Jug choke advice

[Gordon Jabben]

I bought a 14 gauge double-barrel shotgun at a gun show a while back with the intentions of having one barrel jug choked and leaving the other barrel cylinder. Always thought that would be a good all around combination. Anyway, I see where Coyote Joe doesn't do this anymore and Caywood doesn't do 14 gauges.
So with the great pictures and advice that Coyote Joe has posted, I jug choked it myself. I came up with about a modified choke in the left barrel and I'm really shooting a great even pattern.
The problem is that the center of the pattern is about a foot left of where I'm aiming at twenty yards. I didn't notice this before I choked it but really didn't shoot it much and probably wouldn't have noticed with the cylinder bore. I was wondering if anyone else has had this happen with a jug choke and if they were able to correct it or do you think the gun has always shot to the left? Also I tried to bring the pattern over with a file at the muzzle to no avail.

 

[roundball]

Assuming it's not an original since you've already made this modification to it...just to mention a worst case scenario to correct that POI if you run out of alternatives, the barrel(s) could be drilled & tapped for screw in chokes.
Or even cut back past the expansion chamber...but both would probably be fairly involved and/or costly.
Hopefully somebody knows a simpler less costly way

 

[illuveatar]

Could someone post a link to the info/pics CoyoteJoe provided ?

Sorry, I can't offer any advice for you Billy.

 

[Gordon Jabben]

Here http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/...3974/post/715642/hl/coyotejoe/fromsearch/1/is the link.

 

[ApprenticeBuilder]

to slow

 

Billy,
I would think that if your gun is shooting off center it is due to the regulating of the barrels. When produced, double barrels are regulated to a POI and if that is off when assembled then it will remain off regardless of a jug choke or not. The choke has nothing to do with the muzzle. I have heard of changing the POI by filing the muzzle. To move the POI to the right you would file the left side of the muzzle and vice versa. I have read and heard of this but can't say I've ever tried it.
Mark

 

[Oldnamvet]

I had a double that shot about 2 ft low at 25 yds. A local old gunsmith "sprung" the barrels for me and it was dead on then. Translation - he bent the barrels a little.

 

[Gordon Jabben]

Yeah, I tried to file the muzzle a little to move the POI but it didn't seem to help. I thought it might have opened up my pattern a little so I stopped. I went ahead and bent the barrel a little today at the range and have the choked barrel right on but the cylinder barrel is now off just a little. I guess I will have to live with it. I hope I didn't hurt the barrel any. I think I will shoot a proof load in it to be safe.

 

[CoyoteJoe]

I've bent a few single barrels but bending a double seems likely to result in separation of barrels and ribs. Actually you can alter point of impact quite a bit by altering loads. When the right barrel of a double is fired the gun swings out to the right and the left barrel swings out to the left. Where the shot impacts depends on when the shot exits the muzzle in relation to the recoil movement. A low velocity load, say a heavy shot load over a light powder charge, will tend to "splay out", meaning the right barrel shoots to the right and the left barrel to the left. A faster load, a lighter shot load over the same or heavier powder charge gets out the muzzle quicker, before so much recoil movement has occurred, and therefore is more likely to crossfire, right barrel shooting to the left and vise verse.
Since your barrels seem to be splaying out I would first try a faster load, more powder and perhaps less shot. Don't go overboard. If you're now shooting 1 1/4 ounces over 70 grain of powder, I'd try 1 1/8 over 80 grains. If that doesn't do it try one ounce over 80 grains or even 90 grains. It's a "shoot and see" process but may solve your problem without further modification to the gun. Good Luck! :wink:

 

[Gordon Jabben]

Thanks Coyote Joe, I'll give it a try. To be honest I have been shooting an even or bigger volumn of shot to powder so that may be my problem. Thanks again