835 choke question

[Bottomland]

I got a question for the 835 guys.  I shoot a 835 with a 20 inch barrel and use a rhino .690.  Now i have heard alot of people using the ssx choke for their 835 and my question is what would the construction difference from going from a rhino (.690) to a truglo(.670) do to the pattern?  To me thats a big difference when it comes to size, would i have a negative or positive effect on my pattern if i switched to a truglo?

[ILIKEHEVI-13]

The TruGlo SSX .670 is going to have a .020 tighter or smaller exit diameter vs the Rhino .690.  I never have never shot a Rhino choke, but I have shot other chokes like the Jelly Head .690 and other chokes that varied from .670 to .695 for turkey chokes including the TruGlo SSX .670.   I would bet money that the TruGlo SSX .670 will shoot a tighter pattern than the .690 choke unless of course your trying to shoot lead 4's.  The magical chokes for the 835 tends to be around .670 to .676 to maybe even .680.   But that's not saying the Rhino .690 choke won't shoot a good turkey hunting pattern for I'm sure that it will.  The Primos Jelly Head .690 shot very well in my 835 with Hevi-13 3.5" 2.25oz #7's.  It put around 268 shot in the 10" at a taped 40yds.  The TruGlo SSX  does right at around 300 or so with the same loads.   The same can be said for an Indian Creek BDS .675.  The best shooting choke I have found for the 835 is the Star Dot .676.  It may shoot too tight for some.  But I have shot 361, 360, 349, and several in the 320's or over 300 with the same loads.  A lot of it depends on what type of pattern you are wanting.  The Rhino or any other .690 choke is more than likely gonna open your pattern up more to where you will have less 10" numbers but a more even 20" pattern at 40yds.  That's not saying up close at 15yds or 20yds that your gonna have a much bigger pattern than say a .670 or .675 choke.  Your still gonna have to aim small and miss small.   

[allaboutshooting]

I got a question for the 835 guys.  I shoot a 835 with a 20 inch barrel and use a rhino .690.  Now i have heard alot of people using the ssx choke for their 835 and my question is what would the construction difference from going from a rhino (.690) to a truglo(.670) do to the pattern?  To me thats a big difference when it comes to size, would i have a negative or positive effect on my pattern if i switched to a truglo?

You raise some good questions and you've already had an answer about some of the differences in chokes. One factor that must always be considered when discussing differences in chokes is the internal geometry of a particular choke. The "internals" can have as much effect on patterns as the exit diameter.

Every choke designer considers the internal geometry of his choke tube when he makes a decision on the final product. That decision can also be affected by other factors, complexity of design, difficulty of milling the material, overall cost of manufacturing, etc. but in the final analysis, if his product does not work well, it makes little difference.

What I've seen over the years is that many very different designs work well. One choke with a .650 exit diameter may pattern very similarly to another choke with a .675 exit diameter. It really all depends upon how well the choke tube is designed and how each of the internal factors come together.

To address your particular situation directly, it's been my experience over the last decade or two that the 835 can throw patterns equal to or superior to any shotgun on the market today. It's also been my experience that, for the most part, the shorter barrelled 835s can at times be challenging. One help is the "deep cleaning" process that was written initially especially for 835 owners. I had so many inquiries for so many years about those guns, short barrelled ones in particular, that I finally decided to write a brief article outlining the procedures that I'd been recommending for many years.

I own and have owned a number of Mossberg guns with the .775 inside diameter barrels. The 2 chokes that work best for me and for many of my readers, are the SSX that you've mentioned and the Hevi-13 turkey choke. I don't think you can go wrong with either.

Thanks,
Clark

P.S. If you're not familiar with the "deep cleaning" process, you can click on the allaboutshooting banner below this post and go to the article "Cleaning a Shotgun Barrel" for the guidelines.

[RAY]

I'm shootin an 835 with the factory Ulti-Full that came with the gun.  Does anyone know what the diameter would be on that particular choke?  I am pleased with the pattern, but I'm open to an aftermarket tube.

[Bottomland]

Thanks for the responses.  I may try a ssx and see what happens. 

[beagler]

For what it's worth I'm getting great patterns out of my 835 using a Rhino (.695).

[ILIKEHEVI-13]

Thanks for the responses.  I may try a ssx and see what happens.

Try the Hevi-13 3.5" 2.25oz #7's.

[Bottomland]

I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on how yall think a nitro 4x5x7 would shoot out of a truglo ssx tube.  I know those hevi-13 #7 are some wicked shells with good patterns, i just can switch from the nitros ive been shooting for the last 3 seasons.  Not knocking on the #7 shooters but i just can get away from those nitros.

[ILIKEHEVI-13]

I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on how yall think a nitro 4x5x7 would shoot out of a truglo ssx tube.  I know those hevi-13 #7 are some wicked shells with good patterns, i just can switch from the nitros ive been shooting for the last 3 seasons.  Not knocking on the #7 shooters but i just can get away from those nitros.

There's only one way to find out.  I think Ray recommends a more open choke like a .690 for that load.  But as Clark has said that internal geometry of a choke means a lot on how a choke will perform.  I say try it and let us know. 

[Fatbeard]

I use an Indian Creek in my 20" barrel and its the bomb!! I went thru all chokes on the market and this one was the best with Xtended range # 5

[SCDieselDawg]

I switched from the JH in my 935 to the SSX. I noticed a small decrease in patterns with Hevi 6s but its still lethal. Now lead on the other hand is a different story. It made noticeable increase with various lead loads. So in all the SSX in my opinion is a balanced setup that affords me the option to either shoot lead or Hevi. Where the JH was a lead only setup.

[nflorek]

The best choke I've found for my 20 inch barreled 835 has been a sumtoy .675 for 3.5  2.25oz #7 hevi shot loads, I tried the ssx .670, IC .675, and
star dot .676.

[Skeeterbait]

Back when I set my guns up I spent a lot of money on chokes and tried several diameters in several brands.  It varied somewhat brand to brand but what I found in general is that the 835 likes chokes from .670 to .690.  At .690 it gives good, even reasonably dense patterns.  The patterns tightened as you moved toward .670.  At .660 the patterns became ragged and hollow indicating a blown pattern.  Now that is not to say the chokes in the .670's are best.  Depends on what you want.  While .670 to .675 will give you longest range, the patterns are scary tight inside of 20 yards.  .690 will give you a more forgiving pattern up close at the expense of a few yards of range.  It depends on what you are most comfortable with.  If your shooting barrel beads or open sights, perhaps a little more open is better for you.  If your going to shoot .670 or .675 it may be advisable to go to a red dot sight for more precise aim.

[surehuntsalot]

I'm shootin an 835 with the factory Ulti-Full that came with the gun.  Does anyone know what the diameter would be on that particular choke?  I am pleased with the pattern, but I'm open to an aftermarket tube.

is this the turkey choke that came with the gun or the full choke that came with it.
the turkey choke is going to be .695 and the full is going to be around .730

[jerf]

Get an indian creek .675