Life of a turkey choke?

[slave601]

Maybe this is a dumb question but can you shoot a choke out? What I'm asking is after so many rounds and years of shooting tss through a choke can it not be as tight of a constriction or better off not patterning as well is it once was in the beginning?

[runngun]

I hope that William [Sumtoy] will be along soon. He will have good information and factual as well. He is a wealth of knowledge.
I have a little bit of information about them. It would take a great deal of shooting to mess up the patterns. I  have a few Indian Creek chokes. One that I bought approximately 20 years ago, you can definitely see the difference in that one and a new one. For along time I put lead, no telling how many pounds of Hevi 13, a mega truck load of Nitro'- not the Remington Nitro. There was also a Federal load can't remember the name though.  And now I shoot TSS alot of it. The inside of the choke looks like I run a drill bit through it. The inside steps are chewed up. Which doesn't take a lot of shooting with "the hard stuff" to do that. The old choke still holds a pattern but not near close to old patterns with the same one. But it still kills turkeys
The only choke that been shot a lot and doesn't look messed up is a PURE GOLD 670 in my Browning that has angled holes drill, supposedly that slows down the wad. The choke is still just as good as new. No scarring/scratches.
I just received a new Sumtoy and I have a old one too. Nothing has effected these so far. I think that his tubes are tough as well  20 gauge 562; I believe that it has 7 or 8 steps and the muzzle end of it looks like a 12 point socket!!!! BUT HIGHEST NUMBER I HAVE SEEN PATTERN WISE.

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[SumToy]

Will it yes.  The harder the shot the faster.   T$$ is ruff on choke and the more folks play with the bigger the loads the faster it gets.  The bigger the loads the more the choke gets beat up.   Now I tell folks if you worry about mess up gun or choke dont shoot anything but lead.     Now the choke I say shoot it until the pattern goes away.  If it is scratched or beat up and patterns why buy another.  I like to sale them but if it works why change.

Now for the ones that say harder shot not hurt or wear out...   WHY YOU CHANGE YOUR LAWN MOWER BLADES.

[highball]

Always wondered about this myself.Now we have the answer.

[runngun]

Thanks Mr William for your input!!! Also heavy payloads not required. I saw the other day that someone is making a 2 ounce 20 gauge load!¡!! I think that is pushing it!!! Someone's gun is going to get tore up from the floor up!!!!

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[Ihuntoldschool]

That's a good point. I cringe when I think of the chamber pressure when you push up to 2 ounces of buffered TSS in a 20 bore. That's a heavy load for a 12 much less 20.

[Dtrkyman]

I had an Indian Creek that had about 4 seasons on it, those wad catchers looked like someone took a ballpeen hammer to them.  Fortunately something happened to that choke and the threads got weird, it would screw in a couple turns then get tight and then loose again, they replaced it!

Think I will be sticking with a smooth internal choke from now on.

[runngun]

I had an Indian Creek that had about 4 seasons on it, those wad catchers looked like someone took a ballpeen hammer to them.  Fortunately something happened to that choke and the threads got weird, it would screw in a couple turns then get tight and then loose again, they replaced it!

Think I will be sticking with a smooth internal choke from now on.

Yes indeed!! Your choke "swoll" UP!!! That is what I have seen happen!!! Want to ruin a gun? Get you some Tru-chokes especially a 570-575 and run about 5,  1 5/8 TSS through it. More than likely you will not have to unscrew it very far, it will turn it inside out.

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[jhoward11]

So I guess another crazy question would be. If the chokes wears out faster with TSS, would the barrel also?

[Gmed]

How many" years of life would a choke get with normal turkey hunting wear if you shot a couple rounds to check pre-season and 4 or 5 during a season? (FWIW, that's a lot of shooting of TSS for me. I might shoot 5 rounds per season around here.) I am sure some shoot many more rounds than that.....

[SumToy]

So I guess another crazy question would be. If the chokes wears out faster with TSS, would the barrel also?

It is more the take down then anything.   The Forcing cone in some guns get beat up.   Then the choke starts to compress the shot some leave the wad and it starts to beat on the choke.   Now over choke can swell choke, pull threads in barrel or on choke.  On the other hand if shot gets out the wad it will scratch the barrel.   That is why some of the hand load guys wrap the mylar.  The bigger the pay load the more abuse the gun takes.   It like your car you drive normal with maintenance it last.  You drive it like you trying to get away from game warden  all the time it not last as long.  I see more of the gun trouble in the new guys or Facebook hero's that try to put up numbers.    With all the new shell companies ( I see new everyday seems like) they got to have a better rat trap to sale.   So numbers are the way to sale.  Sometime number come from smaller shot or bigger payloads.   

So you go old school hand load guys kill all day long with 15/8 load some smaller then that.    So does 13/4 or 2. kill him more dead    Duck guys was the ones we had most trouble with because they miss they get bigger shell then smaller choke.   I alway said if they had a 2ga and 5 inch shell they buy it then say needed more. 

We had the race cars we see folks spray the car and it gets good to them.   50 good 100 better 150 even better 200 be terrific then 300 be wow but is pow.

Old saying of pay to play comes in.  Big thing is be safe. 

[runngun]

Yep!!! I was one of those people that tried to get the most in the 10 and I actually succeeded. But now I have totally gone back to even/open choke. Same load, but now I am getting what I want. Great even hunting pattern. With 1 5/8 of 9s and 570 choke tube.

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[mountainhunter1]

I had an Indian Creek that had about 4 seasons on it, those wad catchers looked like someone took a ballpeen hammer to them.  Fortunately something happened to that choke and the threads got weird, it would screw in a couple turns then get tight and then loose again, they replaced it!

Think I will be sticking with a smooth internal choke from now on.

Yes indeed!! Your choke "swoll" UP!!! That is what I have seen happen!!! Want to ruin a gun? Get you some Tru-chokes especially a 570-575 and run about 5,  1 5/8 TSS through it. More than likely you will not have to unscrew it very far, it will turn it inside out.

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You lost me on this post, can you please elaborate what you meant. I am shooting a .570 IC and have never heard of a choke that open going bad, especially in five shots. Thanks for the reply.

[Dtrkyman]

Tru-chokes are thin walled and I would guess prone to easy damage.

[runngun]

Tru-chokes are thin walled and I would guess prone to easy damage.

Bingo!!!
I will try and post a picture of one of the tubes later.

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