doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Chokes and wingshooting

For bobs, blues, pheasant, sharptails and huns I would have cylinder for the right barrel. Anything from IC to full for the left.

I hunt behind pointing dogs. Might be different if I was behind Springer Spaniels.

Add Snipe and Doves over a tank.

IMO, there is a lot more to choke choice than naming the quarry. I respect your experience on birds, Mike, and given the amount of time you hunt bobs I suspect you have developed a very quick move in response to a flush or covey rise. For a bird hunter who has those lightning reflexes, a cylinder might almost be a necessity in the first barrel. I have hunted quail with many men in my life. Some had reflexes that were nothing short of astounding, quick eyes and hands. For them an open choke is necessary to prevent meat damage. I was never one of those. I am a more methodical quail shooter. I guess to some I look slow. I can get that first shot off faster than I do, usually, but I don't want to. I love quail, but I hate missing with a passion, and that hatred makes me look harder and shoot slower. I can double on a covey rise, but I usually don't, unless there is a straggler or two. Anymore, here, it is rare for a covey of wild birds to hold tight enough for us to utilize a CYL barrel. They usually flush "wild", before we get very close. For me, an IC, or at the least a SK choke, is better. I like a modified in the second barrel. For Gambel's, the little bit I have hunted them, a CYL would be a really BAD choice. Those boogers can boogie! They are full speed within three feet of taking to the air, I believe.

I can hold my fire for a split second longer, if I DO pick out a quail very quickly, a lot easier than I can make a too open barrel stretch out there farther than it should. I'm of the opinion that the right choke for flushing birds depends on the shooting style of the man just as much as it does the quarry.

SRH

I used to shoot over spaniels for their hunt tests, SK-II and IM were nice as the pattern was was open enough to not grind the birds up for the started dogs yet let me ride them a bit for a nice retrieve with the Master dogs. The same combo worked for shoot to retrieve competitions over my AWS.

Over my pointer on wild birds it's SK-I/IC and IM.

Two of my drillings get used for calling bear/big cats and coyote/bobcats, the tight chokes work well with Buckshot and NP BB's. Brenneke slugs shoot well out of the fulls also.



I do have an older hammer drilling that just might see more time bird hunting this year, it has a little longer barrels and is fairly light. It will give me a better feel for bird hunting with a shotgun with a cheek piece.

Stan- You'll find it in the GBE book "The Best of Nash Buckingham"- not that there is any "Worst of TNB"-- (tongue in cheek)- also "Hail and Farewell" and "Play House"-- I grew up in the Queen City area, which is a lot closer to Dixie than, say- Cleveland- in the great Buckeye State- But reading those great stories over and again sure makes me sympathize with the South in the "War of Nawthern Aggression 1861=1895, which tore America to flinders-- Nash was indeed a true Southern Gent'man- polite to all, especially the "wimmenfolks", tolerant of the Colored folks too- with a better understanding of their world that Sharpton, Jackson et al espouse today. He passed in March 1971, and his likes will most likely never be seen again in the world we have to endure today-

Stan my choke choices were based on shooting an ounce of shot. If I were shooting 1/2 or 5/8 ounce I would probably go with tighter chokes as well.