Choke Question...shotgun noob

[tziggs]

I'm new to shotguns. I've shot them, but never owned them. I'm looking at purchasing one with a "Turkey Choke"...primarily because it is a good deal. It's a Remington 870 with a choke.

Question. I'm actually looking to purchase it primarily for home defense and some clays...not hunting. Is the choke ok for these uses? OR should I stay away from it?

[randy]

It's fine for HD. Chokes are about 20 bucks if you want to screw in something else. Most HD guns use a IC or Cyl choke.

[Ech0Sierra]

I'm new to shotguns. I've shot them, but never owned them. I'm looking at purchasing one with a "Turkey Choke"...primarily because it is a good deal. It's a Remington 870 with a choke.

Question. I'm actually looking to purchase it primarily for home defense and some clays...not hunting. Is the choke ok for these uses? OR should I stay away from it?

Hell no! A turkey choke is the EXACT opposite of chokes for HD and Clays. Hard to aim, tiny groups, need tiny sights, etc. For clays, you'd be best off with modified. HD is best with cylinder, but a modified choke works too.

[CSACANNONEER]

If it's a good deal and you want it, get it! Buy another few chokes to do everything you want to do and buy an 18" barrel for HD.

[randy]

Echo you do not know of what you speak. The choke in a HD gun doesn't matter what it is. The shot pattern doesn't have enough room to spread much in a typical house. How long are your shots? How long is your hall, how big is your bedroom, blah blah blah. I believe the general rule for your pattern to widen is 1" per 3' of forward travel. If you have a room you'd be shooting in that was 24 feet you'd have a 8" pattern. The turkey choke might make it a little tighter but who cares.

Have you ever heard of Vang Comp shotguns? Pattern one of them and tell me how far it expands. Vang is one of the highest rated tactical shotguns going.

Tiny sites for turkey choke? I have no idea what you are talking about please explain. People shoot trap from the 27yd line with full and x full chokes turkey is just a little tighter.

[ysr_racer]

Don't shoot slugs thru a turkey choke

[ar15barrels]

Don't shoot slugs thru a turkey choke

Beat me to it...

Does the gun have removable chokes?
If not, the barrel can be opened up to a different choke, or even threaded to accept chokes.
I have the tru-choke thinwall tap for jobs like that.

[tziggs]

Beat me to it...

Does the gun have removable chokes?
If not, the barrel can be opened up to a different choke, or even threaded to accept chokes.
I have the tru-choke thinwall tap for jobs like that.

Yes. I has the removable choke. I'll probably end up getting it and just purchase another choke or two to match different uses.

[Ech0Sierra]

Echo you do not know of what you speak. The choke in a HD gun doesn't matter what it is. The shot pattern doesn't have enough room to spread much in a typical house. How long are your shots? How long is your hall, how big is your bedroom, blah blah blah. I believe the general rule for your pattern to widen is 1" per 3' of forward travel. If you have a room you'd be shooting in that was 24 feet you'd have a 8" pattern. The turkey choke might make it a little tighter but who cares.

Have you ever heard of Vang Comp shotguns? Pattern one of them and tell me how far it expands. Vang is one of the highest rated tactical shotguns going.

Tiny sites for turkey choke? I have no idea what you are talking about please explain. People shoot trap from the 27yd line with full and x full chokes turkey is just a little tighter.

The reason people choose shotguns is so that they can send multiple projectiles downrange with one trigger pull. The projectiles may spread out, but if there is a turkey choke, the shot will be tighter than if it was a cylinder choke. A little tighter could mean the difference between a glancing hit and a miss. I would prefer a direct hit, but anything is better than a total miss.
Mr. Vang does nothing to the choke of a shotgun, his process is to lengthen the forcing cone, back bore the barrel, and compensates the barrel.
Turkey guns have fine sights which need to be more fine and precise than the standard bead or ghost ring. Good for taking off the head of a large turkey but NOT GOOD for HD.
If people are shooting trap, they WANT the shot to expand so they have a greater chance of hitting the clay. Using an extra full choke makes no sense. It increases the difficulty of it more than necessary.

[randy]

Close but no cigar. Vang does indeed alter the choke not the way you understand it but the way it was done in the past. I don't remember the term for it but I'll get it for you. Yes a open pattern gives you a better chance of a hit but at typical HD distances you aren't looking at much of a spread. What is the longest shot in your house? 25 feet that would give you a spread of about 8 inches a tighter choke the patern is maybe 6 inches? If you are using your sites that closely then grab your pistol. If you need to aim that much to hit somebody in the fatel funnel you are doing something wrong.

As far as turkey sites I just looked at Remingtons web site and they came out with a new shotgun just for turkeys. Standard bead site is what comes up in the picture. Benellis web sit shows a turkey gun with a standard bead site too. They do show one with what looks like a red dot.

[Utha Schleigle]

The reason the gun is a good deal is because many buyer are after trap/hunting or home defnse and not the limited catagory of turkey.

Next silly question is it a 12gauge and does it have a rifled barrell???? A smooth bore is more versatile. I would stay away from a rifled barrell. Buttt you can always buy more barrells. When you buy slugs or sabots, it will say in microsopic letters if it ment for a smooth bore or for rifled barrell. Smooth bore will give 1000 percent more ammunition choices. Does it have sights??


Definity a removable choke. If there is an option of getting a whole set and a wrench get it now. Keep you options open. Turkey choke comes with gun, buttt there is also stove pipe - cylinder - improved cylinder - modified - medium - full choke. Speciality chokes have limited use wht discuss them.

Get to know your new shotgun and go out and try under a few situations.
Indoor range. Desert for fun shooting. Trap range for clays. The wonderfull part about shorguns are they are very versatile.

(my opinion) For home defense or any situation a shotgun should be aimed. To get the shotgun pattern to work for for you. (my opinion)


This book is great and has 4 chaptors on chokes.

Get some books and read them - but try the gun out is best. Clean it and get to know it.



This shows the choke at mouth of the barrell. Your is a modern gun and interchangable choke so don't worry about forcing cone legth.

As a starter shotgun this should be good. Every one sells goodies for a Remington 870 and parts will be made for a LONG TIME!!!!!!

[Utha Schleigle]

In the previous book it was explained that the maddening thing about chokes is that the digest different shot sizes differently. Cyclinder bore and stove pipe are pretty immune to this. Butttt say you keep the modified choke on the barrel and go out trapp shooting at 25yards. 8 shot federal shells and you hit every clay. 7 1/2 shot Chech/Euro cheap rounds and you miss four clays. 8 shot light Remington shells and miss 2 clays. Assuming that you consistanly shooting the same. WHAT HAPPENED!!!! The gun with that choke will only deliver a good pattern with one size shot and different shells and internal componants of the shell will affect the pattern.

So all same choke Modified. All the same manufacturer Remington new shells.
8 shot at 25 yards perfect pattern.
6 shot at 25 yards tight pattern
00 buck at 25 yards maybe a full choke pattern
There is no way to predict how your gun will shoot with which ammo - that is my you have to shoot it and have some fun.

Don't take what I say as the last word or what is written down. Many have different opinions and more experience than I. But you have to start somewhere. Go and experiment.

Even though this book is on black powder, I found the shotgun section aswered a lot of my questions.

[tziggs]

Thanks Utha,

Lots of good info there. Thanks!

To answer a few of your questions in your first post. Yes, it is a 12gague and No, It isn't rifled. It does have a removable choke and I'm unsure about the sights, so I'll check on that.

Ok, back to reading. Thanks again for your time in posting those pages. I've learned a lot already. I can't wait to do my own tests of pattern with the choke it comes with. Then, I'll make some decisions on chokes.

Thanks again.

[hawk81]

You got that remington at cold war shooters, didn't you. I got that $199 remington turkey gun also. It is awesome and well worth it. I am going to put a 9 or 10 shot extension on mine.

[tziggs]

You got that remington at cold war shooters, didn't you. I got that $199 remington turkey gun also. It is awesome and well worth it. I am going to put a 9 or 10 shot extension on mine.

Yep. Wow, good detective word. After reading randy's & Ech0Sierra's posts, I decided to purchase it. I went down to CWS about 1 hour before they closed on Memorial Day. It is my first shotgun, so obviously I'm excited.