Choke selection

R

Reece58

New member
I just bought a Browning Citori 725 field 20 gauge and have never owned a o/u. Also I was curious to what kind of choke options everyone was using, and choke brands that where bringing good results.
 
I keep improved cylinder in the under barrel & modified in the over barrel. I use a Rizzini & the chokes that came with the gun. A bunch of other chokes came with my shotgun but I have no interest in changing them. Two modified chokes might make more sense and I’ll have to look into making that happen.
 
I’m thinking of right now keeping a mod. In the under and a full in the over just using the under for the first shot and over for follow up. I’ll probably just have to do some shooting and see what works for me best.
 
If you’re going to be hunting where the birds tend to flush farther out, that might be a good set up. Best thing is do what you said and see what works.
 
Not sure about the 20 ga investor DS. It the 12 gauge are more open than normal so I would highly recommend patterning them with the shells you are using. Give yourself the best chance at being successful.
 
You may want to try Imp Cyl for the first shot and Full for the second. If the birds are flushing close I use Skeet and Imp Cyl. Also, the safety selector on Browning Citori's tends to hang up for right handed shooters if the bottom barrel is selected first. If you push it to the right at all when you are in a hurry, it can catch in the middle and won't come off. So, I always set it up to fire the top barrel first then this is never a problem. I helped an old boy with this while hunting pheasants last year when he was having a problem with his safety hanging up on him. Going to the top barrel first solved the problem.

MG
 
Im a mod over improved guy myself. Do some shooting with different brands of ammo. Prairie storm shoots extremely tight out of my gun.
 
Improved on the first shot, modified on the second. If you feel the need to change up chokes you really cant't go wrong with Carlson choke tubes.
 
I have used skeet and skeet for years. If I need something tighter, I use skeet and modified. Most people use way too much choke.
 
Matt D said:
Not sure about the 20 ga investor DS. It the 12 gauge are more open than normal so I would highly recommend patterning them with the shells you are using. Give yourself the best chance at being successful.
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I have a 12 ga. Sporter and while that is true for the 12, it is not for the 20. The reviews I've read state the choke constrictions for the twenty are close to what is stamped on the choke. But as with anything patterning will show you what is really taking place. If full is too tight, You could just purchase another Mod and go Mod/Mod in a 20.
 
For my single barrel, I have grown fond of the Light Modified choke. For my double barrel I prefer Improved Cylinder/Improved Modified
 
I run Improved on 1 and Improved Modified on 2. Just a bit tighter than modified for the second shot. Texas Panhandle roosters are pretty tough and that extra pellet or two comes in handy.
 
Here are a few of my pattern numbers to give you an idea of the kind of performance I get from various choke constrictions with a couple of 20ga pheasant reloads that I use. Of course, you'll need to shoot a few patterns with your gun/load/choke combo to confirm their performance.

Patterns from a 20-gauge Browning Citori with 28" Invector-plus barrels and Briley flush chokes (patterns average of five, 30" post-shot scribed circle, yardage taped muzzle to target, and in-shell pellet count average of five).

20 GA 2 3/4" RELOAD (REM STS, R209, BLUE DOT, WAA20F1)
1 oz #6 lead (233 pellets) 1200 fps
30 YARDS – SK / pattern 147 (63%)
30 YARDS – IC / pattern 168 (72%)
40 YARDS – M / pattern 146 (63%)
40 YARDS – IM / pattern 163 (70%)

20 GA 3" RELOAD (REM NITRO, R209, BLUE DOT, WAA20)
1 1/8 oz #5 lead (190 pellets) 1200 fps
30 YARDS – SK / pattern 140 (74%)
30 YARDS – IC / pattern 150 (80%)
40 YARDS – M / pattern 138 (73%)
40 YARDS – IM / pattern 147 (77%)

Pretty hard to beat a SK/M combo in early season and over good dogs, and moving to IC/IM in late season or in open ag field hunts.

Good luck!
 
oscar said:
I have used skeet and skeet for years. If I need something tighter, I use skeet and modified. Most people use way too much choke.
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I'm with Oscar on this all the way. I like #5 copper plated in an open choked gun. I can see possibly choking as tight as modified with #7-1/2 but I really like the way #5 patterns out of my skeet and IC chokes. And I like the way #5 drops birds.
 
My Westley Richards - which is my main gun fir roosters is Cyl/Cyl
I shoot 90 grains of FFG of Black in a brass case with 1 1/4!oz of plated 6’s
My 12 gauge muzzle loader is also CYL/CYL with the same load
In my 20 gauge I shoot IC/MOD and have never changed the chokes from lead to steel😎
I Also also use both guns for geese with no issues on planted or wild birds
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