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Thread: What's the best choke for steel

  1. #11
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    Dec 2008
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    Re: What's the best choke for steel

    Quote Originally Posted by mastercaster View Post
    For some reason my shotgun didn't come with the IC choke but has the C choke. Maybe I misplaced it?? Would there be all that much difference between the IC and just the regular cylinder choke? Would you ever use the cylinder for duck hunting?
    Don’t know enough about that question to comment accurately
    "Guns kill people like spoons made Rosie O'Donel fat"

  2. #12
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    Re: What's the best choke for steel

    Quote Originally Posted by labguy View Post
    I’ve used Improved cylinder for both steel and lead. It was with lead shot (before being banned) that I first learned of the benefits of using IC.
    So if I understand what you're saying, if you went to buy an SXS or over and under, "both barrels" would be IC? Traditional thinking was always Full on the first barrel and Mod or IC on the second. Which never really made sence. I'm thinking of getting an O&U.
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  3. #13
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    Re: What's the best choke for steel

    If you plan on shooting steel don't get an O/U that has a full choke barrel,,,the steel shot will blow it out. Get an O/U with Modified and IC barrels. The idea of having different chokes in different barrels is because your first shot after flushing the bird is quite close so you want the pellets to spread out quickly. If you miss, your follow up shot out of the fuller choke will hold the pattern further out. That said, you can select which ever barrel you want to shoot first. It's the hunter's preference. If I'm bopping grouse off the road with my 20 ga. I like to use the full choke for my first shot because I'm aiming at the head so I want the tightest pattern I can get. If I miss the second shot comes out of the Modified barrel which will give me a bigger pattern.
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  4. #14
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    Dec 2008
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    947

    Re: What's the best choke for steel

    Quote Originally Posted by 180grainer View Post
    So if I understand what you're saying, if you went to buy an SXS or over and under, "both barrels" would be IC? Traditional thinking was always Full on the first barrel and Mod or IC on the second. Which never really made sence. I'm thinking of getting an O&U.
    IC and modified in a double…IMHO
    "Guns kill people like spoons made Rosie O'Donel fat"

  5. #15
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    Re: What's the best choke for steel

    Quote Originally Posted by mastercaster View Post
    If you plan on shooting steel don't get an O/U that has a full choke barrel,,,the steel shot will blow it out. Get an O/U with Modified and IC barrels. The idea of having different chokes in different barrels is because your first shot after flushing the bird is quite close so you want the pellets to spread out quickly. If you miss, your follow up shot out of the fuller choke will hold the pattern further out. That said, you can select which ever barrel you want to shoot first. It's the hunter's preference. If I'm bopping grouse off the road with my 20 ga. I like to use the full choke for my first shot because I'm aiming at the head so I want the tightest pattern I can get. If I miss the second shot comes out of the Modified barrel which will give me a bigger pattern.
    Thanks, I had my wingmaster re-borded to Mod back when steel first became manditory. I suppose that's another question. You'd think most shotguns manufactured now a days would not be full choke unless full choke doesn't mean what it used to. Or the barrels more robust?
    Last edited by 180grainer; 01-10-2025 at 10:25 PM.
    We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,

    Collectivism is Slavery

    Support a Woman's right to arm herself.

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  6. #16
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    Re: What's the best choke for steel

    Quote Originally Posted by labguy View Post
    IC and modified in a double…IMHO
    that's probably the best combo by the sounds of it.
    We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,

    Collectivism is Slavery

    Support a Woman's right to arm herself.

    January 28th
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  7. #17
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    Re: What's the best choke for steel

    Quote Originally Posted by 180grainer View Post
    Thanks, I had my wingmaster re-borded to Mod back when steel first became manditory. I suppose that's another question. You'd think most shotguns manufactured now a days would not be full choke unless full choke doesn't mean what it used to. Or the barrels more robust?
    Those that are still manufactured today are probably made for those countries that still allow lead shot which is still totally legal here in BC for any upland bird hunting. Plus any O/U you buy pre-2000 will come that way, in any event. Btw, full choke still means the same thing today as it did fifty years ago.
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  8. #18
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    Re: What's the best choke for steel

    for me personally i use a factory full choke,,,,,#3--#4,,,,95% of my shooting is done 35 yards and closer,,,,,and when i pattern tested,,,the full choke gave me an absolute awesome pattern,,,,,as far as goose hunting,,,,then i will use modified choke with #2,,,,,#2 with a full choke have a tendicy to bounce through/out of the barrel and open the pattern up fairly quick,,,but with the modified good pattern to 40 yards,,,,,for me steel shot at 45+ yards is a no go,,,i know few peeps with take a crack at the 50 yard mark,,,but,,,each to their own,,,of they way they do things
    Aim small,,miss small

  9. #19
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    Nov 2005
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    Re: What's the best choke for steel

    SHOTGUN BARREL ALTERATIONS FOR STEEL SHOT

    Forcing Cone Alteration:

    Factory shotgun barrels usually have a fairly short and abrupt forcing cone. The forcing cone is the tapered area just ahead of the chamber where the shell is contained. Altering the forcing cone, so it is one and one half or two inches in length, reduces recoil and improves the pattern density. Trap shooters and skeet shooters have been doing this for many years. It is a good benefit to the steel shot user as well.

    Choke Alteration:
    Choke designation from the tightest to the most open are:
    Extra Full, Full, Improved Modified, Modified, Skeet II, Improved Cylinder, Skeet I, and Cylinder Bore.

    Steel shot does not require the constriction that lead shot needs, to produce good patterns. In fact too much constriction, causes poor, erratic patterns, and in some cases, permanently damages the barrel. I have seen barrels bulged at the choke, I have seen barrels where the choke split right open, from using steel shot.

    For steel shot, with thin barrels, chokes should be altered to at least Skeet II. Often, over & under, and side-by-side shotguns, are best altered to Skeet I and Skeet II chokes. Heavier barrels can be left at Modified choke but may see an improvement in the pattern if opened slightly.

    Older full chokes often split.
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  10. #20
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    Re: What's the best choke for steel

    ^^^ Good to know!
    He's NOT your buddy, buddy!

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