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Extended Chokes


Pizzim

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I bought a Stoger Condor a year or so ago for a great price as a entry gun for clays and trap to see if it was going to be something i liked. I just recently picked up an 11-87 as i decided it was, Now i find myself looking for chokes for the 11-87 but im not sure which direction to go. I dont shoot clays that often, or trap for that matter. I have a good time but i want to be able to be competitive. Part of me says just stay with the mod choke thats in the gun and the other part says pick up a IC and IM or a skeet and IC.

Thats where the real question comes in .... buy flush tubes or spend twice the coin on extended tubes. I understand the whole ease of changing them without a tool but lets be honest its not like it hard to keep the tool in your pocket and I can see it being easier to unscrew a extended choke without a tool then to unscrew a flush choke with a tool.

Figured i would ask the minds of greater shooters than me before i go waste money

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Extended tubes are easier to change and keep tightened as you mentioned. Also, most extended tubes will have the constriction marked on the outside so you can tell at a glance which tube you have in the gun.

In theory the extended tubes should be able to pattern better because the constriction can be spread over a longer distance resulting is less shot deformation. Whether or not there is a measurable improvement in the patterning is going to depend upon many factors; the actual choke, load, bore condition, etc.

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I would 2nd that the advantages are primarily ease of changing tubes and being able to know for sure which one is in the gun at any given time. Being able to keep them tight is great too. The patterning changes are great in theory, but just a hoped for extra at my skill level.

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I bought a Stoger Condor a year or so ago for a great price as a entry gun for clays and trap to see if it was going to be something i liked. I just recently picked up an 11-87 as i decided it was, Now i find myself looking for chokes for the 11-87 but im not sure which direction to go. I dont shoot clays that often, or trap for that matter. I have a good time but i want to be able to be competitive. Part of me says just stay with the mod choke thats in the gun and the other part says pick up a IC and IM or a skeet and IC.

Thats where the real question comes in .... buy flush tubes or spend twice the coin on extended tubes. I understand the whole ease of changing them without a tool but lets be honest its not like it hard to keep the tool in your pocket and I can see it being easier to unscrew a extended choke without a tool then to unscrew a flush choke with a tool.

Figured i would ask the minds of greater shooters than me before i go waste money

extended chokes serve no purpose for 3 gun. do i use them , ??? only when i need 1 to match the tube length as near as possible

they were developed by sporting clays folks to strip the wad away quicker and improve the patterns at long ranges. 40-65 yard crosser's.

for the loose way we use shells and chokes for 3 gun i dont need them or have found them any value. but i do carry them so do what u want. u need to pattern Ur shotgun with both. not as important as in clays but still useful.

and yes: i have been shooting 3 gun for years at Benning and Ft Bragg at a lot of outlaw run and guns

Carolina Tactical (haul it all) type and was also a A.A. s/clays competitor before an injury forced me to quit. and yes i will be at rock castle with a bag of choke tubes. (all 3 of them) i.c.-mod-i.m. and 2 types of shells. done me well for 15 or so years of 3 gun.

ask if u need more.

jjw

p.s. are u going to tell me guys with 10k on gear cant remember the choke in the gun.???????? L.O.L.

Edited by jjw
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IMO extended chokes are the way to go. They are easier to identify and to use. You'd be surprised how often people forget what choke they have in. Either way, if you shoot trap, you should be using a full choke.

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p.s. are u going to tell me guys with 10k on gear cant remember the choke in the gun.???????? L.O.L.

yes

Ditto.

The name of the game in sporting clays is the look at the targets and determine what they are. The last thing you want to do is try to remember what choke is in the gun. You will see people every day, at every tournament, at every station double check what chokes are in the gun.

Me? I have two chokes that are .018 (between LM and M). They're both in my gun just about 100% of the time. They are extended; they are made of Titanium. These are the chokes that came with the gun and it isn't worth it to me to buy something else.

However, I do prefer extended chokes as they are easier to handle and should you bash your muzzle against something, well, you maybe just ruined a choke worth $50-$100, not a barrel worth many thousands.

Either way, if you shoot trap, you should be using a full choke.

Sorry but that's very old fashioned thinking from the days of paper shells and fiber wads. Full is complete and total overkill for 16 yard targets. LM will smoke them hard with modern shells.

If you're shooting 25+ yard handicap, it's a different story but I doubt that's the case with the OP as he's talking about getting started with clays.

Edited by leftnose
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I have been shooting skeet and sporting clays for about 14 years. The biggest mistake new shooters make is thinking the choke is the most important factor in the shot. Many new shooters overestimate the distance, and then the necessary choke to make the shot. Unless you are shooting "Big Blast" targets (the top shoots where the targets are set to allow separation of the elite shooters), you would be well advised to put an Improved cylinder choke in, flush or extended doesn't matter, and then focus on the target and what it is doing. You will be way ahead if you take the money you save form not buying a multitude of chokes, and spend it on QUALITY lessons.

The equipment is fascinating, but until you have a good skill base, it's the shotgun equivalent of "mall ninja" gear.

As usual, this advice is worth exactly what you paid for it.

Enjoy the great sport of breaking clay.

Rick

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  • 2 weeks later...

p.s. are u going to tell me guys with 10k on gear cant remember the choke in the gun.???????? L.O.L.

yes

OMG - a thousand times yes.

As far as a 3 gun shotgun goes, I have 2 chokes ; IM & Full. IM for 99% and Full just in case I feel the need to tighten it up.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I used a couple in skeet as I had carrier chokes for the tube set and 12 ga chokes to shoot. Did that so the tubes could go in after shooting 12 ga they are nice for those especially trap shooters who rest. The barrel on shoe in case it slips off. Better a choke than barrel hit the concrete

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  • 3 weeks later...

Does anyone have any experience with the Briley Helix chokes. They look very interesting and I would be curious as to how they perform in 3 gun.

Nothing but a marketing ploy released by Briley so they could have something "newer, brighter, whiter!" to compete with Muller chokes.

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