Wind River
Well-known member
Disappointed in the tighter chokes after Mod. 20ga IC/Mod for me all season. Rarely use non-tox.
Impressive, thank you!!! I feel confident that 129 #6 lead pellets on a 30” circle at 30 yards using cyl choke would be sufficient, and bumping up to skeet increases to almost 150…most of my
shots are 20-40 yards, I like the way more open chokes perform.
For those that must or want to shoot steel loads, here are a few of my pattern with the same gun and chokes as above for your review.Rarely use non-tox.
I acquired a beretta BL 4 o/u 20Here are the true constrictions of the chokes I used.
20-gauge Browning Citori w/28" barrels (bore .629")
Briley flush Invector-plus chokes
Choke constrictions per bore gauge
CYL / -.001”
SK / .005”
IC / .008”
M / .014”
IM / .017”
LF / .020”
F / .023”
XF / .026”
And yes, the only way to really know how your choke/load combo is performing is to pattern it.
Yeah, it's amazing how many people don't pay attention to the dog even after you tell them to. I have had to tell them, "Say, that dog right beside you? He's on point. I'd get my gun ready if I were you!"My ultralight weighs 6lbs, I suspect I’m on the birds more quickly than with a 7-7.5 lb gun…slightly closer shots…3 yards? 5 yards? 7 yards? I don’t like hunting in a line, but when I do, I’m usually on a bird more quickly than whoever I’m next to…but I’m watching my dog(s) and may have an idea what’s about to happen…
Any case at 35-40 yards you will be shooting a blunderbuss with a cyl or skt choke
Lots of time and $…thanks for sharing your data! your data confirms my confidence, and, historical results…Pretty hard to beat a SK (~.005") / LM (~.015") choke combo in an O/U or SxS for general hunting in good cover and with good dogs.
If the wind gets up big like it does sometimes in SD and the birds are flushing wild and going with the wind, an IC (~.010") / IM (~.025") choke combo may work out better.
Patterning results from a 12-gauge Browning Citori with 28" Invector-plus barrels using Briley flush chokes (patterns average of five, 30" post-shot inscribed circle, yardage taped muzzle to target, and in-shell pellet count average of five).
12 GA 2 3/4" RELOAD (STS, R209, GREEN DOT, CB1118-12)
1 1/8 oz #6 lead (267 pellets) @ 1225 fps
30 YARDS – CYL / pattern 147 (55%)
30 YARDS – SK / pattern 171 (64%)
30 YARDS – IC / pattern 211 (79%)
40 YARDS – LM / pattern 173 (65%)
40 YARDS – M / pattern 182 (68%)
40 YARDS – IM / pattern 195 (73%)
12 GA 2 3/4" RELOAD (WAACF, W209, UNIQUE, CB1114-12)
1 1/4 oz #5 lead (210 pellets) @ 1220 fps
30 YARDS – CYL / pattern 125 (60%)
30 YARDS – SK / pattern 145 (69%)
30 YARDS – IC / pattern 177 (84%)
40 YARDS – LM / pattern 155 (74%)
40 YARDS – M / pattern 155 (74%)
40 YARDS – IM / pattern 174 (83%)
50 YARDS – IM / pattern 125 (60%)
50 YARDS – LF / pattern 120 (57%)
50 YARDS – F / pattern 129 (61%)
Good luck!
Yeah, that's one reason I like having two barrels, the upper choked Mod. But one can also refrain from taking 40-yard shots if he is choked Cyl or Skeet.
Put even a single #5 pellet in the chest and that bird is going down. It may be a challenging retrieve, but nothing for a good dog. Any time I have recovered one that flew 300 yards or more before dropping back in had not been hit in the chest -- they had been hit in the legs or guts only.
I'd rather be under-choked than over-.
Hey Tomahawker, I think it's great that you had such a nice day at the preserve with your young son, get them out there and get them hooked on hunting and shooting. That's awesome that he dropped a bunch of birds, I'm always happy to hear of a new or young shooter having some success. Don't listen to KEO, he is just knowledgeable enough to think that he knows everything, but he has often been proven wrong, although he'll never see the truth of it. He puts out an opinion and won't listen to anyone. I'm not even saying he's wrong about everything, but he's wrong enough. I've read the canon of all shotgun wing shooting literature, and you know what? Not one author recommends over constricting your barrel. The one thing they all say is that to a man, most upland shooters making a mistake on chokes are going too tight. Brister, McIntosh, Brown, Grooms, not a one reccomends going to tight chokes. To tell truth, at the most common shots we have on upland game, a fringe hit is more likely on close flushing birds with a tight choke than an open one. How many grouse hunters shoot a full and fuller? How many skeet shooters? Shotgunning is always part science and part art, as long as you're thinking about it and trying to improve, you are doing the right things.They did this morning. Went to a pheasant preserve with my 16 yr old son. He hasn’t shot at a bird since Thanksgiving and he’s so so on his shooting. This morning he’s hitting everything, pheasants and quail, in front behind and sideways. Didn’t matter where, he was putting them down. I’m loving it grinning ear to ear. Get back to the truck and look at his 20 gauge Lefever when I realize he grabbed my grouse gun, which is identical to his pheasant gun except…it’s choked cylinder/improved cylinder as opposed to modified/full. Food for thought.