For those that have Patterned several different Turkey Guns...

[3" 870 Shell Shucker]

Which Make or Model of Shotgun seemed to be the easiest to find a good Choke and exit diameter combo for, that would throw solid patterns with Lead and/or HTL?

I went through several chokes with an old Nova, and never got it right.  I traded that gun off.

I went through a few chokes with my current 870, but as soon as I put an Indian Creek .665 in it, good things started happening with Lead and HTL.  I also saw some success with HTL in a Pure Gold, Star Dot, and a SSX, but they wouldn't pattern Lead as well as the Indian Creek .665 did.

I went through just two chokes with my INV+ BPS.  A Star Dot that patterns HTL well, and an Indian Creek .665 that patterns everything quite well.


Have there been guns that you have struggled to get good patterns out of?

[SumToy]

They all will shoot. It takes a different lay out on some guns.  More to it then just go up or down on size.    I would think the IC would be one of the better ones that will work in a bigger rang of guns.   Kick's work good in plus guns with that layout.    A lot to moving this and that around to get the combo correct.

[savduck]

I have 4 that were shooters right out of the gate. They had great POA to POI and patterned great with any choke put in them....they were beretta 390 and 391, weatherby SA 08 20 ga, and my pistol grip stoeger m2000, the beretta and weatherly we're 28 inch barrels, the stoeger was 24.


Some of the guns that needed tweaking and testing different chokes were my Benelli SBE 1, my second stoeger m2000, my Remington Supermag 870, my 20 ga Remington 870. The toughest of all of these to get patterned was that super mag with 21 inch barrell.


I've been one of those guys to always buy 8 or 9 chokes for each gun. I found that Indian Creek, Kicks, Sumtoy, and terror chokes always seem to have tighter and consistent patterns in all the guns I've shot them in.

[Oconeeguy]

Jellyhead worked well for my thumbhole Moss 535 20" , with 3", 2 oz, #6 shot.

[Sand Man]

I've patterned 4 SBE's, 1 M1 20ga, 1 870 super mag, 1 1187 20ga, and 2 870 youth 20ga's.

All have patterned well, but I've done a lot of research to see what has been done to each gun as far as barrel polishing, etc as well choke combos that have given other's great results.  With this data, I've had to change chokes once on one gun.  Maybe I've just been lucky.

[Deputy 14]

My 870 SM shot well with the first choke I put in it. Tried several other chokes after that also did ok but the hevi 662 choke has shot everything pretty well.

[lowoctane]

Jelly Head .690 in my 835 shooting 3" or 3.5" Hevi. Awesome!!
Remington's Ventilator in my 870 with 3" Hevi!!!

[R AJ]

Which Make or Model of Shotgun seemed to be the easiest to find a good Choke and exit diameter combo for, that would throw solid patterns with Lead and/or HTL?

I went through several chokes with an old Nova, and never got it right.  I traded that gun off.

I went through a few chokes with my current 870, but as soon as I put an Indian Creek .665 in it, good things started happening with Lead and HTL.  I also saw some success with HTL in a Pure Gold, Star Dot, and a SSX, but they wouldn't pattern Lead as well as the Indian Creek .665 did.

I went through just two chokes with my INV+ BPS.  A Star Dot that patterns HTL well, and an Indian Creek .665 that patterns everything quite well.




Have there been guns that you have struggled to get good patterns out of?

I wish that choke mfgrs would do a better job to give the gun, bbl length , shell, shot size , etc. that gave the best pattern at X yds., second , third, etc. with no regard as to brand of gun, etc. You know they tried different guns, choke constrictions, etc. Just let us know what to expect.
Now Sumtoy gives a listing of what works best in a particular choke diameter , etc. just like NITRO does with their shells in given bbl lengths
and Dixie Slugs gives for their results. it is not that hard to do and it gives the average Joe an idea of what to expect.
Kudos to William for giving information that may be USEFUL and INFORMATIVE so that you don't feel like you are groping around in a dark room when choosing a choke for a particular need.

[Skeeterbait]

In general, the larger diameter the bore the easier it is to find a good shell choke combination.  The tight european bores like Benelli's being the hardest and the backbored 835 the easiest.  But all can be made to shoot with some experimentation.  And of course information from a site like this can give you good advise and save you some time and money.

[SumToy]

Skeeterbait the deal with the larger bore is you can get the wad to slow down easier then with the small bore guns.  Got to get the brakes on harder with the small bore guns.  This comes into play with shells also.  Got to look at wad O.D and if it is soft or hard.  Is it cold out or hot out.  That will come into play with how easy the wad is to grab.  

Now I am not putting down no choke or product with this.  Now with all the ported chokes they grab the wad only so much.  That is why they work in the bigger bore guns that is easy to grad wad in.  Now one company has a ported choke that works good.  The lay out of it was looked at and time spend in the design of it.  I will not say because I do not want to start a war. LOL

Now as to the barrel length I have found that if you have a choke that works with a given bore/chamber the length of the barrel will be something that is hard to deal with.  Just say you have gun A with choke brand B and shell C.  660 it put 250 in a 28 inch barrel and you find that is the best size choke.   Most the time if go smaller it blow the pattern in given gun.  The same will happen with a shorter barrel.  The shorter barrel tends to put less numbers and if you choke it smaller it will do the same as the longer barrel blow pattern.    

So if you find the perfect choke for a given bore and chamber not much you can do after that.

[gobblingghost]

I have a SBE and Baikal they both will put around 300 in a 10" cir @ 40 yrds. The problem I had was the shells especially the Hevi. I sent both of my guns to Sumtoy and with shells. He is resonable with his prices and also a great guy that will work with you to get pattern you want.

[allaboutshooting]

Which Make or Model of Shotgun seemed to be the easiest to find a good Choke and exit diameter combo for, that would throw solid patterns with Lead and/or HTL?

I went through several chokes with an old Nova, and never got it right.  I traded that gun off.

I went through a few chokes with my current 870, but as soon as I put an Indian Creek .665 in it, good things started happening with Lead and HTL.  I also saw some success with HTL in a Pure Gold, Star Dot, and a SSX, but they wouldn't pattern Lead as well as the Indian Creek .665 did.

I went through just two chokes with my INV+ BPS.  A Star Dot that patterns HTL well, and an Indian Creek .665 that patterns everything quite well.


Have there been guns that you have struggled to get good patterns out of?

Many years ago, before there were sites like OG and others where shooters shared their experiences with different guns, chokes and shells, I offered a free service to my readers, to answer the questions you've asked.

To be able to do that, I purchased every commercially produced turkey choke, in every available exit diameter. I also purchased a number of guns with the different barrel lengths available and began to shoot all the different shotshells produced at that time. As time went on and more chokes were introduced (and some went away) and the tungsten-based shot revolution began, I shot literally thousands of shells through those various gun/choke combinations. The number of folks who inquired was amazing. It got to the point that I no longer could accept phone calls and had to convert it to an email response only site.

I worked closely with Remington, Federal, Winchester and Environ-Metal as well as with several gun manufacturers on this multi-year project.

That free service "The Shooting System" is still offered today and has a number of takers each month.

Chokes come and go and some that were quite popular when I began are no longer manufactured or have fallen out of favor. Occasionally, one that had very few takers when it was being produced, will become a favorite to a new generation of turkey hunters. A couple new commercial manufacturers have made a name for themselves and some custom makers also provide good products.

There are some general rules that seem to apply universally but the moment that you state one, the shooter who has the "exception to the rule" will let you know about it and that's just fine.

A wise person will read as much as possible about a subject, speak with people who may or should know about it and then verify by his own work what works for him.

Lastly, everyone must establish for himself just what his standards are and in this day and time, how much he is willing to spend to achieve them.

Thanks,
Clark

[stinkpickle]

Which Make or Model of Shotgun seemed to be the easiest to find a good Choke and exit diameter combo for, that would throw solid patterns with Lead and/or HTL?
...

My Mossy 835 was the easiest.  Heck, it's worked with everything I've tried in it.  Even the stock choke was OK.  My Browning BPS was almost as easy.  I had to try to few choke/load combos to get the pattern uniformity I wanted, though.  My 20" Mossy 500 has been the pickiest with its standard bore and short barrel. 

[gobblingghost]

You have to be a banker to be able to buy all the chokes that are being made today.

[allaboutshooting]

You have to be a banker to be able to buy all the chokes that are being made today.

When I began many chokes were much less expensive than some are today. As new ones came along, I'd buy them and built my "collection" that way. In 2000 when Hevi-Shot came on the scene at the World Championships Still Target Shoot in Forsyth, Georgia, the whole world of shotshells and chokes changed. Prior to that it was pretty much a matter of which lead shot shell you'd shoot, through a pretty limited number of commercial chokes. Then when Remington started loading their Hevi-Shot shells a whole new market opened up and choke makers weren't really prepared for it. It took a while for them to figure out what would work with that new hard shot.

We saw a lot of development in the field of wads, powders and of course in the area of turkey chokes. When Hevi-Shot went in house and began to manufacture their own shells that was another major step. The products that we see today from that company are many long steps away from those early, pioneering efforts.

Choke makers also learned that it was the interior geometry of the choke tube, exit diameter being a part of that, that really counted. Many choke makers came up with their own unique take on what makes a good choke tube. There are a lot of very bright folks out there who came up with some good ideas. Just a little tweak here and there can sometimes make a big difference.

I've also seen a real improvement in barrel quality. Advances in manufacturing techniques due to technology and equipment are reflected in better quality. Manufacturers, at least some of them, also started paying attention to shotgun triggers and have made them lighter (some adjustable) and smoother.

Trends also come and go on such things as barrel length. That subject is almost as controversial as which brand of turkey choke is the best. As long as we have guns and turkey hunters, we'll all never agree on what's best and that's frankly as it should be. It's what keeps people experimenting with new designs and new ways of doing things.

Thanks,
Clark