No Choke?

[BillD]

Amazing how worried some are about what someone else is doing with their gun.

[leftnose]

I don't shoot without a choke for three reasons:

1.) Barrel wall thickness is quite thin without the choke installed. Sure, you all may have shot thousands of rounds without issue but it only takes one round for something to go bad and split the barrel where it's thin.

2.) Sort of 1b, actually. I worry about smacking the muzzle against something and denting it because it is thinner. Especially when you're climbing in and out of shooting cages, it isn't that hard to smack the muzzle on something,

3.) You're going to get gunk in the threads and against the edge of the counter bore for the choke tube. Either powder residue or plastic reside from the wad. Both of these add up over time and you may think you've got your choke tube all the way back in but it's not and zing, out it flies. I've seen a choke go flying out of a barrel. The choke was forever lost, launched way down range and the threads in the barrel were ruined.

Y'all can take any chance with your own gun that you want. Me? I'll always shoot with a choke tube installed. Of course, my newest clays gun is fixed choke so this has become a non-issue for me.

[mildot1]

Go Ahead and do it, thousands have before. I however know I have the worst luck in the world and since it only takes one time to screw the threads up I choose not to.

Best of Luck!

Mildot

[Jaxshooter]

Contrary to most peoples thinking shooting a shotgun with no choke will not damage the threads unless you are shooting something other than lead shot. I have shot my $30M Kolar Sporting gun without chokes so many times I can't remember. The only thing you have to do is clean the plastic out of the threads if you shoot numerous shots.

[canuk]

^{agreed, not a big deal, just make sure threads aren't too clogged with plastic.}

^{Whether or not you gain much over a cylinder or skeet choke? Dont' know, but it cant be a lot.}

[Aircooled6racer]

Hello: I am kinda new to the shotgun games but have played around with lots of different chokes. I can tell you that loads that you use and choke diameters makes a difference. I tried no choke to see how it patterned and it was not as good as using a cylinder on my Beretta optima barrel. The Euro skeet which is actually a spreader choke works even better with 1oz loads using number 8 shot, Claybuster (pink wads) and Hodgdon Clays. I have also noticed here in the high desert with little humidity that I don't get the same pattern size as some do at low humid climates. I did have to clean out the plastic on the threads in the barrel but did not see any lead in there. Thanks, Eric

[Dukecola]

I was duck hunting in the Aleutions, made my way to my spot, set out my decoys and me and my lab sat waiting for legal hunting time. Where I lived, the Bald Eagles would often swoop down and take a decoy only to drop it out of retrievable range after they figured out their new catch was just a piece of foam. It was customary to fire a warning shot to scare them away. So as usual, I aimed well left and fired. The Eagle drops like a rock. I'm thinking WTF, no way. Turns out my full choke had unscrewed and fallen out and I was on pure open cylinder. Way different pattern than a full choke.

[JRicks]

The point is why do it? The benefit just is not there. How much has George Digweed won shooting full/full? Look at station 8 in skeet. It dosen't get a whole lot closer than that shot. How many good shooters are shooting threads on that one? none. Spray and pray is not the recipe for success. What it will do is leave plastic all in the threads. Ever seen ported choke tubes. An yes I have seen barrel threads messed up by shooting the threads. It was a briley 20 ga tube. It had to be send back to briley to allow a choke tube to go back in it

Skeet is a completely different animal. You know exactly where station 8 is going, and chances are, you've shot it a time or two before. While I don't do it, I've seen people shoot with no choke (braless is the term they used, I believe). For the occasional target, I don't see why not.