smooth bore choke

[James Rorar]

I was at the range making up a load for my 20 ga for turkey season. Another man was there doing the same for his 12 ga that had the screw in chokes. I watched him load and he would pour his powder down, remove the choke, put his wads and shot down, then screw the choke back in, cap the gun and he would shoot. Is this a safe way to load? (removing and the replacing the choke on a loaded gun). He said that it kept his wads in the original shape. He was getting good patterns.
Thanks James

 

[BrownBear]

Without a cap, it's safe. Just like reloading a double barrel after you have fired one shot.

As for the chokes, that's the only way to fly if you have them. My experience is all with no chokes, but if I felt the need for them I'd certainly have the removeable versions.

 

[Iron Jim Rackham]

There's more than one way to choke a gun. Screw in chokes are a slow loading chore. I don't like putting my hand over an unprimed but loaded gun.

A much better alternative is just to have your smoothbore jug choked. You'll shoot impressive patterns and loading will be safer and faster.

 

[James Rorar]

I agree with the jug choke idea. I have had good success using my cyl. bore Renegade, I just have to let them get close (20-25 yrds). I had never seen anyone shoot a gun that had removable chokes.
When I saw him removing the choke after putting in the powder I thought about the hand over the loaded barrel thing. When I asked him about it he said I have my hand over the loaded barrel when I load my gun (putting in wads and shot). I must say his pattern was alot better than mine, but he said he tries to keep his shots less than 30 yrds.
James

 

[Iron Jim Rackham]

Even when loading,my hand isn't over the muzzle. I load with my thumb and index finger, and use only overshot wads. I get very little ramroad resistance with the thin wads, and am regularly bagging hard flying pheasants well beyond 40 yards.

 

[Hoyt]

I've got a T/C 12ga. side lock with removable choke. It's a pain..especially with the treads inside the barrel. You have to be careful about getting powder in them. I don't use it anymore and should sell it I guess.

 

[BrownBear]

The powder in the threads bit is what has stopped me. I really don't like the thought of steel on steel crunching that powder- truth, fact or fiction be darned!

 

[paulvallandigham]

Try a better idea submitted by another member here several weeks ago.

Instead of using overpowder wads, use over shot cards(wafers). To fit them through the choke, just turn them sideways. You can put a small air hole in the outer portion of the wafer to let air escape, or someone else cut a slit in the wafer from the edge to the center. Use more than one wafer, and just turn them so no two holes or slits are aligned. The one suggestion was to use 5 wafers under the shot to seal gases, and then two wafers on top of the shot to hold the loads in place.

With the slits, the idea was to use 3 or 4( or more) wafers over the powder, and then a couple over the top of the shot. The idea of using wafers instead of Overshot wads was they were much lighter, would not follow the shot, and break holes in the pattern, and that in the field you only had to carry one kind of " wad " for all purposes, and not two or three different ones.

Sounds like a good idea even on the range. I believe he lubed his gun by putting a ball of lube on the underside of one of the wafers in the stack that was between the powder and shot. You could also carry lubed patches in a can, and run one down the barrel after loading the gun.

I thought the two suggestions were the best way to deal with choke tubes, and fixed choked barrels. Anything to keep from having to unscrew and screw back in those choke tubes in the field, or at the range! :hmm: :bow:

 

[BrownBear]

I recall that post, and thought pretty carefully about it. I guess I'm simply a confirmed no-choker, because I had a lot of years of sterling performance for my bemoaned old Navy Arms double. For my hunting styles and grounds, chokes wouldn't have that much to offer.

If I was pushed into buying a Pedersolli right now, I'd include the extra cost of having my smith remove the chokes completely. Lots of extra trouble and expense, so I'm negotiating with a friend whose NA is sitting in a closet and has never been fired.

 

[Hoyt]

I know a guy who shoots the T/C New Englander or whatever it's called..12ga. percussion with the screw in chokes. He uses the T/C 1/8" felt wads for wads and overshot card. He gets a heck of a turkey pattern with that and a Briley screw in choke. He doesn't have to take the choke off with the felt wads.
That's probably what I will end up using in my new Colerain choked turkey barrel..the Oxyoke felt wads..for overshot cards too.
Jug choke is really the way to go..if you want a tighter pattern at longer distance and also shoot roundballs.

 

[Iron Jim Rackham]

Thats pretty funny Paul, since I'm the guy that submitted it.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Iron Jim. I could not find the post, so didn't know who to give credit to. If that was your idea, and post, my hat is off to you again. I have turned cards on their sides to get them started in my shotgun barrels which are a little tight, but I centered the holes in each card with my awl, rather than putting the holes out towards the edge, and then using more than one to make sure that gas didn't blow through. I really do like the idea, and thought it was worth repeating. You never know when we pick up new readers, and someone just might learn a valuable Tip, and save themselves hours of frustration. Why re-invent the wheel? Thanks, again. Jim.

 

[Iron Jim Rackham]

Actually, Paul your the guy who turned me on to #5 shot, so thank you. I didn't get the chance to use any last weekend as I hoped, simply because I forgot it. I still had #6 in the vest, and got a real nice high flying rooster at about 30 yards.
I've already put the #5 shot in my vest, so I will get the chance to use it this weekend.

 

[paulvallandigham]

I think you will be delightfully surprised at how much harder #5 shot hits birds than even #6. I know I was the first time I saw both used on two consecutive birds, shot at the same range, about 20 feet apart. When we cleaned the birds, they had about the same number of holes in them. But that #5 shot tumbled its bird out of the sky. I have seen this time and again since that first experience, some 35 years ago.

 

[Hoyt]

I agree with the #5's hitting much harder than #6's. I know I saw a very big difference when I switched from 6's to 5's in my modern shotgun when I used to turkey hunt with it. The gobblers would flop around with the 6's and the 5's killed then stone dead from the same distances.

 

[Trapper]

I use two felt wads over the powder and one overshot card over 1 1/8 oz of #5's. At 25 yrds it throws a great 20 inch circle of shot, 132 pellets in that 20 inch circle. Now that shot load only has 191 #5's pellets in the load. The felt wads load soooo easy. Just my 2 cents worth.