LOTS of doves with a JC Higgins full choke pump gun. I didn't even know what a modified choke was, and I was probably a better shot then than I am now.
When I was a kid, I killed LOTS of doves with a JC Higgins full choke pump gun. I didn't even know what a modified choke was, and I was probably a better shot then than I am now.
My first shotgun had a fixed full choke and I didn't have any problems hunting dove with it.
For what it would cost to have a gunsmith put in screw chokes you would probably be better off just buying a new shotgun. But then again, there is nothing wrong with a full choke. I'd leave it the way it is.
For what it would cost to have a gunsmith put in screw chokes you would probably be better off just buying a new shotgun. But then again, there is nothing wrong with a full choke. I'd leave it the way it is.
I used an L.C.Smith 12 gauge double choked full and full for a long time to shoot doves and never had any more problems than with any other gun or choke 
MAN THEY FLY FAST 
.
Dave McC is right about the shells making a difference. This old gun belonged to my great uncle and I was shooting paper shells with no shot sleeve in it. When I was about 16 or 17 my father had borrowed it one day and ran out of shells. He bought one of the first boxes of W-W 12 gauge plastic shells with the shoot sleeve to hit town. First rabbit he shot with the plastics he blew IN HALF at about 20 yards. At that range the old paper shells were giving a nice pattern.
My dove gun is a Rem 1100 with a 28 inch Mod. barrel but on some windy days when the doves are scooting along flying high and wide I wish I had a full.
I would leave it alone and shoot it like it is.
MAN THEY FLY FAST .Dave McC is right about the shells making a difference. This old gun belonged to my great uncle and I was shooting paper shells with no shot sleeve in it. When I was about 16 or 17 my father had borrowed it one day and ran out of shells. He bought one of the first boxes of W-W 12 gauge plastic shells with the shoot sleeve to hit town. First rabbit he shot with the plastics he blew IN HALF at about 20 yards. At that range the old paper shells were giving a nice pattern.
My dove gun is a Rem 1100 with a 28 inch Mod. barrel but on some windy days when the doves are scooting along flying high and wide I wish I had a full.
I would leave it alone and shoot it like it is.