Chokes

[Marcus]

Ive been shooting clays a while now (Sporting) When I started out the advice I was given by a few on here and elsewhere, was to stick 1/4 and a 1/2 in and forget about the chokes. Thats exactly what I have done up to date.

 

I have had some lessons now, and about a year of experience and my shooting has definately improved.

 

My questions are

 

1. Would putting more restrictive chokes in now at this point in my journey improve my shooting?

2. Is there ever a 'right time' to change the chokes in this manner - if so when?

3. Should I stick with 1/4 and a 1/2 and continue as I have been?

 

Thanks

[SSS]

I would stick with what you can use. My AYA is fixed 1/2 and 1/2. Dont worry about choke and cartridges because it is just something else to blame when it doesn't go your way!

[Paul223]

My questions are

 

1. Would putting more restrictive chokes in now at this point in my journey improve my shooting?

Well it's an idea you can try, may be yes, more likely no, go to your local practice ground and buy two lots of skeet, try the first 25 with cyl / skeet / 1/4, then the next 25 with full / 3/4, see what happens.

 

2. Is there ever a 'right time' to change the chokes in this manner - if so when?

Of course, otherwise briley and teague would not be doing so well, a 30 yard edge on quartering away clay could slip through a loose pattern without breaking, therefore requires a tighter pattern, but yet the same tight pattern may hinder your margin for error when shooting at a 'rabbit' face on rolling along the floor 15 yards away.

 

3. Should I stick with 1/4 and a 1/2 and continue as I have been?

You've already asked the question (so you must be thinking about it), so saying stick to em and don't worry won't work, put a little thought into the target your shooting and use the barrel selector to help, 1/4 and 1/2 are the do it alls, but some times a different choke is required, try not to be to fussy and ocd like

 

Take the time to pattern your gun, it'll help you understand a lot about how open a cyl choke can be, and how much even 1/4 improves the pattern density, try all the chokes, say at 20 yards, then at 35 yards, repaint the plate between each shot and take a pic, so you can compare later

 

edit to add don't use steel shot on the plate, it'll chase ya!

Edited June 10, 2010 by Paul223

[Windknot]

When you start shooting skeet!

[throdgrain]

I've always used 1/4 choke for clays and half for pigeons.

 

However I recently bought a gun with a fixed skeet choke. I was a bit dubious, but used it anyway, and after a month and maybe 500 cartridges I have to report I can see no shortcomings in it at all...

[Chard]

The more experienced I become at clay shooting, the less choke-twiddling I do.

 

Experienced shooters convinced me to ditch my half and half chokes for quarter and quarter, which I now use for virtually everything, including skeet.

 

The only time I now shove a half choke in, is for long range edge-on screamers, but I do mean long range.

 

As far as I'm concerned, everything else is doable with quarter choke.

 

The idea was sold to me (by our very own Catamong) on the basis that there is no point in penalising yourself unnecessarily and no point in giving yourself extra **** to think about when you're supposed to be concentrating.

 

The tighter the choke, the less margin there is for error, so why make it harder?

Edited June 10, 2010 by Chard

[Benellimelody]

 

As far as I'm concerned, everything else is doable with quarter choke.

 

Would you/ Do you - even use 1/4 & 1/4 for DTL/ Ball trap?

[BlaserF3]

Would you/ Do you - even use 1/4 & 1/4 for DTL/ Ball trap?

 

The original question was for Sporting, not Trap

[Chard]

Would you/ Do you - even use 1/4 & 1/4 for DTL/ Ball trap?

 

I don't shoot DTL or Ball Trap to be honest

[Benellimelody]

I don't shoot DTL or Ball Trap to be honest

 

 

Or, right. No bother, was just wondering

[Moors Man]

The original question was for Sporting, not Trap

 

The big question is do you think you have missed and targets because your chokes were wrong. 1/2 and quarter should break just about anything, however I like 3/8 in each swapping only for driven or close incomers. However, this is all about confidence, if you are happy and breaking clays then stick with what you have but if not have a play arround in practice until you are happy.

[Chard]

Or, right. No bother, was just wondering

 

I have had a couple of quick goes at both, but didn't do great really, hit quite a few, but missed my share too.

 

I believe they recommend tight chokes for those disciplines, so that's probably why I didn't do so good

[paulos]

Would you/ Do you - even use 1/4 & 1/4 for DTL/ Ball trap?

I've shot 25/25 SB DTL using quarter. I've also done 25/25 ABT using 1/4 and 3/4. Bit chippy but they will break them For serious DTL or ABT I would use 1/2 and 3/4 minimum

 

For sporting, I have 1/4 and 3/8 in and rarely change. I do put skeet chokes in for skeet though - as I'd rather have 100 chips than 99 balls of smoke

[timps]

I used to shoot everything ½ ½ now I tend shoot ¼ ¼ ( I shot the charity shoot at Hodnet ¼ ¼) .

 

I have not shot any course that I considered I needed more than ½ choke. I used to change on far out clays back to ½ now I don’t even bother. The one thing I will say though is from my experience my Browning ½ was definitely a tighter pattern than my Beretta ½ so when people give advice on chokes you have to bear this in mind about the different manufacturers.

 

I do like ½ chokes but with the targets been thrown at most of the registered shoots I attend I think ¼ is the better bet. I also like both the same in each barrel.

With constant choke changing there is nothing worse than going into a stand thinking I should have put this choke in or left that one in. If you take away the variables and know that ¼ or ½ will hit what you see then your mind is more focused on just shooting.

 

I went to the pattern plate once ... never again :hmm: I lost all confidence in my gun the thing threw **** patterns but hit clays. But to be fair it does help some people just not me haha

Edited June 10, 2010 by timps

[Marcus]

Thanks for all the contributions.

 

I'll stay as I am then with 1/4 and 1/2. Since I started I have kept the same chokes as that was the advice I was given then, I just need to keep practicing to improve my consistancy.

 

I have managed to get out twice this week, and i am hoping to get out at least once a week for the next few months as I find once a month is too big a gap to reap any real improvements / consistency.

[throdgrain]

I've shot DTL with the skeet gun I mentioned earlier, again, don't seem to make much difference ...

[bakerboy]

Ive been shooting clays a while now (Sporting) When I started out the advice I was given by a few on here and elsewhere, was to stick 1/4 and a 1/2 in and forget about the chokes. Thats exactly what I have done up to date.

 

I have had some lessons now, and about a year of experience and my shooting has definately improved.

 

My questions are

 

1. Would putting more restrictive chokes in now at this point in my journey improve my shooting?

2. Is there ever a 'right time' to change the chokes in this manner - if so when?

3. Should I stick with 1/4 and a 1/2 and continue as I have been?

 

Thanks

I use 1/2 and 3/4 and have good results, but it all depends on the clays being offered, the best time to change your chokes is just before they get rusted in

[onlyme]

ive been shooting clays for a while now , the simple truth is chokes depend on the targets your shooting, 90% of sporting targets can be taken with 1/4 and half easily, but this weekend just gone at the local ground i go to, decided to have a shifty trap change around and present a few birds that present themselves for the best shot at 65 yards ! so my light full choke went in and did the job pefectly where the clay was slipping through the pattern before and it did improve my scores, like wise i have been where all targets have been presented within 40 yards and have switched to cyl and skeet with 28gram of 9's and blasted a very decent score easily ... chokes can baffle most people , but they do a job and if you apply there usuage correctly they can work for or against you conversley... experiance will tell you what to do, but if your willing to practice on the skeet with xf and full for a few rounds to find the birds exactly and take no notice of the score, i will guarante your next round with skeet chokes in will be higher than what you normally shoot ... worked a treat for me to get exact sight pictures when things are a bit fuzzy on where exactly you should be aiming .... but if your the sort of person that cant take a back seat for a few learning rounds and has to be on it , your better grinding it out with what you have in..

for dtl and abt i find 1/4 choke with 9's on the first barrel is great and then 7/8's choke with of 7.5's on the second is good also ... just my take on it , everyone shoots there clays at different times and distances , if unsure stick with what you have and learn to shoot around it .... its supposed to be fun at the end of the day ..

Edited July 27, 2010 by onlyme

[Ian E]

I still class myself as being pretty new and just getting to the stage were I can hold my head up at most grounds with very average scores

 

I shoot 1/4 and 1/2, but Iam seriously thinking of getting another 1/4 choke, and shooting 1/4 and 1/4

 

I often change to skeet and 9's for the close in stuff, I think you should give yourself every advantage you can.

 

But as many people have said don't get to hung up on your chokes 1/4 & 1/2 will do 90% of clays you see on most ESP grounds.

Edited July 27, 2010 by Ian E

[Son Of Potter]

I have a Trap gun that was Full and extra full (fixed choke) I took it to local gunsmiths and got it opened to 3/8 and 5/8's best decision I ever made!!

[VicW]

I use a semi-auto so only have one choke to consider.I only shoot sporting and it's variations and I now use a 3/8 Briley extended choke for everything. I think 3/8 is a good psychological choice if you are torn between using 1/4 and 1/2. If you've got an o/u then use 3/8's in both.

 

Vic.

[Catamong]

Yes, my Gamba is multi-choked but I now shoot 1/4 & 3/8 for everything, (Sporting that is), I generally also use 8's for evrything except perhaps extremely long birds where I will use a Hull Sovereign FITASC 6.5, there ain't much they won't break.

 

For all round Sporting clays, 1/4 & 1/4 is fine, there's a lot of smoke and mirrors about chokes, it's a bit of a macho thing to brag to your mates that you shoot full & full at everything, but unless you're in the same league as Diggy / Faulds / Husthwaite, it matters not one jot.

 

Cat.

Edited July 27, 2010 by Catamong

[HDAV]

I have managed to get out twice this week, and i am hoping to get out at least once a week for the next few months as I find once a month is too big a gap to reap any real improvements / consistency.

I agree, I am going for a lesson i promised myself months ago on Thursday and will hopefully get some guidance on chokes, I understand the theory but cant understand why i miss when i do, having clipped a number of clays last time out compared to dusting them the time before i am confused and hoping the lesson will sort it out. Also hoping i do better than the missus!

[weejohn]

I have recently changed from cylinder and 1/4 to 1/4 and 1/2, my scores havnt changed but it is

nice to see them go up in a puff of smoke.

[magman]

1/4 1/4 for me unless using fibre wads