Let's face it: A lot of old American guns came with chokes that were pretty tight. Ammunition was less efficient then than it is now. I just bought a late Utica Sterlingworth 16. Already restocked, so someone already "violated" the poor old virgin. 2 3/4" chambers, so I don't need to worry about low pressure loads. And the recoil from 1 oz "promo" loads isn't bad.
But the chokes are M/F, which is likely the most common combination, by far, on vintage American doubles. I'm not going to shoot trap with the gun. I would like to shoot skeet with it. I hunt over pointing dogs for birds like woodcock, grouse, pheasants, prairie chickens, and sharptails. Any shot longer than 30 yards is long for me, and on woodcock in particular, any shot longer than 20 yards is unusually long. So why would I want to keep those tight chokes--which might have made sense to the guy who originally bought the gun but don't make sense to me--the way they are? That gun will see far more use if I open the chokes. So, my choices are to preserve an already modified gun in its current condition and not use it much, or modify it to fit my needs and use it a lot more. Logic, if nothing else, would seem to lean in favor of door #2.
