Shotgun chokes

[rockinguy2]

I currently own one of the new browning bt-99 shotguns and when i first bought it, it only came with the full choke, i was advised to buy a different choke. I bought 2 other one modified and improved modified but i am not exaclty sure which one to use for 16 yard trap shooting

 

[mtnboomer]

For close ranges like that, I would go with a SKEET or IMP CYL.

 

[Dave McC]

Which choke to use is not an easy question to answer. Loads are as important, and how fast you get on the target affects things also.

If you use one of the the top quality trap loads like AA, STS or Federal's Gold Medal, you get hard,round shot that patterns tighter. OTOH, if Value Packs are your ammo of choice, soft shot deforms easily and leaves the pattern quickly. For similar results, you'll need more choke with the cheap stuff.

Hit the patterning board(literally) and see which choke gives you the best coverage at 37 yards if you do not take your birds close, 32 if you do. Use only the ammo you plan to use.

Or, just keep using that Full choke even if it is more than needed and let it teach you to stay on them tightly.

For singles and my reloads, I can go down to an IC tube and still get the breaks. But, I use a light Full because I like the way they break and when I'm a little off, the big piece left tells me where I hit. If it flies off to the right, I hit on the left and so on.

HTH....

 

[AAshooter]

Any of those will work fine at 16 yards. As you move further back, stick with the full. In general, people worry way to much about their chokes. Worry about solid hits.

I disagree with mtnboomer, skeet and IC are usually too loose for 16 yards. Now the first bird in doubles, might have a plan.

 

[arcticap]

Check/Remove Regularly

I bought the exact same model (34") and it shot just fine with the supplied full invector plus choke. Almost all of the more experienced trap shooters where I shoot use a full choke. However, after shooting with the new shottie for about 2-3 months, I found that my factory flush mounted choke was stuck in there pretty tight. It was definitely a chore to remove and I decided that from then on I would stick with an extended Carlson full choke tube of the same diameter so that the "problem" wouldn't happen again. Maybe it was because I was only using oil instead of specialized choke tube grease, but I felt that it hadn't been in there that long and I had experiemented with a couple of different chokes and had never had any problem before. But I found that a lot of gaseous fouling is able to seep into the choke threading which helped to create the problem.
The very next time I went to shoot trap after this happened to me, one of the other "regulars" told everyone about how he discovered that his choke tube was so frozen during the week that he could not remove it and had to go to a gunsmith and have his barrel torched to get it out. His blueing showed the discoloration to prove it. (He hadn't removed his tube in ages.) I've since heard that boiling the muzzle end of the barrel in water might be a better solution than torching, but none the less, whatever choke you decide on, use a good choke tube grease and check your choke tube often to see if it's staying tight or becoming frozen. I have found that the extended tube allows me to instantaneously check to see if it has loosened up from extensive shooting and to tighten it up if necessary.

 

[moredes]

I'm with Dave McC and AAShooter. Stay with the full choke. It'll teach you to be better 'focussed' on the target. Maybe for a big money shoot or doubles, I'd open up with a wider choke but for regular practice, I'd stay with a full choke.

I suppose the only reason I'd suggest going to an IC or IM choke is as a last resort if you're a real newbie and just can't find the bird or diagnose your misses, but once you start hitting consistently with an IM or IC choke and can tell where you're shooting, I'd go back to full.