Chokes for Spreader shells

[ChandlerSniper158]

You guys that are running the spreader shotshells in your guns, what chokes have you found work best. I picked up a case to try out and am curious as to what everyone else is using. I have an Improved Cylinder and a Modified Improved choke for my gun, and will try both of them out to see what I get. Any other options available?

Thanks,

CS#158

[Bronco]

Your right on track, Improved will give very good results. I use a modified in a SX2 as it does a good all around job on any target with the right shell.

[double down]

I've spent quite a bit of time on the pattern board going over these loads and chokes for sporting clays targets. The gun used was a Benelli M1 with a 21" barrel using extended chokes.

With my gun the diffusion and skeet chokes were needed to see a difference on paper with spreaders. No difference on paper could be established with light mod or mod chokes. Actually shooting clay targets I could never establish the difference, both spreader and standard loads broke the targets.

I've been shooting with a ported and extended light mod choke and it seems to break the targets better than a non-ported choke. The theory behind this is the ported choke slows the wad down enough that the shot string separates faster which shortens the shot string. You end up with more pellets contacting the target at once putting more energy into the target. Targets that previously cracked apart are now vaporizing into black smoke.

For you guys shooting metal targets I would think the short shot string would benefit because you'll put more energy into the target. Poor hits would have a better chance to knock the target down. If nothing else it will help extend the effective range of the shotgun.

[benny hill]

skeet ck. will work wonders out to 20/25 yds.

[bigbrowndog]

you guys should listen to benny!!!!! he was getting 36" spread at 10 yds, in mississippi, 48" at 15 yds. of course this was after the home brew.

all kidding, aside, i talked kurt miller into letting me have 7 of the kent brand, and seven fiocchi, they both gave close to 30" at 20yds, with the pattern well saturated with pellets. trapr

[bigbrowndog]

sorry, my bad.....that was with cyl. choke, from an 18.5" barrel

trapr

[double down]

you guys should listen to benny!!!!! he was getting 36" spread at 10 yds, in mississippi, 48" at 15 yds. of course this was after the home brew.

all kidding, aside, i talked kurt miller into letting me have 7 of the kent brand, and seven fiocchi, they both gave close to 30" at 20yds, with the pattern well saturated with pellets. trapr

Since I have no concept of the targets shot in 3-gun matches please clue me in as to why you want or need such a spread pattern at close range.

[bpowe]

Our targets are usually steel plates and poppers which take improved to mod chokes to consentrate enough pellets to knock them down. BUT sometimes on the same stage (course) are static or thrown clay pidgeons and we would like some shot dispersion out of our steel chokes.

bp

[Tombstone Tactical]

For close birds you can't beat spreaders shoot through a rifled choke, peels the wad off in a heart beat, great out to 15-18yrds. TT

[ChandlerSniper158]

Thanks for the input guys. I`ll order up a skeet one as well and take em all out to test.

Thanks again,

CS#158

[uscbigdawg]

CS - Order a Diffusion choke from Briley. Opens the pattern up more than skeet.

Double Down - At close range, the larger the pattern, the larger the margin for error. With spreader loads having 8's or 9's for shot, the density is there and as Furbee will emphasize at SMM3G, "You only need one BB to score". While it sounds a little extreme, at this year's SMM3G there were a lot of misses on clay birds at 10 feet 'cause folks were running standard target loads and an IC choke. The folks with spreaders in a skeet/cylinder/diffusion chokes were rockin' a lot of the shotgun stages.

Rich

[ChandlerSniper158]

usc,

They don`t show one for a Benelli in the Brownells catalog. They have the Benelli/Beretta together, but I`m not sure if they are one in the same.

Thanks,

CS#158

[uscbigdawg]

CS - Here's a link:

Briley Spectrum Diffusion Choke for a Benelli

However, I'd call Briley to confirm.

Rich

[bigbrowndog]

chandlersniper, they are the same ......buy away. i believe the benefit of the spreaders is that you can use a tighter choke for more reliable popper and plate knockin' over, but still get a wide pattern for clays.

kurtm, has a lt. mod. choke for everything, and it allows cyl choke like patterns with spreaders. hope this clears up the use of spreaders for you. trapr