Give me at least some choke. I've shot quail, doves, ducks and woodcock for over 50 years and I've got no use for a cylinder bored gun. I am not saying I couldn't kill a lot of quail or doves with one, or even woodies coming into a beaver pond at first light, but, for me it is not the best thing for the job.
Never hunted grouse but, if he is right and 23 yards is the average, then, by definition, average means there were some longer shots. Maybe a few much longer. Nothing is as frustrating to me as being afield in a situation where choke is needed and not having any. I have no problem biding my time on a covey rise and letting the quail get far enough out for a IC to do it's thing, and it'll knock down one a whole lot further out than a cylinder. I despise seeing a quail drop a leg, because he wasn't hit hard enough, but fly so far that he is probably lost.
I took McIntosh's opinion to task years ago when he wrote that, and I still strongly disagree today.
SRH
