I just picked up a Winchester 23 in 121 gauge with screw in chokes. The tubes with it are the extended type outside the muzzle and not my preference. Where can I find flush mount choke tubes to fit it?

Ah, make that 12 guage!!

Would it be easier to have someone cut the tubes you have to make them into flush mounts? Seems like it would be a simple job to cut and notch for a spanner wrench. But then, I'm not a machinist - not even on the internet.

Briley or TruLock should have them.
JR

Would these fit?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/WINCHOKE-3RD-STYLE-CHOKE-TUBE-SET-12-GAUGE-WITH-WRENCH-120-1500-23-101/161263738658?epid=1425423957&hash=item258c115f22:g:A~YAAOSw37tV~D6F:rk:13:pf:0

I'm not sure all M23 came with factory choke tubes, just Googling around now I have found some evidence that some had fixed chokes.

I think the first thing you need to do is determine whether or not yours came set up for tubes from the factory, if so then you can easily source replacements.

However, your guns tubes, being extended tubes, may have been aftermarket tubes. If so you will need to determine what thread was used for the aftermarket tubes and go from there to find out what flush mount tubes might work.

They did not all have choke tubes. I have one that has fixed chokes and have seen a couple of others.

after market choke tube machining can change regulation of one or both barrels...hope you have not bought a problem, not easy to fix...

That is correct RR. I have a 23 in 20 gauge that has fixed chokes. There is no doubt that the extended ones I have are aftermarket but I can't yet find a site with clearly definable flush mounts that fit it. I see the early Winchokes with the knurled ring that still fits outside the muzzle but have yet to locate flush mounts. Many thanks for the suggestions.

Thanks Ed. Based upon where I obtained it I don't think that is the case though. If from a gun show or someone on the street or even online I might not have that same level of confidence!!

Dan S.W. I think so but am not sure. I have asked the seller. Thanks for the link.

Interesting question Brent and one I had not considered. Of course if I can find factory ones I will buy them, but I will keep this as a viable alternative.

Perry, if it worked, there would be no question of correct fit.

Probably why you haven't considered it is because cutting extended chokes flush with the barrel is not a viable option and makes no sense at all....all you could hope for is to ruin the chokes you have.

I believe the 23 came after win chokes...If the chokes are factory it should be marked somewhere on the barrels.

If not then they are aftermarket thin wall chokes there's not but two thin wall choke manufacturers to look for....Briley and one more can't recall the name of the other I want to say Trulock ?

I'd keep my fingers crossed hoping they were Brileys.

How's that?

Don't answer him jOe. He's one of those rude and nasty guys who is ruining this forum and driving nice folks away with ugly comments like this:

post #45476

I am picking the gun up tomorrow and then I will know for sure. Thanks to all for the comments and help. I only saw the extended chokes for long enough to know that I don't care for them and with the intended use on pheasants can't imagine doing a quick change, or any change for that matter, from IC in the right barrel and Modified in the left. That is, IF this gun patterns my Golden Pheasant plated #5's like I want it to with this combination.

I have a moment, so I’ll throw in my two cents.
And I am completely unfamiliar with the modern shotgun about which this thread was started.

However, It’s not uncommon for an aftermarket choke tube to have the choke section outside of the carrier barrel. I have seen, shotguns that had after market thin walled choke tubes installed in them, that didn’t have enough wall thickness in the threaded area to keep the barrels from splitting.

So, I would encourage you to have the Smith vett all of that with micrometers.
Just a word of caution before cutting off any choke tubes.

It's obvious lead poisoning has efflicted BrentD's brain cells if he thinks cutting an extended choke tube flush with the end of the barrel is logical solution.

Sounds like a job for our resident gun farmer.

Problem solved guys. I followed the link provided to ebay and hooked up with a seller who has exactly what I need. Thanks again for all the advice and assistance.

How can you be sure without gun in hand ?

If the gun is not marked what choke goes in it on the barrel a factory choke is not going to fit.

Glad you got it figured out.

In the past when picking up a gun with after market chokes of unknown identity I've taken pictures of them and measured them. I send the info to one of the aftermarket makers/threaders and they can tell me what it is and if they can make replacements.

Never thought of that. Thanks Oskar.

Fellow New Mexican? Where?

I talked to the shop who has the gun waiting for me and they screwed out the chokes and looked at them and also found Screw In Chokes (or something like that) somewhere on the gun I believe.

This whole thing might not be that complicated. If they are WinChokes, then Browning standard Invectors should screw right in. No?

I have read that and I just happen to have some Browning Invector choke tubes. I think there were two versions/lengths of those so I will have to see which ones I have.

Invectors should work. Invector Plus won't work. If they are factory chokes on the gun, barrel should be stamped as such, no guessing required. If barrels are marked with nominal constrictions, then the screw chokes on that gun are aftermarket.

Is there a slight difference in Browning standard Invector chokes and the Winchester version ?

This seller has some of each listed

Ebay

Ebay

Check out the descriptions ?

The only reason I ran up on these was because I was looking for an imp.mod for a 1984 Belgium Superposed with invector chokes.

Browning never put Invector chokes in the Belgium Superposed, 1984 or ever.
JR

It is my understanding that the threads for WinChoke and Standard (short) Invector are the same. The early WinChokes had a knurled extension and a couple of dimples in the outer circumference to engage the wrench, rather than the slots on Invectors. I have a very nice Smith & Wesson (Howa?) 20 ga pump that came with WinChokes but I don't think I ever bothered to install Invectors in it. Briley could confirm interchangeability.

That's what I was thinking.

Never say never because I have one that has them...and it's clearly marked.

Gun came out of the UK...Browning has always sold things in the UK that we can't buy.
They have an entire clothing line...

I've got a Browning 725 Sporting in the UK they sell 3 different thickness recoil pads for it and another style forearm for it try to buy them here.

UK gun would make sense.
JR

It came out of the UK with a cylinder choke in the bottom and modified in the top barrel....makes me wonder what kind of shooting the guy was doing with it.

The little short modified choke throws a beautiful even pattern at 35 yards...I never shot the cylinder choke I swapped it to an improved cylinder I had...the pattern is even and big at 30 yds...by big I mean it pretty much covered the 48" steel plate. I ordered a LM and an Imp Mod. to try.

Well, cylinder may be what the tube is, but it ain't choke ........jOe.

Just sayin'

SRH

Not shure how I could've descibed a choke tube marked cylinder...other than calling it a cylinder choke.

just saying.

I recently bought two choke tubes marked cyl.
That is what they are called.
O.M

One would say "cylinder screw in tube", or just "cylinder". When we shoot sporting clays I'm the only one who doesn't change choke tubes for different presentations. My chokes are fixed in my MX8, at .020". When someone asked what somebody else used on that station they will simply say "a 10", or "a 15", or maybe even "a negative". They are referring to thousandths of an inch in the first two cases, and a -.005" in the last.

Just poking' a little fun, jOe. I know you do, but it's amazing how many people really don't understand what they're talking about when discussing choke. I don't try to correct everybody that says "cylinder choke", because I do know that most of my friends know cylinder is devoid of any constriction.

Happy New Year. Go to The Rendezvous and have some ribs tonight, and ask if you can be seated in Mark's section. He's as good as Jack used to be before he died.

SRH

Some reason Colonial chokes pop into my head...did they make thin wall chokes at one time ?

I think you are right. Mike Orlen will install them on a gun if the barrel diameter is large enough. I sent him a gun and asked him to either install the thinwall tubes or open the fixed chokes. I had measured the barrels and they were right at the minimum diameter, so Mike would not risk it and just opened them up.

I think that Brileys will install their tubes on almost any gun.

I have Colonial thinwalls in an old Citori.

Do they still make Colonial thin wall chokes ?

I think they do, but I have not had to buy any for maybe 15 years. Jammed my IM tube in the Citori barrel trying to shoot snow geese with BBB steel. Destroyed the tube getting it out but no damage to the barrel. Just ordered a new tube from my barrel guy, but he has now switched to TruLock for his installations.

I've seen more than one gun that should never have been screw-choked by them. The last one was a beautiful Grulla 30" barreled 410 sidelock that I could see the choke and thread printing through to the outside of the barrels. I sent it back.

You sent it back and...?
JR

....... the Win Mdl 23 should be clearly marked as to what the original chokes were ...... if it was an original factory Win Choked SXS then it should be marked just exactly like the Win Mdl 101s with Win Chokes were marked ...... Happy New Year To You, Jent