bigbrowndog Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 (edited) It seems that I get asked this question a lot by new 3 gun shotgunners, and I was asked it recently so I figured maybe its worth sharing. Too many people ask "whats best" or "what do you use" or "what should I use",........everybody wants answers without effort, well sorry there really is no "BEST", you can do what other people tell you, or use what other people tell you but wouldn't it be BEST for you to KNOW!!! Especially to know what works BEST in your gun with your loads. Well here is how I go about finding out what works BEST in my guns............ I go and shoot different targets at different distances to ensure what each choke and load will do. Fullsize poppers set a bit heavy, heavy plates, and small plates. As well as steel with close set and overlapping no shoot targets, then I set out a full size sheet from a newspaper and shoot it at different distances to see if there are any big areas of no pellets hitting the paper. 10,15,20,25,30,35yds I then write down what distances stuff works at, as an example, LtMod: less than 1" spread per yard, poppers to 30yds, clays to 40yds. Cyl: greater than 1" spread per yard, poppers to 15yds clays to 20yds, etc. The spread is only the effective spread not counting the stragglers on the ends that won't knock over a steel plate, generally you need 4 or more pellets on a plate to take it over depending on pellets size and distance. So I disregard pattern that has less than 4 pellets per 4"x4" area. Now the reason you need to do this yourself is because every gun is different and chokes are different for every gun, my 1301 doesn't need anything tighter than IC, 98% of the time, but my M1 Benelli's do the same thing with LtMod, my M2 Benelli's are a bit more finicky, some do better with IC and others prefer LtMod, my SBE behaves just like my M1's. But guess what I had to find that out by shooting them all with all the loads I use. Yes, you can make general guesses and probably be OK, but if you really want to KNOW whats BEST. you need to go shoot!!!! Trapr Edited February 21, 2014 by bigbrowndog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurtm Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 I patterned my chokes after a round pipe which tappers towards the end the shot comes out of, does that sound like a good pattern??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurtm Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 (edited) Oooppsssy double barrel post in a semi auto world Edited February 21, 2014 by kurtm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T Bacus Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 It seems that I get asked this question a lot by new 3 gun shotgunners, and I was asked it recently so I figured maybe its worth sharing. Too many people ask "whats best" or "what do you use" or "what should I use",........everybody wants answers without effort, well sorry there really is no "BEST", you can do what other people tell you, or use what other people tell you but wouldn't it be BEST for you to KNOW!!! Especially to know what works BEST in your gun with your loads. Well here is how I go about finding out what works BEST in my guns............ I go and shoot different targets at different distances to ensure what each choke and load will do. Fullsize poppers set a bit heavy, heavy plates, and small plates. As well as steel with close set and overlapping no shoot targets, then I set out a full size sheet from a newspaper and shoot it at different distances to see if there are any big areas of no pellets hitting the paper. 10,15,20,25,30,35yds I then write down what distances stuff works at, as an example, LtMod: less than 1" spread per yard, poppers to 30yds, clays to 40yds. Cyl: greater than 1" spread per yard, poppers to 15yds clays to 20yds, etc. The spread is only the effective spread not counting the stragglers on the ends that won't knock over a steel plate, generally you need 4 or more pellets on a plate to take it over depending on pellets size and distance. So I disregard pattern that has less than 4 pellets per 4"x4" area. Or not do any of that, stick a LM in the gun, and call it good enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ziebart Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 I agree you could put a LM in and it would be good enough to knock down steel, but I could say the same for mod or full. Each gun and choke are going to be a little different. It is nice to know how your equipment performs. It breeds confidence. I wouldn't tell someone they don't need to verify their 50 yard zero at 200 on the rifle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bearcave Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 Everybody knows guns come sighted in out of the box and all ammo shots them same. Till match day shows otherwise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenDragon64 Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 If it hits better than my blunderbuss, I'm ok with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P.E. Kelley Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 (edited) Factor in all the different ammo and now you've got to test it yourself in your own gun and chokes. Trapr has offered up a excellent guide... for a little more info click here. http://www.multigunmedia.com/3gn-choke-and-loads.pdf Edited February 23, 2014 by P.E. Kelley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJW Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Or not do any of that, stick a LM in the gun, and call it good enough. Except that a Light Mod in my M2 shoots like IC in most other shotguns and, after my first stage at Benelli/Rockcastle last year when I had trouble knocking over those heavy little angle-iron steel plates in the woods, I ended up running Light Full for most of the match and doing really well with it. I eventually did exactly what Trapr suggests. Now I really know exactly what chokes I need to use for what ranges and targets. LM will get me out to 15yds all day long and light-set steel at 20, but for tough steel or past 20yds I am going to go Light Full. Cylinder/Skeet only gets used for all clay, in-your-face sorts of stages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbrowndog Posted February 24, 2014 Author Share Posted February 24, 2014 on the "good enuf" topic, Kurt and I have a very big friend who goes by the alias "minney mouse" because he thought good enuf was,.......................well, Good Enuf, til he went sub minor at a major match. Some people want to know and some people want to just wing it, the info is out there I can't make you do it, BTW, do you know the different inch measurements for all the LM chokes, for all the different manufacturers??????? Trapr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fireman489 Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 Thanks for the great advise & helpful tips ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quag Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 It seems that I get asked this question a lot by new 3 gun shotgunners, and I was asked it recently so I figured maybe its worth sharing. Too many people ask "whats best" or "what do you use" or "what should I use",........everybody wants answers without effort, well sorry there really is no "BEST", you can do what other people tell you, or use what other people tell you but wouldn't it be BEST for you to KNOW!!! Especially to know what works BEST in your gun with your loads. Yes, you can make general guesses and probably be OK, but if you really want to KNOW whats BEST. you need to go shoot!!!! Trapr Thanks Trapr for your advice I am willing to go out and test what is appropriate for me, but being new to 3 gun it was a bit confusing to decide what was a good universal choke to start with. I used to shoot skeet so I'm somewhat familar with chokes. I am getting a new 1301 Mod with a 24 inch barrel. After reading posts I have no idea what kind of choke its coming with. It appears the IC Optima HP is a good starting point for my 1301 and I can go from there. I also might want to have a back up skeet choke if the match is throwing up a lot of clays at 20yds or less. I do have some old chokes from my Ruger Red Label over/under. Curious what do you use for slugs I have never shot them. Also the nomenclature used by the vendors is confusing Brileys does not use the label IC (Beretta) which I assume is the same as LM (Brileys) nomenclature Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbrowndog Posted April 13, 2014 Author Share Posted April 13, 2014 I use the IC choke thast came with my 1301 for slugs, I really have no use for a choke more open than IC for 3 gun, tighter sure but not more open. if a shot is closer than 15yds I just "try" and concentrate more on the target and follow thru on the shot to ensure a good hit. Your 1301 should come with an Optima HP choke in IC, its a good all around starting point, I would probably not step up to a LM, given the performance of my IC choke in the gun. Just bypass LM and go straight to M, if I need more choke. Trapr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StealthyBlagga Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 A lot of the confusion for newbies comes from the opaque meaning of the different American choke names. The English choke system is much more transparent: true cylinder improved cylinder quarter half three quarter full Like driving on the left and drinking tea with milk, the English way is always better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurtm Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 I thought you English like your tea with salt water....not milk. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StealthyBlagga Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 I thought you English like your tea with salt water....not milk. . I never got the Boston Tea Party thing... I just assumed it was an early manifestation of Massachusetts Liberal nuttiness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurtm Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 Well played sir, well played! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quag Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 I thought you English like your tea with salt water....not milk. . I never got the Boston Tea Party thing... I just assumed it was an early manifestation of Massachusetts Liberal nuttiness. Actually I'm from Mass, those Tea Party dudes (the real ones) were very hard core, I expect they were a lot more like those ranchers out in Nevada fighting the BLM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurtm Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 No I'm pretty sure they weren't. They dressed up like Indians to throw the blame on them away from the stalwart massachusans, they didn't have any cowboy hats like the folk in Nevada, and most of all they didn't have any of those evil "assault cows" that are grazing amuck in the Western dessert. (all said younger in cheek) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quag Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 I got my 1301 last week and it will be awhile before I find a local 3 gun match to go to, so I tried in out my clubs skeet range with the IC factory (flush) choke. Mine has the 24 inch barrel. Despite my black gun I was warmly welcomed by the skeet guys. I have not shot skeet in about a year and used to shoot it with a Ruger O/U 28 inch barrel with cylinder or skeet chokes. I shot Remington 8 target loads. I actualy did better with the Beretta in this set up. Besides 3 gun I plan to go out and shoot with the skeet guys using my 1301. Just curious would a Optima HP cylinder extended version improve my skeet game. BTW the 1301 performed great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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