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Fixed choke vs. choke tubes

striperbware
Do choke tubes really duplicate the same shot pattern as barrels with fixed chokes? I am skeptical. I just bought a new gun with choke tubes, and have not done a patterning test yet. Anyone with solid information is welcome to reply, whether it is to tell me that choke tubes produce the same pattern as a fixed choke, or not. Thanks in advance.
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Comments

7 comments

Date Votes
  • asphalt cowboy
    Yes they do, with one exception. That exception is older barrels made for use with fiber wads. Using plastic shot cups in those barrels tends to exaggerate the effect of the choke constriction.
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  • He Dog
    I have a Franchi from the late '70's, which had fixed chokes. First thing I did was send the barrels off to Briley and had the forcing cones lengthened and had it threaded for screw-in chokes. Patterns beautifully with every single choke. Does it pattern the same as the fixed chokes? Don't know and don't care, could not have been better, that is for sure.
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  • tsr1965
    Yes, and they are actually quite a bit better, as the constriction, can be more easily machined using better methods, like CNC...much easier to maintain concentricity, and tolerences that are tighter.

    Best
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  • geeguy
    Striper: Your thought that fixed chokes pattern the same is not a correct assumption. I have had numerous O/U guns(skt/skt & full/full)that don't pattern the same (not talking about point of impact, just pattern of shot). Screw in chokes from different companies do not all pattern the same in the same gun either.

    The great thing about screw in chokes is that you have the option to make changes in an inexpensive method, and the choices are much wider. There is no question in my mind that the screw in chokes benefit the shooter.

    One can make the argument that a specific gun Modified fixed choke did not match another gun's modified choke that was a screw in, but then fixed chokes on different guns (and many times the same gun) do not match exactly either. Hopefully Bobski will be along and give us a better explantion.
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  • beantownshootah
    quote:Originally posted by striperbware
    Do choke tubes really duplicate the same shot pattern as barrels with fixed chokes? I am skeptical. I just bought a new gun with choke tubes, and have not done a patterning test yet. Anyone with solid information is welcome to reply, whether it is to tell me that choke tubes produce the same pattern as a fixed choke, or not. Thanks in advance.


    They *can* exactly duplicate the pattern of specific fixed chokes, depending on which choke tube and which fixed choke you are trying to replicate, though its pretty hard to do the experiment to prove it, if you think about it.

    But the question really isn't "do they exactly duplicate the pattern of a fixed choke". If you love a pattern from a particular fixed-choke shotgun, why would you then go and install choke tubes?

    I think the question here is "what quality pattern do choke tubes put out"? In other words, can you get the tubes to do what you need them to do and/or as good a job as fixed chokes?

    The answer is that choke tubes do an excellent job of patterning, at least as good a job as traditional fixed chokes, in some cases better, and offer a potentially real benefit of interchangability at relatively low cost.

    If you're worried about adjustable chokes, don't be. They wouldn't be as popular as they are if they didn't do what they are supposed to do.

    Only downside to choke tubes is slightly increased maintenance since you're supposed to clean them every once in a while. If you totally neglect them, they can clog up with plastic wad gunk or if you REALLY neglect them and the rest of the gun too, rust into place.
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  • striperbware
    Thanks everyone for your replies. I feel a lot better about the technology after reading these replies. Since seeing is believing, I will eventually do a patterning test with a few shells, and convince myself that the choke tubes actually perform the way they are supposed to. I love the concept of choke tubes, it's like having 3 shotguns in 1.
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  • TWalker
    I have a lot of shotguns with fixed chokes and many that use choke tubes. My experience is that those with choke tubes pattern just as well or maybe even better than fixed chokes. However, I do feel that choke tubes affect the way a gun handles. This is possibly because they have a slightly heavier barrel near the muzzle. I own two Remington 1100's, each identical except one has a fixed modified choke and the other, which was made later, uses choke tubes. I can't tell the patterns apart, except that the fixed choke gun shoots slightly higher. What I have noticed is that the fixed choked gun handles and shoots much better for me. I can easily feel the difference. When Remington changed to choke tubes on the 1100 I believe they hurt its performance even though they increased sales. Same for the 1187. It's a great shotgun, but it will never handle like a 1100 with a fixed choke.
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