A friend came home with a French 16 ga double barrel muzzleoader (c. 1860) the other day. It doesn't seem to have any choke but, in looking at it, I began to wonder if the concept of choke (I believe first patented by W.R. Pape in about 1866) was predicated on the widespread acceptance of breechloading in our firearms. From a practical standpoint, it might not be readily feasible to achieve a good gas seal if the wads have to be first jammed DOWN a constricted muzzle. Dunno.....

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