One choke for a noob shooter

[Lan856]

Hi , just out of curiosity -which choke would you advise for a new shooter for general purpose shooting ie mostly fowling and clay shooting a few times per year with a semi-auto shotgun?

 

[Mekaniks]

Skeet

 

[analog_peninsula]

It’s easier to hit things with a more open choke, so I’d argue it’s easiest to start with improved cylinder. That said, that’s why we buy shotguns with choke tubes.

 

[Safari Dave]

A Modified is the most versatile choke, if you have to use a fixed choke.





Any shot on a Skeet Range can be made with an Improved Cylinder.
Trap - Modified
Sporting Clays - it all depends on the range specific shot presentation.

 

[jruby]

I shoot trap twice a month - not really very good at it anymore. I have used 870's most of life. When I was younger use to average 23 out of 25 birds. Today my eye sight is giving me problems. I have used full chokes for everything from quail to geese and pheasant. If I could only have one choke it would be full. That is when you could hunt ducks with lead. Today shooting steel.shot makes a modified look good. I suspect you will find what works good for you. I think the shotguns fit is more important than the choke.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I shoot skeet with skeet choke. Trap with full (modified will do). Sporting clays either skeet or modified chokes depending on presentation.

For pheasants and waterfowl I shoot almost exclusively modified choke. You should not shoot steel at waterfowl with full choke. Could damage the gun. On the federal bird refuge where only nontoxic shot is allowed, I shoot pheasants with steel shot and skeet choke. Using steel with that choke will produce a pattern comparable to modified using lead shot.

Modified and skeet would be my choice. Full choke is useless for anything but trap and turkeys.

 

[MaxXSaker]

Hi , just out of curiosity -which choke would you advise for a new shooter for general purpose shooting ie mostly fowling and clay shooting a few times per year with a semi-auto shotgun?

For a versatile choke that works well for both waterfowl and clays, a Modified choke is a great starting point. It offers a balanced pattern that’s effective at medium ranges for clays and decent for fowling. If you want slightly more flexibility, consider an Improved Cylinder for closer ranges or a Light Modified for a bit more reach. Stick with one of these until you get a feel for your shooting needs, then expand your collection if needed.

 

[BeeMaa]

I shot an entire round of sporting clays with @HankBuck using a turkey (TKY) choke and broke a everything I expected to. Did I miss? Of course, but it wasn't because of the choke. It was a problem with ME, not the equipment.

Choke is much more important for hunting than any clays game. The purpose being that it will put more payload on target at the expected range. To that end it's important to practice with the choke you intend on using in the field. If you just plan on shooting clays, IC or MOD will have you covered and still gives you the ability to shoot rifled slugs if you so desire.

The more experienced you get, the more you will realize how little choke matters. It's your skill that kills the bird (or clay), your shotgun, load and choke are there for the assist.

Most often, I'm using a FULL choke because that's what I hunt with.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

Hi , just out of curiosity -which choke would you advise for a new shooter for general purpose shooting ie mostly fowling and clay shooting a few times per year with a semi-auto shotgun?

Shotguns these days mostly come with multi choke tubes (although I personally still prefer the old fashioned fixed choke). For me, full choke is what gets used the most. Most other sportsmen will be benefitted with a modified choke.

 

[R eight]

I reckon if you’re only shooting a few times a year. Choke won’t make much difference. If your chokes are colour coded pick one based on your favourite colour.
Failing that use skeet.

 

[Russ16]

I personally shoo tight chokes than most people it’s just my preference.

But if I was recommending one choke for general use I would say Light Modified.

 

[zephyr]

With modern shells most of us are over choked...
Other than trying to put a bunch of shot on the head of a turkey I think IC will serve you well shooting both lead and steel

 

[Altitude sickness]

BeeMaa, I took my Parker DH out shooting sporting clays. Its left barrel is full choke.
I hit more second birds with the full choke than first birds with right.

I also shoot clays for hunting practice. It was fun to see the clay hit with the full choke. It could almost fool someone into thinking I knew what I was doing.

Then the following weekend took my 20 SxS to a different sporting clays course and shot much better hitting true pairs. The 20 gauge is more open right and left barrels so made it much easier to cover the birds. Plus it swings lively

 

[skydiver386]

It depends on whether you are using steel, lead or another alloy like Bismuth, and the shot size.

A more open choke like Improved Cylinder would work for nearly everything, then switch to a tighter choke as the shooters skill level builds, or the hunting needs change.

 

[Choupique]

Modified or improved cylinder for me.

If I didn't need to use steel for anything, probably full. That's what all the old people used to prefer.

 

[trperk1]

Modified is the tried and trusted response. I personally like a light modified, that's right in between modified and improved cylinder

 

[Philip Glass]

Do they still make shotguns without interchangeable chokes?

 

[skydiver386]

Modified or improved cylinder for me.

If I didn't need to use steel for anything, probably full. That's what all the old people used to prefer.

Who you callin old?

I grew up with a Winchester single shot 12ga with a fixed full choke!

 

[Bullthrower338]

The best advice I have ever gotten on chokes and shotgunning is that the thing that causes you to miss your target isn’t the choke, it is the matter that rests in the 7” between your ears! If you are swinging the gun on the path of the clay and your lead is correct, the target breaks. That being said, how many of us grew up shooting fixed full choke guns and didn’t know the difference? Birds still died regularly which was the intention. I practice with improved mods and switch out to LM/Mod combo when shooting a registered shoot. Does it make me break more clays? No, but it eases that distance between my ears.

 

[NDWoods]

Best friend is an IC guy and I am firmly Light Modified. These work for clays, dove, and waterfowl. They pattern tighter with steel so we do not have to choke up when waterfowl hunting.

That is what we show up with in our shotgun and adjust if needed. These are our "most of the time" choices.

However, I do not know anyone these days who has just one choke. I know there are a lot of legacy fixed choke shotguns out there but they are now the exception. If your shotgun has screw in chokes, extra factory chokes will be about the cheapest part of shooting. I pay a little more for Briley extended.