xRugby8 Posted May 8, 2003 Share Posted May 8, 2003 My experience has been with handguns. I'm new to the sport of skeet, trap and sporting clays. I've recently picked up a Beretta 682 Gold 12Ga O/U shotgun. My question is on what choke tube to use in skeet, trap, sporting clays and other? And do you use the same choke tubes in both barrels? What are the typical uses for the different choke tubes: Full Improved Modified Modified Improved Cylinder Cylinder Skeet Thanks John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn jones Posted May 8, 2003 Share Posted May 8, 2003 i'm no expert, but, skeet use: skeet, cylinder and maybe improved cylinder trap use: full sporting clays use a varity of chokes, depending on the course. that's my basic knowledge. lynn jones Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tightloop Posted May 8, 2003 Share Posted May 8, 2003 Lynn is basically correct. Open chokes for skeet, mod, imp mod for trap and change the choke for what the shot calls for at clays. It is easier than it looks. If you want to keep it simple, screw in I/C and Mod and leave it, should handle 90 % of what you see. You will be over choked for skeet, but close for trap and clays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irishlad Posted May 8, 2003 Share Posted May 8, 2003 Choke selection is a "religious" experience for some people, but I'll give you some thoughts anyway to make it easy. Skeet: two skeet chokes. If you don't have two, cylinder in the lower bbl. 16 yard trap: Modified works fine, Improved modified to hedge you bets. Full is used often, but is tighter than necessary if you are hitting the birds from 35-40 yards out. If you can't decide and everyone is telling you to use a different choke - go improved modified!! Sporting: is all over the board. Best bet is to change chokes as little as possible and if in doubt, over choke. I would say if the birds are within 30 yards, use improved cylinder- both bbls. This is a subject of debate due to patterns, shells, heavy-light loads, etc. but I might then use modified from 30-40 yards. Improved modified out to 40-50 yards and full from 50 +. I can't gauge targets within 5-8 yards of their true distance, often anyway, so when in doubt over choke which will insure a hit if you do your part. I am inclined to put in mod for everything under 40 and then im or full for the rest. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike45 Posted May 9, 2003 Share Posted May 9, 2003 I have been looking into chokes for the last week as well and have been told that skeet chokes are 1/4 chokes, which is the same as imp cylinder - is this the case that they are actually the same, or did I really get confused ? cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricW Posted May 9, 2003 Share Posted May 9, 2003 Relocated this topic to the Clays forum - it's rightful home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricW Posted May 9, 2003 Share Posted May 9, 2003 I have been looking into chokes for the last week as well and have been told that skeet chokes are 1/4 chokes, which is the same as imp cylinder.... I don't think that's correct. Check out: Briley Choke Finder Seminole gun works has a better chart here with the constrictions listed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tightloop Posted May 10, 2003 Share Posted May 10, 2003 When you are going out to practice and not make it too serious, I just screw in I/C and Lt. Mod and leave the rest at home. Also all I take is 7 1/2's to make it really easy. can't saw that it has hurt my average either. I just don't have the courage to do that on race day. Got to take all 9 chokes and all 3 different types of ammo, plus an extra gun, extra shooting glasses, extra custom ear plugs... you get the drift. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xRugby8 Posted May 13, 2003 Author Share Posted May 13, 2003 Thanks for the input. I'll let you know how I do this weekend with this advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tightloop Posted May 13, 2003 Share Posted May 13, 2003 xR8 I went Sunday to shoot with some friends and only shot 7 1/2's with I/C and Lt. Mod. Only on two stations did I wish for more choke, and lack of adjustment only cost me 3 or 4 birds, maybe not that many. The big shot made up for lack of choke on most of the longish shots I had. Shot my average, so I can't complain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricW Posted May 13, 2003 Share Posted May 13, 2003 TL, Geez man, how far *are* those stinkin' targets? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tightloop Posted May 13, 2003 Share Posted May 13, 2003 Station 7, had a true pair, one right to left Xer at 44 yds and a high incomer, could have used a bit more choke on the Xer, and Station 10 was a rabbit quartering away starting at 33 yds with a in your face slow left to right Xer mini. The bunny was an almost edge on target, tough, needed big bullets and tight choke. The rest of them weren't anything special, and my standard chokes took care of them easily. Had an 84, could have been 89 if I had paid attention. Lost 5 easy birds. I don't know how many times I have turned to my buddy while we were driving home after a tournament and lamented, "If I had just broken the easy ones, I would have won my class." Same this time!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike45 Posted May 13, 2003 Share Posted May 13, 2003 I am reading this at the same time as BE himself...... its like meeting royality !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted May 13, 2003 Share Posted May 13, 2003 In addition to all the excellent advice thus far, one more factor to consider when shooting skeet or trap. Ask yourself, on this round, what's more important - to break the highest number of targets, or to learn to break targets. For example, if I'm shooting skeet for score, I'd use cylinder or .005" (skeet) at the most. If I want to learn the shots, I'd shoot a light-mod (.015) or mod (.020). With a tighter choke than necessary to break the target, you'll be able to see if you're consistently breaking certain targets maybe off the front or back edge, or high or low. You'll very seldom see this information with a cylinder choke in there. This same rational is why die-hard trap shooters tell beginners to shoot from the 16 yard line with an (overchoked) full choke. But if I was shooting for money (score) on the 16 yard line, I'd shoot improved cylinder (.010") or light-mod. Call me crazy, but if you shoot fairly quickly, you can break a lot of targets from the 16 yard line with IC. be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricW Posted May 13, 2003 Share Posted May 13, 2003 Call me crazy, but if you shoot fairly quickly, you can break a lot of targets from the 16 yard line with IC.be BE, If you're nuts, that makes two of us, so at least we can keep each other company. When I was sixteen or seventeen, I convinced a buddy to go trapshooting with me one night. All he had for a shotgun was a 20 ga. Mossberg with a polychoke on the end. After half a round of my buddy not hitting squat and getting bummed about it, I got him to trade guns with me. It was a good move because he started getting breaks. I knew with that his gun was probably just running totally out of pattern between the polychoke and the crappy shells we bought. So I just started blasting targets the instant they became visible out of the house, which of course pissed off all the range curmudgeons who informed me of how "wrong" my methods and equipment were. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tightloop Posted May 13, 2003 Share Posted May 13, 2003 Great advise Brian. When you start riding the target after acquiring it, usually it is lost not dead. Again, as you so aptly say, "it is seeing and trust". If you can see the bird quickly and trust your lead, there is no limit to how easy it can be. I had forgotten how deft you are with the scattergun till I looked at some of the Team Challenge tapes. You ROCK, Dude. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted May 20, 2003 Share Posted May 20, 2003 So I just started blasting targets the instant they became visible out of the house, which of course pissed off all the range curmudgeons who informed me of how "wrong" my methods and equipment were. As an IPSC/clays-shotgunner - that's your most important task - to irritate the curmudgeons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveHarris Posted September 1, 2003 Share Posted September 1, 2003 I learned to shoot trap at a club with lots of hard swirling wind and wild targets. You learn to shoot fast….. real fast If you can break'm right out of the house you'll never have to worry about wind Also, you should make a good doubles shooter. If you can spot shoot the straight away first (right out of the house) you'll have plenty of time to break the second bird quickly like 'just another' regular everyday 16 yd target. I shot that way to win a doubles event in a big Reno shoot in high wind and dust with only a 94. I guess you could say the competion was blown away. I learned to love the wind Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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