"Serious Use" Shotguns and Chokes

[sharps54]

Another consideration is ammunition availability, if you avoid interchangeable chokes because you plan on using FC what is your plan when marketing makes a stupid decision and discontinues it?

[Norville]

Another consideration is ammunition availability, if you avoid interchangeable chokes because you plan on using FC what is your plan when marketing makes a stupid decision and discontinues it?

Flight control is an excellent software solution to a hardware problem. I’m a big fan, but recognize that some day soon I may not be able to acquire it, so interchangeable chokes are a great option once my supply is exhausted. See my FC#1 thread...

[Unobtanium]

Does that hold true for hardened sligs as well, like the Brenneke or Truball DP? I thought those + chokes were a no-go.

Federal told me they "would not advise it, but if it damages your gun it will be over time, not a catastrophic event".

I simply use ammo to tailor the performance, and a CYL choke gives me the most widest range of tailoring.

Another poster here said they use pellet hardness AND chokes. Well, with buckshot you have 3% antimony from Remington, and 6% from Hornady and around 5% from Winchester. Federal/LEVista I believe is probably around 3-5%, as well. I can use cheap buckshot from a CYL bore, or I can use FC buckshot from a CYL bore, but you can't use FC buckshot from any kind of choke that will make it pattern TIGHTER than it does from a CYL bore, and you can't get tighter buckshot patterns through any choke than FC offers that will ALSO shoot a slug. To me, the choke is like a carburetor. Give me fuel injection.

[Aray]

Federal told me they "would not advise it, but if it damages your gun it will be over time, not a catastrophic event".

I simply use ammo to tailor the performance, and a CYL choke gives me the most widest range of tailoring.

Another poster here said they use pellet hardness AND chokes. Well, with buckshot you have 3% antimony from Remington, and 6% from Hornady and around 5% from Winchester. Federal/LEVista I believe is probably around 3-5%, as well. I can use cheap buckshot from a CYL bore, or I can use FC buckshot from a CYL bore, but you can't use FC buckshot from any kind of choke that will make it pattern TIGHTER than it does from a CYL bore, and you can't get tighter buckshot patterns through any choke than FC offers that will ALSO shoot a slug. To me, the choke is like a carburetor. Give me fuel injection.

I understand that you don't prefer a choke, but I don't understand why you made the statement that no defensive shotgun should have one.

[03RN]

I really don't care either way.

[Unobtanium]

I understand that you don't prefer a choke, but I don't understand why you made the statement that no defensive shotgun should have one.

I said "Serious use shotgun". If you have a turkey gun that you also use for home defense, then I'd say you have a turkey gun that you use for home defense...it's not "a serious use gun". When I use that term, I mean a gun that is only going to see buck and slug, because it only has ONE JOB. Now, mind you, I am not at all knocking the guy who uses his turkey gun for HD, or using chokes in it at all. I am simply saying for a hard use, serious use gun, I don't think chokes are good.

[vaspence]

I said "Serious use shotgun". If you have a turkey gun that you also use for home defense, then I'd say you have a turkey gun that you use for home defense...it's not "a serious use gun". When I use that term, I mean a gun that is only going to see buck and slug, because it only has ONE JOB. Now, mind you, I am not at all knocking the guy who uses his turkey gun for HD, or using chokes in it at all. I am simply saying for a hard use, serious use gun, I don't think chokes are good.

I think serious use is defined by experience of the user. The shotgun to me is the multitool of the firearms world and choke tubes make it easier to get an accurate pattern. How would you define hard, serious use?

[RevolverRob]

but you can't use FC buckshot from any kind of choke that will make it pattern TIGHTER than it does from a CYL bore, and you can't get tighter buckshot patterns through any choke than FC offers that will ALSO shoot a slug.

How many chokes have you tried with FC Buckshot?

This seems like an interesting thread for @GJM and @Dagga Boy to weigh in on.

Replaceable chokes, in my opinion, offer versatility that a fixed choke gun doesn't. I can pick up virtually any load of buckshot, anywhere, and tailor my gun to shoot it, by patterning it and adjusting the choke as necessary, to meet my needs.

That said, flitecontrol can make this mostly irrelevant, however, I've yet to find a reliable local source for flitecontrol. I also am a fan of full power buckshot, not reduced recoil. Which means I've settled on the 8-pellet Hornady TAP 'Lite Magnum' versatite load, which is even harder to find than FC. So, I just opt for whatever full-power 8-pellet 00 load I can find by the case and tailor the shotgun to the load.

PS: My opinion and mine alone. I'd rather tune the gun to run the available shells than rely on a steady supply of a specific shell type. To take on the carburetor/fuel injection analogy - screw-in chokes may require the end user to adjust the fuel-air ratio, but they allow infinitely more variation than a fixed choke gun does. Which is precisely what FI does, it varies more readily across the spectrum of inputs (fuel and air) to optimize than a carburetor does. Really, the fixed choke + FC is the carburetor in this equation, because a good carb tune works best at one elevation, one fairly consistent A/F ratio, and on one consistent fuel type. Where as FI can take variable inputs and create an optimum output with minimal work from the end user. Screwing in or out a choke takes seconds, it's not difficult.

[GJM]

I have definite opinions about slugs, as in go Brenneke 2.75 Classic Magnums, but my buck knowledge is limited to my Vang fixed barrels all shot eight pellet Remington LE buck well, and now everyone seems to use Federal FC.

[TGS]

Question here: What do you guys need a steady supply of your actual HD/duty/"carry" load for?

Aren't you doing the same thing as your pistols and rifles and buying a case, verifying function, POI, stoking it and keeping the rest as spares while using a cheap generic load for practice? For any of you that feel the need for a steady supply of FC to make it a worthwhile choice, are you practicing exclusively with your HD/duty/"carry" load?