Ported Choke Tubes

[870BkWht]

I wanted to hear your guys opinions on whether ported choke tubes make the actual shotgun louder than without a ported choke tube.

I have a ported choke tube for my 20 guage Remington 870 and While at the range, with ear protection there is no discernable difference between ported and not.  While using this 20 guage for fall turkey/squirrel hunting opprotunities I have noticed a difference in the sound of the shot.

[drenalinld]

Definitely louder for the shooter or someone nearby. 

[goblr77]

I can't tell the difference with ports on a shotgun choke. Ported rifle barrels will blow off your cap.

[SKFOOTER]

And I can tell you from personal experience that you can both hear and feel the effects of the muzzle blast from a Rhino ported choke tube on a short barreled shotgun.

[allaboutshooting]

I wanted to hear your guys opinions on whether ported choke tubes make the actual shotgun louder than without a ported choke tube.

I have a ported choke tube for my 20 guage Remington 870 and While at the range, with ear protection there is no discernable difference between ported and not.  While using this 20 guage for fall turkey/squirrel hunting opprotunities I have noticed a difference in the sound of the shot.

It seems to depend upon the choke brand. At still target shoots we sit about 4-6 feet from each other (at most) and we are on the same level. There are some brands of chokes that are "impressive" not only with sound but with a lot of muzzle blast and others that are not at all offensive. It may be the direction in which the ports are angled or other design features that cause some to be much louder and have more muzzle blast than others.

You can physically feel the muzzle blast and even with plugs and muffs, some chokes are still quite loud. It doesn't take many of those kinds of shots to cause some damage if your ears are not protected. That is of course a challenge when we're hunting turkeys because we need all of our senses to be as keen as possible. I always wear hearing protection when hunting geese, ducks, upland birds or doves but do not when hunting turkeys. I've just not found anything that works well for turkey hunting.

I also know that I've lost some upper range hearing as most of us have who've shot for years or been around loud noises of any kind.

Lastly, a short barreled gun with some ported chokes can really be deafening. Getting that muzzle blast out in front of you as much as possible can really help.

Thanks,
Clark

[870BkWht]

Clark or anyone else,

can you reccamend a choke tube to fit Rem Choke threads for a 20 guage that is not ported?  Id like to try other chokes, as well as reduce the noise. 

I first thought shooting the gun with the ported choke tube in it was just me, but now I think its coming from the ports in the choke tubes.

Ben

[allaboutshooting]

Clark or anyone else,

can you reccamend a choke tube to fit Rem Choke threads for a 20 guage that is not ported?  Id like to try other chokes, as well as reduce the noise. 

I first thought shooting the gun with the ported choke tube in it was just me, but now I think its coming from the ports in the choke tubes.

Ben

Hey Ben,

It has been my experience that not all ported chokes are as loud as some others. It seems to depend upon the design of the port more than anything else.

That having been said, the Swarm 20 gauge turkey choke is not ported and is an excellent product with a variety of different shotshells. It's best with Hevi-13 shells with either #6 or #7 shot.

The SSX, while it appears to be a ported choke, really has the "ports" just beyond the true muzzle of the choke tube and does not seem to amplify the sound.

In the interest of full disclosure, I have both of those chokes on my site and have used both in competition and for turkey hunting as has my wife Doris.

Thanks,
Clark

[870BkWht]

Clark,  thanks for the information.  You've been helpful.  The reason that spurred the question in the first place is my current choke.

I recently traded for a 21'' barrel for the 870 20ga. and I picked up a Primos Tightwad at Dicks for about 50% off the MSRP and I patterned it with about 4 different kinds of copper plated lead and this fall it is my intention to kill a fall bird with this gun(its only been about 15 years since I tagged a bird with the 20).  The gun will shoot with the shells that I patterned, but while fall turkey hunting, I always like to shoot a few squirrels for some biscuits and gravy, and while doing so in the 2 trips while fall turkey season has been open, I just noticed that my left ear(right handed, left ear closer to muzzel) has been ringing more since using the ported choke while shooting the squirrels.

Thanks again for your insight to everyone that responded.

[Old Gobbler]

I can report to you that my uncle would bring a magna-ported barrel , and that gun was unwelcome in the duck blind,  that gun would hurt my ears,  its a good product - procedure they make,  but man did it make my ears ring

[3" 870 Shell Shucker]

20 Gauge Unported Choke for RemChoke threads............Remington Super Full is a good cheap option.