Skeet/Sporting Gun

One Oz:

I use to run (and still have) Briley chokes for one gun. Since moving to FL, one of the guys at the range turned me on to Seminole chokes. I run them in a 525 and a Benelli SS. Cheaper and seem to be working well with the loads I shoot.

However, they definitely pattern differently than the Brileys - that is the point of the story.
 
Have heard nothing but good things about Seminole, but have no personal experience. I live near Rhino , who's in Williston. Decent sporting course, well-machined chokes and mini-tubes. Little pricey, but that's just the owner......
 
Set in some live oaks, 14 stations, uses several raised platforms, so if stairs are hard for you, can be a PITA. WHEN he has all of his machines working (another major GRRRR), things go nice, because he has some varied terrain. It looks to me like parts of his property used to have some limerock mining done on it. Bud Wolfe came up from Markham Park to set this up, and I shoot with him on many occasions there. We have a group that shoots every third Friday at a discounted rate (The 18th being the next time). If you're coming this way, you will also want to go a little further north and go to Bradford. Pat there does a wonderful job - has two courses, fully automated, (plus pistols and rifle out to 600 yards). He hosted the state the last two years and the machines ALWAYS work. he also has two 5-stand layouts
 
Since you went with the Beretta - I would probably opt for Briley extended chokes - but any of the big name companies are good too ( Seminole, etc ).

I like the extended chokes - easier to see what is in the gun / and I like the look. Are they "better" - not convinced of that in terms of how they pattern / but a little easier to screw in and out ...

It depends on the constriction reading from your barrel to the choke - but for Skeet - I usually shoot 2 Skeet chokes in all of my Brownings / in my Benelli semi-auto I shoot a CYL. You have to use a bore gague / or go to the pattern board to see what you're getting with each choke / and check it in both barrels ( sometimes they're different )...
 
As Jim alluded to, the main advantage of the extended chokes is the ability to immediately see, (WITHOUT looking down the barrel), what chokes you have in it and it's easier to change if needed. Typically, on a skeet or trap field, you will not be changing, and rarely on a 5-stand will it be allowed once you've started shooting. Sporting cl;ays is different since every station is unlike the previous one. That is NOT to say you need to change them at every station. 95% of the time, if you start with a SK or IC in one tube and an IC or LM in the other, you won't have to change them. Better to leave them aklone and focus on the bird instead of the choke. However, that being said, courses around here like to throw a station of two :"in your face" - targets at 15 yards or so, followed by a few "separator" ones at 50-60 yards or so. Obviously in the first one, Sk/SK is in and in the second LM or M is in both; those are the exceptions.

Have a great time getting to know your new gun and let us know how you do once you get addicted to the most fun of the shooting sports!
 
The NSSA rules for 5 stand allow you to change your chokes - at every shooting station - but oneounce is right, you cannot change them after you call for your first target on that station - and the rule is the same in sporting clays.

Personally, I subscribe to the idea that you should change your chokes for every station / if you need to - with the idea you should put a 30" pattern on the bird at the kill range. But OneOunce is right - 90% of the time I will shoot a combination of IC / Mod in an O/U - or just IC in a semi-auto / and I may alter my shells a little to change the effective pattern a little .
 
And as BigJim said......put in the choke, leave it alone....change shells as necessary.....many folks I know use 8-1/2 and 7-1/2.....depending on the situation...
 
I am a strong proponent of the Browning O/U shotgun. I have 3 myself and will continue to buy. I have never been that impressed with any of Beretta's O/U's. I have known people to have problems with them. That said, Guerini makes a wonderful shotgun, and I suggest everyone get one and try it out. Guerini makes a $10,000 shotgun for $3,000.
 
I am a strong proponent of the Browning O/U shotgun. I have 3 myself and will continue to buy. I have never been that impressed with any of Beretta's O/U's. I have known people to have problems with them.

That said, Guerini makes a wonderful shotgun, and I suggest everyone get one and try it out. Guerini makes a $10,000 shotgun for $3,000.
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So you recommend that everyone do something that you yourself have not even bothered to do?

That is not at all a compelling argument to me.

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Dead Eye:

You got one heck of a good deal there. If you bought your gun new, it would probably have cost you $2,800 And it sounds like it is in like new condition. So that is one nice find. You made a very good choice.

I've had great results with the factory Beretta Extended Optima chokes on my guns. They are easy to screw on and off quickly. And they are high quality choke tubes.

I honestly don't believe that the Briley chokes are any better. And MidWest Gunworks discounts the Beretta chokes from their MSRP of $60.50 each, down to only $44.90 each.

And that is basically the same as the best price one can get on the cheapest Briley Extended Optima choke model. And these Beretta chokes really compare more closely with the more expensive Briley extended choke models.

Here is a link to MidWest Gunworks:

http://www.midwestgunworks.com/page/mgwi/PROD/beretta-choke-tubes/JCOCE


And here is what my set looks like. You can see that they are real quality stainless choke tubes:


3987111798_53d6b3ea40_o.jpg
 
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