Remember Poly Chokes?

BritChaser

BritChaser

Well-known member
Guns with poly chokes had that bulbous device on the end of the barrel with which you could tighten and open the choke with an easy turn of it. Why aren't they still around? For those of us who encounter both phez and quail while afield, it would be a boon. Anyone have or have had one? Discuss please.
 
My first shotgun that was truly mine was a bolt action Mossberg 12 ga with an adjustable choke. It worked. This would have been in the mid 60s. I primarily was hunting squirrels. I don't remember actually changing the choke setting much. I think it was called a poly-choke or select-a-choke and by turning the choke you could choose IC to Full or anything in between. It was not classy looking.
 
Poly-choke is out of business as far as I can tell from internet searching. However, there are Poly-choke and Poly-choke II available on Ebay. You'll have to get the Poly-choke installed by a gunsmith. The II apparently just threads into barrels that are threaded for choke tubes. Randy Wakeman doesn't have much good to say about the II.

Truglo made a Titan Adjustable choke tube but they are not even on Ebay now.

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I have 1 on my 50 year old 870 wingmaster magnum. I have never patterned it and don't know if it would make a difference if I tightened or loosened it. Unlike the previous 5(?) Buttstocks if it ain't broke don't fix it.

My hunting buddies all give me shit about how rough it is but I shoot it just fine. It has a short barrel 24" with the choke and if I shoot it in a shelterbelt it sounds like a cannon.
 
My first shotgun barrel was chopped off , so grandpa paid to put on a poly choke for me. I never had a clue if it was open or tight? You could spin it several revolutions in either direction? I missed so many birds I doubt it hampered me at all!😀
 
I have my fathers Belgian A5 12 gauge with a poly choke. Love that gun I've taken a lot of birds with it
 
I had an adjustable choke on a 16 ga. Remington 870 back in the 60's. It was a Herter's brand that I bought directly from them and had them install it. Herter's were still in Waseca, MN at the time. The choke seemed to work fine as I shot a lot of pheasants and ducks with that gun.
 
I bought an 870 Wingmaster 2 3/4" 20 ga back in the early 70s. The modified choke barrel shot like a rifle, was no good on quail. I had a Polychoke put on and had good luck with it. The skeet and IC settings are somewhat loose, but in brush country quail hunting I had a lot of good days. The Modified setting doesn't like 1 oz of 5s or 6s, it's looser than the IC setting, but works great with 7 1/2s or 8s. Imp Mod setting is pretty tight. My son and I are thinking about using our older guns on a South Dakota pheasant trip this fall, calling it an old timers trip. Wondering which setting will turn out to work better.
 
ole_270 said:
I bought an 870 Wingmaster 2 3/4" 20 ga back in the early 70s. The modified choke barrel shot like a rifle, was no good on quail. I had a Polychoke put on and had good luck with it. The skeet and IC settings are somewhat loose, but in brush country quail hunting I had a lot of good days. The Modified setting doesn't like 1 oz of 5s or 6s, it's looser than the IC setting, but works great with 7 1/2s or 8s. Imp Mod setting is pretty tight. My son and I are thinking about using our older guns on a South Dakota pheasant trip this fall, calling it an old timers trip. Wondering which setting will turn out to work better.
Click to expand...
Whichever one patterns better on paper with the loads you’re planning on using.
 
The thing that worries me is the IC setting is great out to 30 yards or so with the 1 oz 5 or 6 loads I've tried, the IM is pretty nice at 35 yards, but really tight at 25-30. Unlike my double trigger SxS I can't wait to decide which choke to use till after the bird gets up.
 
I have one on a Belgium 16 guage A5 and blew the original of shooting clays off a pond dike, never could find it. This would have been around 2000 and it took me months of calling and driving trying to find one before locating a different style but still fit, nowadays could find one in 10 minutes. Internet is good for something. I think they actually look kind of cool and I have no complaints on the patterning.
 
Have a friend who has collected several model 12 , mostly beaters that had poly chokes on em. Frankly in a twisted way I admire them for the timestamp they portray. Simple honest people and life ! Ps he shoots so well at skeet with them ! Slick old guns
 
Poly chokes. AKA Dial a prayer
 
My first shotgun in 1979 was a Mossberg pump with polychoke.
I never patterned it and read that for waterfowl and steel shot, modified is best.
One day I had three teal coming directly towards me spaced a total of 6 feet apart.
Fired one shot and all three teal fell. A "scotch triple" due to the wide and sparse pattern.
 
My dad had a Ted Williams pump 20 gauge with a poly choke installed - he gave it to me when I was a teenager - shot a handful of roosters with it, including my first mount; just never shot consistently well with it - it will be passed on to my son - polychokes had quite a run back in the day - the fad died out well before screw in chokes were introduced.
A successful innovation at the time - but they are ugly for sure - and have wreaked havoc on many a guns’ value
 
My dad did pretty well with his poly-choked Ithaca. Must not have hurt anything to have it on there.
 
My mossberg 190 16 gauge with poly choke is my go to turkey gun that $90 dollar gun has got me a lot of turkeys
 
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