doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Steel Shot through Improved Modified Choke

I have a question regarding using steel shot and shooting through an improved modified choke. Maybe this is a stupid question, but now I’m unsure.

I have a modern AyA 4/53 BL with steel shot proofing (Fleur de lis stamped on the barrel flats). I bought it specifically for use with steel shot if need be going into the future, but have never used it with steel shot to-date. When I bought the shotgun it was tagged as having modified x modified chokes. When I got the gun, I measured the chokes with a choke gauge, and found one barrel measures modified and one measures improved modified.

Tamid’s thread re: pressure variances, got me thinking about the potential riveling of a shotgun barrel. I think I have personally seen that once with my friend’s Ruger Red Label 20 gauge. I had noticed the barrel had little wavy bulges down through the barrel. I had questioned him about it and he told me that he once tried a couple steel shot shells through it. I told him my thought was that it may have happened from him shooting steel shot through too tight of a choke.

Anyway, I certainly don’t want to bugger up my expensive nice AyA. So my question, if the barrels are marked as steel shot proof, then is it still okay to shoot with an improved modified choke? I use to hunt ducks and geese back in the 1980’s before steel shot became mandatory, then stopped, so I have never used steel shot in any of my guns to-date.

I know with our old vintage shotguns, the rule is use nothing tighter than a modified choke with standard steel shot.
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TC

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What is the largest steel shot you intend to use?
What gauge?? If 12 gauge #3 is the largest that I would shoot with it,

PLEASE send AyA an email and ask them.

aya@aya-fineguns.com

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Hi Guys,

12 gauge, fixed chokes. When I use to hunt ducks and geese, the largest shot size I used were #4. I had a look through the little AyA Booklet that came with the shotgun, but nothing about the use of steel shot, only real general stuff, re: Safety, Assembly, Loading and operating, Disassembly, and Maintenance. They gave me a copy of the Official Proof Certificate marked for steel proof with the three stars of choke mark, both barrels.

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TC

Yep. skeettx is right. You might just want to send AYA an email and find out for sure. You'll probably get an answer within a day. Good luck!!

Thanks guys.
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TC

CIP “Standard Proof” is for lead OR STEEL (limited to no larger than 3.25 mm / U.S. No. 4s and max. fps 1,300) ie. target/game loads, and without choke restriction (but I still wouldn't use full in a light weight game gun)
https://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=598636

This is from the Gamebore site

I would have to concur with Drew above. If you measure the constriction of a full choke on an unmodified barrel and then measure the choke on a full choke insert the constriction is the same, roughly. I don't think that little thin walled insert will stop bulging. Perhaps if using a smaller shot size but I have never done that. I have Browning Citori's that have been set to modified in 3" chambers and I use #2 and BB Steel and have for more than 20 years in one of them with no problems. But I did have a stevens 311A with full chokes. One day while shooting and that was just before steel was mandatory, I ran out of shells and I asked my hunting partner to pass me a couple of shells in the heat of the moment. He was shooting steel shells in 2 3/4, BB, which I didn't realize till after the fact. Both my barrels budged. I only mention this because the wall thickness on the 311 was around .035.

Tim, you said you measured the chokes with a choke gauge. Did you use a wedge shaped "pocket gauge" or a micrometer type gauge?

And if you did use a mike what were the actual constrictions, from bore diameter?

There are different ideas about what constriction constitutes a given choke designation, such as Improved Modified. I like the chart that is on Hallowell's site, which shows Improved Modified in a 12 bore to be .024" to .031". Is yours that tight?