doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com To open the chokes or not, that is the question...

Gents,

I have a beautiful old WC Scott hammer gun with spectacular damascus barrels (2-sets, actually). Both barrels have lots of wall thickness and the bores are perfect. The set of 30" barrels are choked Mod and Full and I would probably use the gun a lot more if they were opened to IC and Light Mod or Mod. Assuming that there is no mechanical reason not to open them is there a practical reason not to? The gun dates to the early 1890's and is not a Premier, but probably the model below. What makes this gun particularily unique is the second set of barrels which are 40" (choked full and full).

Thoughts?

Jay

If your reload, loading spreaders gives you a very useful range of pattern performance. i shoot a 32" NID with full and mod. Below is a full pattern of 1 oz #8's. Below is a spreader load of 1 oz #8 with a Giulandi X-post wad. Easy to reload and very effective. You can always decide to open chokes. Deciding to tighten them up is a lot more difficult. Just be sure before you cut.

It's your gun, Jay. If you plan to keep the gun and would use it more, I believe in making it the way you would enjoy it most. Making spreader loads obviously work as intended but the choice is yours. If I was going to shoot it several thousand times in a year I would want to be able to use more common and cheaper wads.

Just re-checked the chokes and they are actually Mod/IMod. Reloading is not really an option for me (time and space) and I don't shoot that much so I could probably get along fine with regular spreader loads. I agree, once you open them up, they are open.

Guess I need to pattern the old girl and see what I have before I do anything. I will be attending a tower shoot in January and I think the gun, as choked, will be the perfect gun for such an event.

Thanks,

J

I've been pondering that question on this Fox AE that's 28" F/M choked. I've decided to leave it alone and use it for what it is. I shoot sporting clays and skeet with it and figure it's only about a 5-8% handicap to have the tight chokes. So, as part of my enjoyment, I like the idea that it's choked as it was built. But, I have no quarrel with someone that wants to open one up. Just be sure you're getting what you think you're getting. There may not be as much difference in your scores or bag as you might think. I see so many old doubles that have had the chokes taken out to skt/skt or even cylinder bore. I can find a use for cylinder but I would prefer to have at least one tight barrel of Mod or tighter. One of my doubles has a skt/cyl arrangement and I really don't use it much. It's fine on the skeet field, but limited with the open choked second barrel in the field for my hunting.

Mr. Gardner, I've been known to load a spreader load or two.
If you'd like, I can load you some low pressure spreader loads.
A box or two would probably last you a year. :-) With your busy schedule. (wink-wink)

Another thought- from a guy who loves the tighter choked guns- I like to see the birds dis-integrate, as I do a prairie dog blow up with a 50 grain Hornady moly-Coated rd. from a .220 Swift-as Nash B. once said- you'd about had all the thrills wingshooting offers a man when you see a high bird fold up in mid-air- What is your shooting style? Quail and woodcock over a tight holding Pointer- then open chokes perhaps- Flushing fezzant in a 40 MPH Montana wind in Nov/Dec from a half-frozen cattail marsh perhaps-Reaching for decoy and caller sky late season Canadas? How about your visual acuity and reaction time, and mounting style for your shotgun(s) of choice-My feeling is- those old gents knew what they were doing when they choked those old "Masterpieces- so leave the chokes alone-handload for the patterns you want perhaps-those fine guns will outlive us all, and if our heirs decide to sell them (hopefully to better their education and lives), they will gain more from unaltered shotguns, than rechoked, no matter which Maestro barrelsmiths do the work- RWTF!!

Dave,

Sad but true. This work thing has gotten in the way of almost all of the fun this year. I shot a round of clays a couple of weeks ago with my Beretta 391 with the big plastic stock, just to make sure the gun still worked. Gawd, I hate plastic stocks. The gun worked better than I did.

I think it is time to sell some of these guns that I don't shoot very often and concentrate on my quest to find the perfect grouse gun (or pay for Kate's college education).

J

I would leave them as they are. Surely somebody sells shells with lubricated fiber wads, no shot cup, and an overshot card with a roll crimp - like the guns were designed to shoot.

Best,

Mike

Jay,
I don't reload, so I just pay (through the nose) for an occaisonal flat of low pressure spreaders from Polywad.

I bet those 40 inchers keep ya following-through!