225 Fireman Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 What is the best overall choke tube for 3 gun IC IM etc. I've got a M2 21" barrel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMC Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 (edited) Light Mod, right Kurt? Edited February 27, 2012 by TMC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtielke Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 I have the same length barrel and gun. Run a Briley IC 95% of the time and Mod when there are some really tough to knock down targets although more frequently I've just been throwing in some heavier loads when the situation calls for it instead of changing the choke for the entire stage. They also make a light modified choke that's between IC and Mod some people really like. If you were only going to run one choke I'd probably go with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gng4life Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 Yep, LM here also... I'm looking at one of the diffuser chokes and want to try them out but so far, my Briley LM has been in my M2 every match... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Bond Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 Yep, LM here also... I'm looking at one of the diffuser chokes and want to try them out but so far, my Briley LM has been in my M2 every match... The best defuser I have ever run is the one that Angle Port makes. Instead of spinning the shot, it has a indentation in the tube and at least for sporting clays is deadly. Every other defuser I have seen just spins the wad. Defusers work great for sporting clays if you have a quick close shot but for stationary targets, I am not sure you can count on them. You can really only be effective with them on clay birds and if you try to take down three at a time for stationary ones, that will work like a charm at 10 yards but if you miss one at 30 yards aiming dead at it, you have gained nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orphanedcowboy Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 Manventure Outpost has Trulock extended black choke tubes on sale for $28 + shipping Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerritm Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 I shoot IC most of the time and like Jason just change to heavier #6 full power loads. I have a Briley diffusion choke and it works great for poppers, clays, and most steel. Problem is that you can't shoot slugs with it. Most of the matches we shoot have slug targets on them now. The grooves that spin the shot will affect the rifling on the slugs. I tested it out and the slugs were all over the place. gerritm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EkuJustice Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 Usually use IC here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJW Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 I have Briley extended chokes for my Benelli M2 Tactical, and I pretty much run Light Mod and Light Full for everything. I might use Cylinder on a stage with all frangibles (i.e., no steel). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SMSI Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 Light Mod, most of the time. Diffuser works great on clays. Not great on steel unless very close and not too heavy. paint your steel and then shoot it with various chokes, loads and distances. see if it dusts the paint off or just peppers it. This is of course a form of "patterning," but you dont need a big piece of paper with pictures of ducks or turkeys on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benny hill Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Instead of defuser, try spreaders so you can also use any other shot in the stage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Bond Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Instead of defuser, try spreaders so you can also use any other shot in the stage. This is especially sage advice for a reason not yet mentioned. While it is great to be able to swap chokes for any stage, when you remove one and put it back you will affect your point of impact as to your slugs. It might not be a lot at 50 yards but that is going to double at 100 and double again at 150. If on the other hand you choose your choke and stay with it and just insert speader shot shells when you need a broader pattern, you do not have to worry about how close to "on" your going to be with the slug. And before anyone runs to the store and buys any defuser based on the earlier post saying they will take care of steel poppers and plates, I really have to wonder if that works anywhere other than a club match. A heavy Texas star or poppers or steel plates what we often see at more than 30 yards at major matches are not going to respond to a defuser with match legal ammo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerritm Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Instead of defuser, try spreaders so you can also use any other shot in the stage. This is especially sage advice for a reason not yet mentioned. While it is great to be able to swap chokes for any stage, when you remove one and put it back you will affect your point of impact as to your slugs. It might not be a lot at 50 yards but that is going to double at 100 and double again at 150. If on the other hand you choose your choke and stay with it and just insert speader shot shells when you need a broader pattern, you do not have to worry about how close to "on" your going to be with the slug. And before anyone runs to the store and buys any defuser based on the earlier post saying they will take care of steel poppers and plates, I really have to wonder if that works anywhere other than a club match. A heavy Texas star or poppers or steel plates what we often see at more than 30 yards at major matches are not going to respond to a defuser with match legal ammo. You are right about using the diffuser only for closer targets. We don't shoot the star or plates much past 15-20 yards. Anything at 30 plus yards I use heavier shot with my IC choke or Mod choke. I do shoot a 26" barrel so my pattern stay tighter a little longer. gerritm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Braxton1 Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 What is the best overall choke tube for 3 gun IC IM etc. I've got a M2 21" barrel I have only needed a true Modified once (Area VI Multi-Gun on a long Popper), but I don't have much big 3G experience. I would definitely go with a collection and don't hesitate to change if you need to. That's why I use Carlson's Sporting Clays chokes. They're extended, so I can change very quickly and without a wrench between stages. My default tube is a Skeet choke with a 0.010 constriction. I have only changed to a CYL once for one stage that was all stationary clays at closer-than-10 yards. I'll run an IC on a close Texas Star and a Light Mod on a distant one. Evil course designers will put a long Popper or Star on a stage with up-close clays. That makes you actually have to aim at the clays because your pattern at 5 yards is so tight... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse Tischauser Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 Yep, LM here also... I'm looking at one of the diffuser chokes and want to try them out but so far, my Briley LM has been in my M2 every match... The best defuser I have ever run is the one that Angle Port makes. Instead of spinning the shot, it has a indentation in the tube and at least for sporting clays is deadly. Every other defuser I have seen just spins the wad. Defusers work great for sporting clays if you have a quick close shot but for stationary targets, I am not sure you can count on them. You can really only be effective with them on clay birds and if you try to take down three at a time for stationary ones, that will work like a charm at 10 yards but if you miss one at 30 yards aiming dead at it, you have gained nothing. I run a Briley extended LM a lot of the time. I run a Brilie extended diffusion a lot of the other time. If the steel targets are past ~15 yards I go LM. Anything closer it Diffusion all the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse Tischauser Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 Instead of defuser, try spreaders so you can also use any other shot in the stage. You can save the most money and be the most prepared by having both option available. Spreader shells aint cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdknotts1 Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 So carrying a bag full of chokes is not needed? I have every choke from cyl-IM in my bag. Is that too much to think about when working out a stage? Or is it better to just have 2 and stick with them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiefire Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 I've also been guilty of carrying multiple choke - thanks all for the good info. Less mess to transport and lose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse Tischauser Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 (edited) So carrying a bag full of chokes is not needed? I have every choke from cyl-IM in my bag. Is that too much to think about when working out a stage? Or is it better to just have 2 and stick with them? Kurt Miller has won many a matches with a LM. He was the one that told me about the spreaders and flight control buck and just about everything else I post here. U don't need a bunch of chokes but sometimes a wide open or slightly tighter choke is helpful. Carrying two chokes us easier than 4-5 extra types shells. The morale of the story is go pattern your gun with the chokes you think you want to use and the ammo you might use and see for yourself what works and what doesn't. It's also really helpful to go shoot actual targets with those ammo/choke combos to determine which combo works best or fastest for all the target types we encounter. Edited March 24, 2012 by Jesse Tischauser Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellioncobra Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 Very informative thread thanks for all the guidance, makes my learning curve not so steep. Nate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpom Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 Very timely thread. Just getting into 3G and was pattering my sg at 15 yards; with modified choke pattern was about a foot in diameter, and with full choke, it was 6" across. A fellow shooter told me to stay with the full as a 6" spread at 15 yards is plenty wide. Is this good advice or should I go with the 12" spread, or something in between for general 3G use. Ammo was Federal target 7.5, 1 oz, 12 guage. Thanks in advance, Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Braxton1 Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 (edited) Very timely thread. Just getting into 3G and was pattering my sg at 15 yards; with modified choke pattern was about a foot in diameter, and with full choke, it was 6" across. A fellow shooter told me to stay with the full as a 6" spread at 15 yards is plenty wide. Is this good advice or should I go with the 12" spread, or something in between for general 3G use. Ammo was Federal target 7.5, 1 oz, 12 guage. Thanks in advance, Mark I would only run a Full choke on a heavy-set Popper at a good distance. A Modified choke is too tight for most 3-Gun shotgun work. Think about it for a moment. If I put a Popper at 15-20 yards (even heavily-set, so it takes some "ooomph" to knock it down), your Modified pattern would still result in close to 100% pellet hits if you're aiming relatively carefully. If you don't aim so well and you're off just a bit, you'd probably still get 50% or more on-target. Now, a heavy-set popper at 15-20 yards is a worst-case scenario for most 3G matches. Now let's transition over to a more-likely "better case" scenario: a bunch of clay skeet targets on stands that are 7 yards away. Mathematically, your shotgun should be shooting patterns that are approximately 3 inches at that distance. You can easily miss one (or several) unless you really slow down and AIM those shots. Someone shooting a Skeet choke or an Improved Cylinder is gonna smoke those targets way faster than you can "snipe" them and still have enough power to knock down normally-set Poppers or Plates at reasonable distances. Edited March 25, 2012 by Braxton1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpom Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 Thanks, lt braxton. It all makes sense, especially targets up close. Shotgun got threaded for choke tubes a couple of weeks ago, after i could not rotate a spinner 360 deg with multiple solid hits using #6 game load at around 10 yards. That was with fixed cylinder barrel. Will try the mod tube at next match, and will bring other chokes as well (skeet and full). Another question: would polishing inside of choke tube lead to slightly more open pattern as is my intuitive assumption or tighter, as smoother constriction might reduce bouncing of errant pellets? Don't want to mess up parts by " lets do it and find out" as there is no putting back any metal i remove. Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lead-Head Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 (edited) When I go to a big match, with a large variety of target sizes and distances, I take an IC, M, and Full. At local matches I may just take the IC. Edited March 25, 2012 by Lead-Head Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blaster Posted March 31, 2012 Share Posted March 31, 2012 Brownells has Carlson and Briley extended choke tubes with Carlsons 40% less in cost.Any difference between Them? Thanks Blaster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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