doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Recommendation for .410 choke work?

Bought a CZ Ringneck SXS in .410 today, and should have it in a week or two. I'll pattern it with the existing IC/M fixed chokes, of course, but expect that to get it to really perform with tailored handloads, I'll want interchangeable chokes installed. Anyone here have a preferred installer and preferred brand of chokes for .410?

My experience, FWIW:

The actual chokes in both my Huglu .410s were different from the chokes marked on the barrels (and what I thought I was getting). The SST gun (photos in earlier thread) was marked IM/F and was actually way beyond full in both barrels. The other Huglu .410 was marked IC/M and gauged out at F/ExtraF. Just saying don't be surprised when you check the chokes in your new .410.

I use Briley if I think the gun is going to need thin wall choke tubes (common on Spanish side lock light to medium game guns). Otherwise I send guns that need to have choke tubes installed to Colonial Arms. Colonial has put choke tubes in .410s (5), 28 ga (1), 20 gauge (5 - soon to be 6 as they are putting tubes in a 20 gauge Urbiola right now) and 16 gauge (3) guns for me, using their own brand of choke tubes. I've always been completely happy with their work and ordering additional tubes is a breeze.

At one time I used Mike Orlen but his work became so problematical that I stopped sending him any work.

Kyrie, this was exactly the advice I was hoping for. Many thanks.
Bill

Bill,

I know this is free advice and therefore not worth much, but why don�t you just choke it cylinder or skeet in the right barrel and modified in the left barrel. I�ve used that combination on pen-raised poultry and even wild pheasants quite successfully. I�ve found modified will easily reach out and pattern nicely to 30 yards. With full chokes on the other hand I�ve found the pattern will open to infinity after about 25 yards.

Steve

I have a Model 42 with Colonials and it works well. Was threaded for tubes when I bought it and I just screwed in the Full tube and forgot about it. Work was done by Bob Day at AmeriChoke in So Cal, but now he uses only TruLock chokes. May still have the old tooling if you want Colonials.

Steve, your approach makes a lot of sense. I'm not a good enough shot to use a full choke in the bore. However, I have been re-reading an article Layne Simpson wrote years ago for Handloader (April 2000) on tweaking both loads and chokes to get maximum performance from the .410 in different situations.
Replacement: A Model 42 is a wonderful shotgun to own.

About 10 years ago I did a lot of experimenting and patterning with .410's. I've found that out to about 20 yards the .410 will give small tight patterns with a full choke. Great for hunting squirrels when you're shooting it like a rifle. After 20 yards and definitely beyond 25 yards, probably because of shot scuffing through the full choke, the pattern goes all to hell. As far as I'm concerned, one shouldn't go any tighter than modified with a .410.

I have a few .410 pumps. One is "factory Full" at .015". Another has a Cutts with a skeet choke. The third is Briley screw choked at .003", .009" and .019". For preserve quail hunting I use the screw choked gun and 1/2 oz #8 shot.

I've not noticed much difference in performance on live quail between the .003" and .009", but the .019" was definitely too tight at the 15 to 25 yard distances I shoot my birds. But that .019" would be fine at 30 yards, though no .410 is reliable much past that.

The chokes you get really depend on the distances at which you will shoot most of your birds. For skeet distances, use a skeet choke (.005" to .007"). With two barrels, I'd personally be pretty happy with .005" and .015".

My 42s are both Full (one Colonial and one fixed factory choke). My favorite .410 O/U (Browning) has Invector Mod and Full in it and they never get changed. The other O/U (Win 101) is fixed IC/Mod and it's pretty much worthless on doves unless the air is very still. My good SxS (Uggie) is .011" and .017" and I'd rather have about .012" and .020". I only use 2-1/2" loads and tighter chokes seem to be more effective on doves. Choke preferences depend on your use. The .410 is a real hoot on doves. September can't get here soon enough.