Franchi Affinity 3, 20g. Apex TSS #9

[ragin-cajun]

   Greetings from the free state of Alabama (we carry concealed w/out a license and any ammo shipped to our home

   Recent testing results: Franchi Affinity 3, 20 gauge w/ 24" barrel cerakoted in Muddy Water. Apex TSS #9, 3 inch, 1 5/8 shot @ 40 yards. Barrel + choke cleaned btw all shots with BoreTech Eliminator/Shotgun Blend until patches are clean. Hits counted in inner 10 inch and 20 inch circles respectively. Sight: Aimpoint H1 red dot w/ Scalarworks Sync 01 mount. thanks to bwhana and others on choke recommendations...

Trulock .575 was 332 in 10" circle.. 220 in 20" circle... 332/220
Trulock .585 was 295 in 10" circle.  235 in 20" circle. 295/235

[ragin-cajun]

....more pics. didn't count 20" circles in these 2. '10 cores were too hot for my liking.

[slave601]

Awesome patterns... that makes me wanna chunk my Indian creek .562

[ragin-cajun]

slave, what kinda hit count are you getting w the IC 562?
I'm gonna go w/ one of the Trulocks... the IC and RR are very even but a little too tight.

[bwhana]

All those are nice!  I'm surprised that the RR was that much tighter, but have never tried one yet.  That pattern was more like the IC 555 in mine.

[ragin-cajun]

thx. gonna shoot each Trulock once again and pick. i'm leaning .575.

[slave601]

slave, what kinda hit count are you getting w the IC 562?
I'm gonna go w/ one of the Trulocks... the IC and RR are very even but a little too tight.

I haven't gotten a good count on it just yet. I ordered a few boxes of 9s and 9x10 apex. Hoping the .562 won't be too tight and blow out the pattern

[Glades]

That gun is a shooter for sure. Great numbers.

[ragin-cajun]

I added a 20 inch circle to two Trulocks' choke count:

Trulock .575 was 220 in '20 circle... 332/220

Trulock .585 was 235 in '20 circle. 295/235

[Glades]

You have a very tight shooting gun. You are putting up 30 yard numbers at 40 yards, which is amazing.
If it was my gun, I would run the 585 or 575 trulock.

[ragin-cajun]

You have a very tight shooting gun. You are putting up 30 yard numbers at 40 yards, which is amazing.
If it was my gun, I would run the 585 or 575 trulock.

   yep. only difference btw the 2 Trulocks about 30 or so hits traded btw 10" and 20" circles. in hardwoods .585; open greenfield .575. interesting all 4 chokes had same POI. gonna shoot 2 Tr. once more just for fun.

[ragin-cajun]

in the process of expensively sighting in gun...
all three Trulock .575 shots.... Avg. pellets in 10 and 20 inch circle = 530

[ragin-cajun]

last three Trulock .585 shots.
Avg pellets in 10 and 20 inch circle = 534.
very similar results w/ both chokes. 575 slighter tighter in 10 inch circle.

[ragin-cajun]

in 3 shots: the .575 averaged 326 pellets in 10" circle and 204 in the 20" circle. 530 total avg.

in 4 shots: the .585 averaged 306 pellets in 10" circle and 226 in the 20" circle. 532 total avg.

[mountainhunter1]

I am appreciative of Bwhana helping you out on the choke recommendations. I talk to him some and he seems like a really solid dude, and ALL of his guns are shooting great so you can believe what he tells you.

I for a long time have been an Indian Creek .570 kind of dude, and for a while wondered if maybe some of these awesome Trulock patterns that kept popping up were not really at forty yards. BUT - have seen too many of them the past two to three years and I am now a believer.

Always have liked the now late Mr. George and his company (A true gentleman to say the least), but I have seen so many awesome patterns by his chokes that I am starting to think that the Trulock .575 and .585 Precision Hunter may be the best overall chokes on the market today for number 9 TSS. I might be tempted to take your .585 to the woods simply because of the ever slightly better 20" coverage, but you probably just need to flip a coin because they are both beyond excellent.

You are smart to do a three to five shot average because one shot can lie to you. Smart men do their homework and you have done that and will be rewarded for it in the woods real soon.  Thanks for sharing and good luck ragin-cajun!!