doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Choke Modification Methodology ?

All the set up work is done in relation to the bore not the exterior of the barrel. With the proper methodology it does not matter if the exterior of the barrel is concentric with the bore or not when opening a choke.

Not to be the "Turd in the Punchbowl", but why would you want to alter original chokes when Spreader loads are available?

Merely my opinion.

SKB looking at your web site and kind of work turned out no doubt your shop would open chokes properly with little risk. I think you will agree your work is not the norm, most shops are not set up to do it. Looking at many SxS's that have been altered thats my impression anyhow.

Ken that's the other side of the equation, I have spreader loads for all my SxS guns except the open Choked VH. They are very effective.

Boats

Ken61 has a point.

Spreaders are a good option if you don't want to mess with the original chokes, and/or if you want to keep them tighter for a variety of uses. On the other hand, if you're after a gun strictly for grouse and woodcock (or anything shot at standard skeet ranges), why not have the chokes opened? Then you can just shoot standard off the shelf ammo (or reloads) and don't have to use spreaders. Or--assuming you're not concerned with original condition--you could have screw-ins installed, for maximum versatility.

Maybe just me, but I've had poor luck with spreaders on shots beyond twenty yards. Patterns just blow out. Not much good even on opening day doves or even wild quail, but fine for kick'em-up quail...Geo

Spreaders (hand loads and factory) out of my Darne are full of holes. I'm talking at 25 yards, holes big enough to drive a pinto through. Terrible patterns, but they do open the pattern. Forget that, that's not what I shoot the gun for. I want even, bird killing patterns at specific distances, spreaders don't do that. At 35 yards a spreader is worthless and at 35 yards the extra full original choke is equally worthless (when hit, birds are so badly damaged, they aren't fit for the table). So......guess what, the choke gets opened to make the gun useful. Nothing odd or sacrilege about that.

I have to agree after patterning spreader loads from RST and polywad and my own reloading I have found them to be inconsistent at best. I still have a couple of cases
that I use for fun but I will modify the choke and fit of the gun to fit the game or for hunting. The few very collectable shotguns I own I leave as original if they are shootable, or get rid of.

What you can get with the Polywads is something of a "donut" effect: weak center. You can usually solve that if you reload by either modifying the disc or else dropping a layer of shot on top of the disc. But I agree that they're a very short range load. Cylinder certainly limits your effective range, but patterns tend to be very even. Matter of fact, the guys who wrote the pattern analysis book (doing a brain dump on their names) said that you get more even patterns with no constriction than you do with any degree of choke.

Some chokes on older doubles, particularly pre-Remington Parkers, were ogee cut. Are there gunsmiths today who are talented enough to re-cut chokes and maintain a smooth ogee profile?