doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Benefit of FULL choke

I do the right pocket/left pocket drill, too. Even with repeaters I sometimes want a different shell up the pipe, depending on cover.

As for confusion...... Many years ago my buddy handed me a 2 oz Federal 3"er in #2......he said: "just in case".....I never asked "in case of what?".

Anyway, maybe 12 years later we got into a pheasant firefight on a hilltop. Birds everywhere. I had my Ruger clays gun, reloading and shooting as fast as I can. Bird goes up in very thick cover, maybe a 25 yd shot.....gun doubled.....I about fell over. Dogs bring back two birds.......well, one bird in two pieces. Opened the gun and ejected one spent 3" Federal hull.

Sam

Well, I'm just not quite coordinated enough to change loads from reg to spreader and back again when birds are flushing or cover is changing. That's why I like the double barrel gun with very open choke and very tight choke combination. Beyond that, I just shoot. Heck, I'm going the other way entirely by shooting a smallbore more often than not.

Started using scatter loads in full choked guns in 1950s for quail and rabbits and grouse. Been using them ever since for some things.

Often I carried two or three loads that patterened about one degree of choke differently in my guns. That could give me a range of fuller, full, half, quarter and cylinder. Actually, for decades, most useful load gave half and quarter choke results with 36 grams #5 1/2 shot. The fuller loads seldom got used then, except for late season ducks and geese. Now, being slower and more careful shooter, they get lots of use -- I pick my shots much more carefully now than before.

First time I hunted desert quail I took along plenty of scatter loads, remembering how well they worked on bobwhite and ruffed grouse. WRONG CHOICE!! Very few close shots, nice even full choke was best.

Now, for early season ducks over decoys, I put a bismuth scatter load (SpreadRdisk) in right barrel. Works really well with #6 bismuth, especially on teal but, even big mallard drakes fall nicely at 20-30 yards, with plenty of pellet penetration. Later, it is full and fuller for ducks and geese.

Niklas

Exactly. I use different hulls for different loads. And, I always include a note in each sack of loaded shell so I don't have to depend on memory. If you have time and can see a reason to shift shells, do it. Otherwise, just shoot it.

I'd rather open the chokes for the purposes for which I'm most often going to use the gun. For example, if you shoot skeet and maybe SC, full isn't of any more value than it is for most upland hunting. And if you shoot a lot, spreaders either get expensive or they become a PITA to reload in bulk. But they're certainly a good choice if you have a tight-choked gun you want to use for something like occasional grouse and woodcock, but don't shoot the gun much otherwise at typical upland ranges (inside 30 yards).

I agree that spreders are an extra step. However, if the gun's purpose is not fairly narrowly focused, tighter chokes and spreaders do increase the useful range envelope. For older guns, it is common to use lighter loads of shot. Tighter chokes are useful in developing effective pattern density at extended range. Spreaders are a viable alternative to opening chokes on a gun where originality could be an issue.

I load Gulandi X-post wads with a P&W 800B and have only to adjust the wad ram for a shallower depth, a 30 second adjustment as I have marked the position. Otherwise, loading speed is unaffected.

Back when I was a reloading nut and used to carry along as much as four differently loaded kinds of shells (why? to see if there is any difference! :D) I used to mark them with differently coloured nail finish, a circle aroung the primer.

I have shot and killed dove at 105 paces with a Joeeph Winkler,16 ga hammer,marked"Nein for Kugel"I was told that means "Not for Ball" on more than one occasion,was more like shooting a rifle.
Older shells ,cardboard wads did not have the same pattern as a plastic wad shells of today. A little test I ran was with some Winchester, 3dram,1 1/8 #8 chilled shot with cardboard wads.. shot at a 10" circle at 16 yards.
Gun was Ideal grade L C Smith 30"bbls I/C
88 pellets in circle
219 pellets Remington STS
The older shells just needed as much choke as they could get away with.I wonder what some of the older shooters could have done with modern guns and ammo?
I have a 32" Ideal grade L C Smith 20 gauge choked full/full
that will keep up with most trap gun using modern ammo.
Hampton