20 Gauge O/U Quandary

[.300 Weatherby Mag]

So I'm a little bit stumped right now.. I recently purchased a Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon 20 gauge with 30" barrels.. I've been having a great deal of difficulty shooting consistent skeet scores with it, breaking 20 birds was the best I could do and most rounds were yielding 18-19.. The gun was giving me such a fit that I had it patterned.. It turns out that the point of impact on both barrels was near perfect but the pattern quality was not great with the Beretta factory skeet mobile choke, choke tubes.. I was told to try it with an I/C choke installed to see if it improved my scores.. With the I/C chokes in the gun I picked up four birds right away, and shot a 23.. Although not the 25 I want, that 23 is a vast improvement over what I was doing with the gun...

Now here's my question to those that know more than me... Why in the heck would a tighter choke improve my scores shooting American skeet?? Is the pattern quality possibly that much better?? Did I possibly get a bad set of skeet chokes from Beretta?

This darn gun is giving me a headache just thinking about it

[k1dude]

Did you pattern the I/C? You may find your answer.

[Ninask]

Chokes typically produce less than perfect patterns
Ic typically produces better patterns

[ysr_racer]

Now here's my question to those that know more than me... Why in the heck would a tighter choke improve my scores shooting American skeet?? Is the pattern quality possibly that much better?? Did I possibly get a bad set of skeet chokes from Beretta?

Because it's not the chokes, it's all in your mind

Practice makes perfect.

Did I possibly get a bad set of skeet chokes from Beretta?

Possible but not likely.

[wweigle]

Maybe the particular ammo you are shooting patterns better with the tighter choke in you gun. Every brand, and then individual gun is different. Different barrel diameters, chamber lengths, forcing cone lengths etc.. Finding the best combo of choke and ammo for your gun can be somewhat of a challenge, and sometimes a frustrating adventure. Might take you some time patterning all of the different possible ammo/choke combos to come up with what works best, or at least is adequate. If you reload then it gets even more interesting. The good thing is in the end you will really have a good understand what type of pattern your gun, ammo, and choke combo is throwing. It will make you a better shooter. I went through the same thing with my Browing Citori. The original combo I was shooting patterned terribly. I was convinced that my gun was a lemon until I sorted it out. I guess its all part of the fun.

[.300 Weatherby Mag]

Because it's not the chokes, it's all in your mind

Practice makes perfect.

If I can run the field with a 20 gauge pump ... This little Beretta is giving me fits... It even fits me

[sargenv]

Shoot full choke for a case of shells.. then put those improved chokes back in.. I bet you hit your 25..

You didn't mention how long you've been going after the magical 25..

[sargenv]

I was shooting a skeet league in the early 90's and this one poor guy was having a hell of a time with his O/U.. he'd forgotten that he'd put full chokes in his gun and when cleaning it found his mistake.. I think he either shot a 49 or 50 straight the next league night..

If you want to really feel humbled.. try skeet with a 410 sometime.. best I could ever get was a 17... At the time my average was in the 21.8 range..

[.300 Weatherby Mag]

Shoot full choke for a case of shells.. then put those improved chokes back in.. I bet you hit your 25..

You didn't mention how long you've been going after the magical 25..

I've shot 25 and 50 straight.. I'm hunting the elusive 100 these days..

I went through the same thing with my Browing Citori. The original combo I was shooting patterned terribly. I was convinced that my gun was a lemon until I sorted it out. I guess its all part of the fun.

I was convinced there was something wrong with the POI, thats why I took it in and had it patterned.. The gun is under warranty and it cost me nothing to have it done.. Its not easy to pattern a gun where I live and shoot.. Only one range has a patterning board and it can only be used if the trap fields nearby are not being used..

[ysr_racer]

If you're in Orange County Triple B Clays has a patterning board.

[trapperjohn]

Alas, the patterning board at Triple B Clays is for members only (ask me how I know).

Redlands Shooting Park (near the intersection of the 10 fwy and the 210 fwy) has a field at the end of the skeet fields that anyone can use for patterning (they have a frame there a take your own cardboard/sheets) or just shooting your gun to test fit/mods/repairs.

[sargenv]

I've done 25 and 50 straights.. back when lead shot was cheap and powder plentiful.. Now I shoot steel with bio wads.. and recently swapped up to #8's for better machine handling and a few more pellets over 7's.. For skeet, 8's are plenty.. they seem to break a bit more positively and I dust more clays than with steel 7's.. and I still use improved...

[.300 Weatherby Mag]

Put two I/C beretta factory chokes in the gun and shot a 25 straight today with the estate #9 shot.. Wind started blowing and I dropped two in the second round.. I'll take a 48 out of 50, with a gun I couldn't previously break more than 20 birds a round with...

It really makes me think that its a choke tube issue.. Based on the vast improvements today..

[ysr_racer]

Meet me at TBC sometime with both sets of chokes, and I'll pattern it for you.

[duckman1]

Maybe the particular ammo you are shooting patterns better with the tighter choke in you gun. Every brand, and then individual gun is different. Different barrel diameters, chamber lengths, forcing cone lengths etc.. Finding the best combo of choke and ammo for your gun can be somewhat of a challenge, and sometimes a frustrating adventure. Might take you some time patterning all of the different possible ammo/choke combos to come up with what works best, or at least is adequate. If you reload then it gets even more interesting. The good thing is in the end you will really have a good understand what type of pattern your gun, ammo, and choke combo is throwing. It will make you a better shooter. I went through the same thing with my Browing Citori. The original combo I was shooting patterned terribly. I was convinced that my gun was a lemon until I sorted it out. I guess its all part of the fun.

^^^^^^This right here. All guns will pattern differently with different ammo. If you take the time to find the ammo that patterns the best you will not only have a better pattern but mental edge as well.