Really Dumb Shotgun Question

[ajwells]

I feel like a complete idiot asking this, but I am going to be buying a remington 870 express and I think I may need to know.


Okay here we go, I have no idea what a choke is.

Someone please explain.

P.S.

I may know what it is, but not by name, so there is a chance I'm not all too stupid.

[Gnote]

This site may help explain things.

http://www.mossberg.com/anatomychoke.htm

[-hanko]

Google.

"shotgun choke"

-hanko

[best45auto]

choke

good question becouse I dont have any idea what a choke was thanks to you now I know
I have to put one?
it is safe to shoot without one?

[metalhead357]

it is safe to shoot without one?

NO it is not safe to shoot one without one unless is a CHOKE-LESS model...true smoothbore. If one is supposed to be in there----its supposed to be in there.....

[Gnote]

good question becouse I dont have any idea what a choke was thanks to you now I know
I have to put one?
it is safe to shoot without one?

Some shotguns do not have a choke option. If yours does and you don't have a choke then you can possibly mess up the threading.

If you are not sure if yours has or not, MAKE SURE THE SHOTGUN IS EMPTY (or dis***emble it) then look at the exit end of the barrel. You can normally tell if you have a choke capable barrel or not.

If you stick your finger in the exit end about an inch or two in and feel thread then your barrel is setup for chokes but you don't have one in.

If you buy a choke, make sure it is made for your barrel.

[Matt-man]

Note that people are talking about removable choke tubes here. Not all shotguns have removable choke tubes - especially older guns, since the removable tubes weren't common until recently. Read the Mossberg page again if you are still unsure of the difference between fixed chokes and interchangeable choke tubes.

If a shotgun is set up for interchangeable, removable choke tubes, then you must have one installed when firing the gun. Any new shotgun set up for interchangeable tubes is going to come with at least one choke tube, otherwise you wouldn't be able to shoot your new shotgun when you bought it.

If a shotgun is not set up for choke tubes, then it has a fixed choke and you can't change it.

[metalhead357]

Note that people are talking about removable choke tubes here. Not all shotguns have removable choke tubes - especially older guns, since the removable tubes weren't common until recently.

Very true...but not sure 30+ years is "recently". Many of them older shotguns with NON removable chokes CANT do steel shot, of if they can, not for long before they're essentially useless........

Metalhead

[best45auto]

Choke

NO it is not safe to shoot one without one unless is a CHOKE-LESS model...true smoothbore. If one is supposed to be in there----its supposed to be in there.....

IT IS A SMOOTHBORE THANKS FOR THE INFO

[Shoot-it]

You can shoot it with out the choke in all that would happen is the threads will be gummed up with plastic,That makes the patern cylinder choke it will open up quicker.I never done it my Beretta came with 5 chokes ****CL IC M Im Full.

[metalhead357]

You can shoot it with out the choke in all that would happen is the threads will be gummed up with plastic,That makes the patern cylinder choke it will open up quicker..

AND will quickly wear down those threads so that IF you choose to use a choke again it will be rather loose in the threads (if any are left) and then REALLY rather unsafe to shoot. If it doesnt wear down the threads~ Cleaning all those threads is still gonna be a bugger.......

Want a chokless- Get a chokeless
Have a Choke and dont wanna use it? Shoot the Stuffin' out of whatever's in there and it'll act just like a smoothbore.
Dont like that option- Get a gunsmith to take barrel down to JUST ABOVE the legal limit, reface/recrown & re-blue~ Less than $40 for my buddies that went that route. JUST DONT GO BELOW THE LEGAL LIMIT!!!!!!!!!!!!

Metalhead

[Mssr. Eleganté]

You don't really refer to shotgun barrels in terms of choke vs. smooth bore. Almost all shotgun barrels are smooth bore, whether they have a fixed choke, screw in interchangeable choke tubes, or a screw in adjustable choke tube. The term "smooth bore" doesn't have any connection to choke at all

Having a threads at the end of the barrel for screw in choke tubes doesn't mean the shotgun isn't a smooth bore.

The term "smooth bore" is used to differentiate a regular shotgun barrel from rifled shotgun barrels designed for use with slugs.

A shotgun barrel with no choke would be refered to as "cylinder bore" rather than "smooth bore", although some would say that it does have a choke, but the choke was equal to zero.

And to make it even more confusing, you can get a cylinder bore choke tube, meaning your choke tube has no choke.

I think the confusion is based on the fact that people now refer to a "choke tube" as a "choke". A choke tube sets the choke of the barrel, but technically isn't the choke of the barrel, if that makes sense.

[metalhead357]

A shotgun barrel with no choke would be refered to as "cylinder bore" rather than "smooth bore", although some would say that it does have a choke, but the choke was equal to zero.

Ahhh Duhhh! THAT Was the word I was looking for while I was having a continous brainfart instead! Thank you!

[Shoot-it]

I agree with you metal i wont ever shoot my gun with out the tube.I just heard someone at the clay club that shot a round of skeet with out it .He said he had a hard time getting the wad plastic out of the threads. .................

When u said smooth bore I thought u were thinking cylinder.I do that sometimes i think something write it down wrong.

[metalhead357]

Thank you shoot it! I find myself always becoming more and more the UNNNN intentional hypocrite asking people to use the right words, say what they mean & mean what they say....and then I pull a continous brainfart about "smoothbore" LOL!!!!!!!!!!! ((Well HELL! I KNEW what I meant~lol~ Why didnt y'all ))

How about this.

Dont shoot Choked shotguns without SOME kind of choke in them!!!!!!!!!!!