What's the tightest choke I can screw into my browning gold 12 ga?

Only cheap walmart bird shot loads will be going through it with the choke in...

You better never put anything through it with the choke out either.

I would wager an X-full turkey choke or whatever Hastings bills as their tightest choke would be a good one to try, but seldom does the extreme tightest choke do the best.

What are you trying to accomplish? What EXACT ammunition are you using?

You're wasting your money on the choke if all you're going to put through it is "cheap walmart bird shot loads". The promo loads and most game loads generally only have ~3% antimony, which means the shot is pretty soft and deforms a lot. They'll also have cheap wads that don't help create a good pattern. A super tight choke may deform more pellets and you end up with a poorer pattern than you would with a standard full choke. Target loads(AA, STS, Gold Medal, etc.) have 6% antimony in the shot, which means it deforms less and gives better patterns. Target loads will also have a better wad.

I'm sure you shoot rifles and handguns for groups, and you really need to do the same with a shotgun. The only way to tell if a load/choke combination perform well is to shoot patterns, observe the results, count pellet holes, write everything down, and compare. You may even find out that your full choke really only gives modified choke patterns with the load it really likes.

40 yards, 30" circle. Pellet percentage inside that 30" circle is what determines the actual choke/load performance.

IIRC:

40-45% =Cylinder
45-55% = Improved cylinder
55-65% = modified
65-75% = full

Pretty decent article on the subject here

Well said my friend

Patternmaster Extended Range tube.

It would be worthless with light trap loads im sure.

Any choke that is for turkey hunting is about as full as you can get (Extra Full, Turkey, Turkey Full, etc). Chances are, if there is a picture of a turkey and is says something about full... That's the choke you want lol

+1 indeed

               

Well...actually.... He could get one of those super tight "card shoot" chokes, but I would imagine those things are extremely expensive.

Isn't there some uncommon duck bill choke or something?

Well I want to use it for clay pigon shooting... I figured it would be more challenging???

Then get a .410.  That with a modified or full choke means you have to be dead on for the bird to break.  It will break birds at any distance a 12 gauge will if you do your part.

You could go with manually loading Aguila mini shells if you want a challenge.  Whole lot less #7.5 pellets per shell

~cosmos556

The DuckBill Shot spreader.

triangle, if you have a cup on and the perp isn't too big.





oh, I thought this was a self-defense question.  

Great article!  
Anyone do their own pattern tests on buckshot?

Recommend a good semi auto or pump 410?