doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Need A Choke Gauge - What's A Good One?

Hi all, I'm looking for a good accurate choke gauge. I don't want to spend an arm and a leg however. Looking for one that will gauge 12, 16 and 20 bore (all in one so to speak)
Any recomendations?

Thanks and all the best!

Greg

One of the brass ones from Galazans works OK. It measures all.

Do the brass ones measure the shoke or what's at the muzzle? A dial caliper will do that. I've bought guns measured by the seller's brass gauge as such-and-such chokes that throw different patterns on the board i.e. my M/F Francotte is actually IC/M.

If you want to know your choke, apply the money wasted(IMO) on a muzzle measuring gimmick and get one that measures the bore ID. Without knowing that, the muzzle ID is mostly meaningless. The ones made by Skeets and available from Brownells, are the most reasonably priced. I have owned and use the set for several years. One head for 10, 12 and 16, another head for 20 and 28(no .410) $181 for the set or $90 for each. Less if you get their trade discount. The brass key-ring gimmick costs about $40 and tells you very little.

Jim you're absolutely right in what each tell you. I have both. Unfortunately I need both. With knowledgeable buyers I give the choke in thousandths of an inch. Most of my customers say "What?" and I bring out the brass all guage and tell them it's a full choke. They then buy the gun and go out the door happy as clams.

Years ago I purchased an internal dial caliper for less than $100. You can watch the choke change as you withdraw the tool from the bore. It does then all but the 410 is tough.
bill

I got one of the brass ones from Galazan's and I guess it's ok for what it does. However I found out first hand it will not tell the whole story.

I have a 16 gauge Model 21, barrel stamped Imp. Cyl and MOd. The brass gauge told me I had a "loose" Cyl. and Imp. Cyl. I assumed it had been opened sometime before I owned it. I don't have much use for a cylinder bore, so I had thoughts of screw in choke tubes. Then my gunsmith checked it with a caliper and it's choked .004 and .008 with .667 bore. In this case the brass gage was useless.

M&M, the Winchester Modified normally has much less actual constriction than other makes. Your gun is probably as made. If you think it has been drilled out, I will buy it from you.

eightbore, after checking a Winchester choke chart on the internet, I now know they are within factory specs. and believe are original to the gun. Thanks for the interest, but I'm just now getting it fit to me. I plan on shooting it for a while. Sorry for getting OT.

Got a Stevens 410 model 94 when i was seven and still remember Mr Thompson at the Western Auto store giving me a safety lecture! I remember some of the great shots i made with that 410 and still have it. Bobby