I got my Union Fire Arms 20 ga., pump gun, up and running. Fit a second set of barrel with pump assembly and magazine to the gun. Went out to shoot a round of skeet with it. It was all or none as they say. More rifle than shotgun it seems. Had to bear down like I was shooting a .410. 23 ink dots with the longer barrel. So I put the shorter second barrel on and repeated the same score, even missed the same two birds. Proving its me, not the gun. Low six has ruined many a round for me.
I had measured the chokes quickly, when I first got it, but assumed my cheap bore micrometer had to be off. So I got out the CSP Custom Shooting Products bore micrometer after a good cleaning. Calibrated it and measured the bores again. No wonder there were a lot of ink dots. The shorter barrel, 27 7/8" was choked .040 and the longer 29 7/8" barrel was choked .040. Went back to the cheap set and that was what they told me as well but what I had refused to accept.
This was a 20 gauge not a 12. Who chokes a 20 that tight? Why? Were other early 20 gauge pump guns bored that tight, by other makers? I know makers put a lot of hype into print adds that said, "hit harder" and "killed further" but these chokes are way tighter than I expected. Perhaps before wads and shot protection, before hard or chilled shot, such tight chokes had a place.
Going to go to the pattern plate and then will get out a set of choke reamers and open up the extra set of barrels to a more sane choking. Maybe .015 for modified or .027 for extra full. Figure I'll leave the original barrel as is, but it will be nice to get a working barrel that I can shoot a few rounds of skeet or sporting clay's. Right now it might make a heck of a 27 yard line trap gun but not much else.
