Ported Barrel: Ported or non-ported choke

[cwhite]

I have a Mossberg 500A with a 24" ported barrel. Will using a ported choke make the pattern worse or better or should I use a non-ported choke? Any help will appreciated, thanks.

[northms]

I shoot the same gun with the same ports. I use a full choke that is not ported.  I honestly cannot tell you the brand of the choke due to me buying it about 8 years ago.  I don't get into the multiple chokes and shells but I can tell you the longbeard XR 3" #6 shot was a killing load at over 40 yards.

I will probably buy a new choke next year that's much more updated to the times but can't really see the need to do so.

Good luck.

[Skeeterbait]

They are kind of two different purposes.  The barrel ports help counter muzzle rise and thus reduce felt recoil.  They do bleed off some of the pressure behind the wad and slow it a bit though.  Ports in a choke are exclusively meant to slow the wad and give the shot a chance to separate from it.  The sharp edges of the ports grab the wad, both stopping any spin and slowing it down as gas is vented behind the wad acting kind of like a jake break.  This is all about improving patterns along with other features of the choke such as wad catchers, parallel sections and overall choke geometry.

[Gooserbat]

Try what you got and if you don't like it, call William at Sumtoy, tell him what you got and what you want it to do.  He'll fix you up.

[cwhite]

Try what you got and if you don't like it, call William at Sumtoy, tell him what you got and what you want it to do.  He'll fix you up.

I'll give him a call tomorrow. For me with the non-ported factory choke, the pellet count falls off way too much.