The most controversial thing I’m considering, is opening up that one .45 choke to something closer to .30, what are your thoughts on that? Then I’d have .30 and .35, but backwards. Tighter on right, but ostensibly still full and full. Thoughts?
That's always a tough call, but I am generally against making any alterations to high condition original vintage shotguns. The higher the condition, the less I'd be inclined to make any changes. There are plenty of lower condition or non-original guns out there that really can't have their value hurt so badly. Many here will give the reply that it is your gun, so you have the right to do whatever you wish to it. That is true, but that is what also makes the pool of unmolested guns smaller with each passing year, and increases the value of high original condition specimens.
It is true that the British often freshen up their guns. But there are tons of American guns that are redone too... and often they would have been better left alone. It seems we just don't have the same percentage of gunsmiths here who are competent enough to properly restore a double, and that doesn't even consider the really bad Bubba do-it-yourself jobs. Then you see those fantastic restorations done by guys like CJO, and it becomes hard to say it shouldn't ever be done.
Me, I'd just buy one that had the chokes I wanted, and keep the other gun original. Once that metal is removed, there is nobody that can put it back. There is also the chance that harmonics or reamer chatter could pop a rib solder joint. Then we also see the complaints from guys who had their choke opening job botched so that the patterns are not regulated. But no matter what you decide, you should shoot some different loads at the pattern board to see actual performance. You may find that it is just fine as is with certain loads. You may also find that .030" and .035" chokes are too tight for steel shot. I am not a duck hunter, so won't comment on things I don't know.
