Choke tube roll of thumb?

[Strutbuster98]

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Is there a rule of thumb for choke tubes shot size and shell length? Like 5 shot works better with 665 rem 12 or 6 shot likes a 670 choke or 660 and 4 shot likes more of a 650?

[tnanh]

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Im no expert but from what patterning I have done you have it somewhat backwards. 4 shot would usually like a more open choke like say 670 and six shot would like a tighter choke like say 650,655. The only way to really find out is to shoot it.

[ChesterCopperpot]

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A lot of people on this forum a whole lot more knowledgeable on this than me, but I’d say you generally have two rules of thumb: one being constriction related to shot size and one being constriction related to barrel takedown (i.e. an invector plus barrel at .742 likely won’t be able to handle as aggressive a takedown as say a rem choke barrel at .727; to get both to .665, for instance, you’d have to take the invector plus down .077 whereas you’d only be taking the rem choke barrel down .062). With regard to shot size, typically less constriction for larger shot with regard to lead in particular (say a #5/#6 choke recommendation from a manufacturer might be .650 and for #4/#5 be .660), but with the newer shot like TSS a lot of folks prefer less constriction because of overall pattern density of shooting a 2oz load of #9s. No sense choking a load with 720+ pellets down crazy tight.


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[Strutbuster98]

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Ok that makes sense. So a .665 choke should shoot 5s best probably right? Out of a remington 870

[ChesterCopperpot]

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Ok that makes sense. So a .665 choke should shoot 5s best probably right? Out of a remington 870

I think a .665 is always a good starting point (and I emphasize starting point as there is no guarantee with any gun or load). That said, I don’t own an 870 and have never dealt with rem choke. Indian Creek’s standard for Remington is .665, though they offer a .660 and .670. Sumtoy is a fine, fine choke manufacturer and they recommend their .660 for that gun with lead and copper plated. When you say 5s, what kind of 5s? Are you shooting some Super X straight lead, Long Beards, HEVI? Search out that load in the Remington 12ga pattern section. There are lots of folks on here who have put in the time and effort and money to take a lot of the guess work out of honing in on a gun’s potential.


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[Which Gun]

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My Remington 870 supermag shoots the longbeards 3 1/2” #5’’s great using .665 Indian creek.