Skeet Choke Advice

[dahamsta7]

looking to pick up a choke for skeet shooting. Wondering if theres a lot of difference between the brands/quality.

I have a remington 870 12 guage express and looking at these:

http://www.amazon.com/Rem-12ga-Skeet-Tube-725/dp/B001MCAROE/ref=lh_ni_t

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Remington-19607-12GA-Skeet-Choke-Tube/11089620

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Remington-19608-12GA-Improved-Skeet-Choke-Tube/11089621

I take it the 3rd option, the improved skeet would be tighter(harder) than the first 2?

[POWG]

Skeet choke question

Not much difference to be had between the "factory choke" selections presented ...and yes Skeet II would be tighter than Skeet.

If you have access to someone with a bore diameter gauge check your bore. Standard for a 12 Ga., according to "the book" was considered to be .729. If your gun has that bore diameter, to achieve a "skeet choke" the internal diameter of your new choke would need to be .724, giving you .005 reduction, which is commonly known as "choke constriction".

Constriction of .010 which is given to represent Improved Cylinder; for your gun, if the bore is .729 would then need to be .019 making it .010 smaller than the bore! Yes?

Standard constriction graduations are incremental and in .005 "steps" from the actual bore diameter, whatever it may be. If a .729 bore for example, a choke marked as .015 would be Light Modified - if its internal diameter is .714; one marked .020 would be Modified and marked .709. One marked .025 would be Improved Modified and so on.

You will find variations in the bore diameters of most mass produced guns these days from .722 [Beretta & Benelli] all the way to .740 [Winchester & Browning]. Unfortunately, it is very common and virtually the "norm" to find the internal choke dimensions of factory mass-produced choke tubes supplied with these guns to very quite a bit from "standards" and also, what is actually marked on the tube or package. There are several reasons for this reality and is but one of the reasons that most serious clay shooters end up purchasing quality after-market choke tubes; which will absolutely sport internal dimensions that precisely match their markings on the package and tube itself.

In closing, it is of utmost importance for you to know with certainty your gun's bore diameter and your choke's internal diameter and understand that the difference between the two will be the "choke constriction" of your gun with that choke tube., notwithstanding whatever the package or marking on the tube may indicate. In the end ...its all relative.

Information provided here is based upon my thousands of hours as a Professional Shotgun Instructor ...and many students with many new guns, measured with my Bore Gauge in response to their questions about "chokes".

POWG is now out of words and hopes this helps.

REMEMBER - The key to success in all shooting is "Quality - Practiced - Repetitive - Actions"

[Thefeeder]

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^^^^

A very good explanation.

Buy the Reminton "Skeet" for your purposes...I use them in my 870 Wingmasters and they are fine for you to get a good start at the sport. Although I never measured the inside and outside....I trust it will be very close using the factory chokes.

The truth of the matter is, you will be better served leaning the fundamentals such as swing, leads, hold positions, gun mount, ect...and learning to use a pump on top of it........ to worry about which ckoke is optimum is on the bottom of the list.

Cyl, Skeet, Skeet II or imp Skeet will all do you well.

But if you must know what "optimum" means....Its the best consistent pattern you can achieve using your gun, a choke and a load......the combinations are mind twisting.

We are talking about Skeet ... and not Trap or Sporting Clays .......right OP?

[bjl333]

post #2 & #3 Good to go !!!

[sargenv]

Personally, I use Improved cylinder for just about everything and leave it at that.. I generally will swap up loads for sporting clays and hunting to a larger size shot for longer, tougher shots and spreaders for close in shots. I hardly ever feel the need to swap to anything else. As usual, YMMV..

Just want to add that I shoot a Carlson Extended Improved Cylinder choke in my semi.. it has done well in the duck blind and shooting skeet, sporting clays, and action shooting.

[mjsweims]

As far as quality is concerned the mass produced chokes are not as concentric as the more custom chokes - Briley, Carlson, etc. where there are more quality control checks. You will generally get a better pattern out of a custom choke if you are using a very good gun. Using a mass produced gun, the barrel inconsistencies will outweigh the custom choke advantages. Save your money and put it into practice rounds.
As with many other things, as you get better, and are trying to improve it will cost more and more for smaller incremental improvements.