Choke question

[ozark]

A friend of mine has just bought a new 3.5" Benneli 12 gauge semi-automatic shotgun. What choke is reccommended for turkey hunting? Suggestions will be appreciated.

[minst7877]

Either a full or extra full but I would definatly shoot it on a pattern board to make the final decision.

[Blue-Dot-37.5]

Ozark:

Shotguns and chokes are just like rifles - no 2 guns will shoot the same pattern with the same choke.

Which choke depends on what pellet size he is planning on shooting too, buffered or non-buffered loads, plated or non-plated shot.

I've found that larger shot likes a slightly looser choke - I theorize that a tighter choke squeezes the pellets together, and being a larger shot size, they cannot "move around" as they flow thru the choke tube, causing them to bounce off of each other as they exit the choke tube, causing a larger pattern.

I did a whole LOT of patterning with a couple of my shotguns (literally over a 1,000 patterns shot and holes counted - over a years time invested) and MY shotguns showed that with a .740 bore size, they shot #6 high antimony shot the best (buffered loads going 1380 fps) with a .032" constriction. Switching to #7 shot (yes, #7, not 7 1/2) and using copper plated shot thru the same choke, payload weight (1 3/8 oz) and speed, that the plated shot threw the same pattern whether it was buffered or not. The #6 shot being non-plated, needed the buffer to keep a tight pattern. The pattern degraded both in pellet count and percentage with #5 and #4 shot.

I found that I needed a parallel section in the choke that was at least equal to the length of the pellet column in the shotshell to achieve good patterns. Hopefully your buddy can find some friends that will let him borrow a few chokes to do some pattern work. They are pretty expensive just to buy one then find out that it doesn't work as well as you thought!

For instance, I have a shotgun that I built on a Winchester Model 12 action. It has an overbored 10 ga barrel (.800" I.D.) that necks down to std 10 ga. diameter (.775") in the last 3" of teh barrel before the choke tube, with a 10 ga. PatternMaster choketube.

This gun is chambered to shoot 12 ga shells, NOT 10 ga shells.

This gun doesn't like a payload over 1 1/4 oz, but the overbore gives me an extra 100 to 150 fps vs. a std. 12 ga bore with the same powder charge. The pattern is very tight. I bought a PatternMaster choke for my 12 ga, thinking that it would shoot somewhat similar. Not so - no load that I tried came close to patterning as well as the load that I shot with the Briley extended .032" choke.

When your buddy shoots at the pattern board, he should shoot at the range that he is expecting to shoot the gun in the field. Just like rifle shooting, you wouldn't check group size @ 50 Yds and expect the same group size @ 100 or 200 Yds.

Also, if he's not a reloader, different brands and loads will pattern differently..............................................

Good luck with the search, let us know what he decides on, and what his results are!

Blue-Dot-37.5

[ozark]

This is an old thread but if age is bad then I am real bad. I am considering trying some Nitro shells for my 20 gage. They have recommended that I use a combo of 4,5 and 7 Hevi shot and a Rhino choke. Claiming that I would get from 150 to 170 pellets in a ten inch circle at 40 yards. I am leaning toward this but could be stopped by opinions here. Here are some things for those who are kind enough to respond to consider. I have been using 3" Win. Supreme in No. 4 shot. My shotgun is a 20 gage Mossberg with a Undertaker turkey choke and is scoped and patterened. I took a nice gobbler at a lasered 40 yards (thought it was 35 when I shot) that went down hard. But as you all know that could have been just one No. 4 in the brain. The Nitro shells are very expensive and I need to know if they are worth the extra money. If they are better, then I would take the expense. Also, are they just trying to sell me a choke tube? Thanks for any help. Ben

[hossdaniels]

I can't speak for sure about the 4,5,7, but IMO turkeys aren't that hard to kill, just hard to hit. I think a standard load of 1 1/4 to 1 3/8oz of #6 does the job quite nicely. They arent that tough, its just a small target so the more pellets you throw at him the better off you will be. I've found it(a little bit) cheaper to try different ammo to match your choke, instead of matching the choke to the ammo.

[ozark]

Makes sense to me hossdaniels. I was somewhat surprised to find that with my choke and gun No. 4s had a better pattern than either 5s or 6s and in a turkey head/neck life sized target the 4s had more pellets in the kill zone. I think I will forget about the triloads and stick with what I have. It has proved good on paper as well as on live birds.
Let me say this about Nitro. They missed a sale exceeding 100 bucks by not selling me the shells without the choke. I am a impulsive buyer. Give me a overnight to think about it and you will probably not sell to me. I am off on another looking to purchase venture now.

BTW, my friend I was trying to get this information for joined the Marine Corp and is now in San Diego doing boot camp. I would bet he isn't interested in chokes right now. But, I think his choice was a good one since in this area opportunities are as scarce as turkey teeth. Ben

[wilmsmeyer]

He's probably working on his choke holds and choking down MRE's. ;D

[ozark]

Another question please. I have ordered some Hevi shot to try this year on turkey. I ordered ten each of 4s, 5s, and 6s and plan to pattern each. But I have just discovered that my H.S. Strut Undertaker choke has .572 for lead shot only labeled on the choke. My shotgun is a 500 Mossberg 20 gage. Should I purchase a choke specifically designed for Hevi shot? Some place I read where .575 was reccommended. Please advise. Ben