Can I use a cylinder choke for trap shooting?

Super-Dave · February 3, 2009, 04:52 PM

can I use an open cylinder choke for trap shooting?

Or is this only recommended for experts.

I am going trap shooting soon and all I have is open cylinder and a xtra full turkey choke.

I am hoping I can get by with one of these chokes.

Should I go with these two chokes or wait until I have a different choke?

oletymer · February 3, 2009, 04:57 PM

Your extra full might work but you would be better off with something from modified to full.

Super-Dave · February 3, 2009, 05:02 PM

I was thinking about using the xtra full and #9 shot to get the widest spread from the xtra full choke tube.

darkgael · February 3, 2009, 05:22 PM

Dave:

Quote:

#9 shot to get the widest spread from the xtra full choke tube.

I don't expect that the size of the shot will make much difference in the size of the pattern. It will make it denser but not wider.
Pete

Super-Dave · February 3, 2009, 05:24 PM

I have always been told the more pellets the bigger the spread because they hit each other and spread out more while traveling.

hogdogs · February 3, 2009, 05:29 PM

Some pattern deviation may occur from "bumping into each other" but it would be inconsistent and a nuisance to determine IMHO.
Predominately they all are going forward. the ones doing the bumping would be "flyers" deformed from the choke, again IMHO...
Best way to decide is break out the pattern board and determine how each load and choke work together to decide. Otherwise sticking with proven chokes and loads is easiest for us that are either new to shooting sports or general utilitarians (I am in the second group) of the po' folk variety...
Brent

JWT · February 3, 2009, 06:03 PM

You'd be lots better off with a modified or improved modified choke for trap. Cetainly you can shoot any choke you have for trap but you may not get the best results.

Ghost22 · February 3, 2009, 06:44 PM

I would try the extra full with 8 shot. With a cylinder bore choke, your pattern is very wide, to the point the there tend to be holes in the pattern big enough to fit a clay into. Typically, its recommended to use at least a improved cylinder and preferably a modified, full or improved-modifed choke. Turkey chokes are usually too tight, but you'll at least have the shot concentrations to get it done; you just won't have as much margin of error. Concerning shot size, 9 shot tends to cause target dusting in trap. Target dusting (by my definition) is were pellets strike the target but don't have enough velocity/energy to break the target, causing it to instead look like its shaking off dust. Back when I shot regularly, I used a modified choke with 1 oz of 7.5 shot at approx 1250fps (Winchester AA for matches, reloads for training) and never lost a target that I couldn't blame on a technique error. 9s may work if your quick on the gun, but 8s will break them if your slow on the target. All else fails, shoot a shell or two at a 30in patterning board/paper target to see what's going on. Good luck, be safe and have fun.

BigJimP · February 3, 2009, 07:51 PM

You can do anything you want - if you don't want to break any targets.

Open cyclinder choke won't cut it - not even by going to 7 1/2's with 1 1/8 oz - it'll still give you a pattern that a target can easily fly thru. 9's will only break targets out to about 35 yards - but you might give that a try -
but you better jump on them pretty quickly....

or maybe just break down and buy a Modified choke for $ 20 - $30 ( would seem to be a better plan ..). But like I said, you can do whatever you want...

3 gun · February 3, 2009, 08:37 PM

Sure you can, I do it all the time. I use Remington 11/8oz#71/2 shot loads in a Mossberg 500. You got to be quick. I usually run high teens, low 20's once I get the rhythm. You can not shoot like the rest of your group will shoot. You can not wait on the target, you have to ambush the target right out off the house.

olddrum1 · February 4, 2009, 12:08 AM

If you are shooting in cold weather stay with the 7 1/2s. Modified will work well at the sixteen yard line, full by the 25 yard line. If you are serious about breaking birds use 1 1/8 ounce. You need to find a skeet field.

jrothWA · February 4, 2009, 12:47 AM

the cylinder choke will work BUT you must be firing at the clay just as it starts leveling off from rising and before it drops, for use as a starter.
The "CYL" choke is more open for a new shooter, too tight a choke can be frustrating.

Are the barrel fixed chokes? Is the shotgun one that a new tubed barrel is made? If so, then consider buying a barrel with tubes, normally get three tubes, "Imp Cyl", "Mod" & "full". use the Imp cyl and as you get better switch to the mod or a "lite Mod" Use full when really experienced and shooting from the 25+ lane and further.

Wuchak · February 4, 2009, 01:44 AM

Skip the first day of shooting and use that money to buy the correct choke to use on the second (now first) day. You'll save yourself frustration. Why begin something that is already challenging and make it harder by not having the proper tool? A tube is only $15 - $40 depending on what gun you have.

USA123456789 · February 5, 2009, 12:08 AM

Your so called ***xperts*** of trapshooting do not use a cylinder choke. Don't know where you had heard that from. I personally use the Xtra Full for everything but for you I would recommend a Improved modified it's not to full and not to open just right for the 16 yd line. And all the ****PROS**** I know use an Xtra full Dave you have you sizes backwards a little bit there.

If your like me at all I want to get my $6 worth a round and see an INK BALL every time with the shooting of that target and not chunks I want to just see ink. Thats what most of the ***pros*** like to see too.

perazzimx14 · February 6, 2009, 08:09 PM

Give a buddy your gun and choke tubes. Have him put either choke in and keep the other in his pocket. Do look at what he installed and go shooting. If you have never shot trap you most likely will only be shooting 16yrd targets. Either of you tubes will do fine.

I will not buy a trap gun with screw-in choke tubes because you always keep in the back of you head, "do I have the right tube in for the conditions" Plus they are a pain in the a$$ to clean.

I have fixed tubes in my O/U and shoot the bottom barrel from 16 to 27 yards. The top barrel is only for the second shot on doubles. Doesn't matter if it is hot,cold, sunny, cloudy, windy etc... I shoot with what I have.

jrothWA · February 6, 2009, 11:48 PM

a 1979 20ga Red Label Skt &Skt, for skeet and 16 yd trap shooting. As you know, the Skt chokes are 0.003 to 0.006 tighter than cylinder.

I suggested that the original poster use what he has to know the rule of trap & skeet, then as HE acquires experience to make his own choices.

Trap & Skeet shooting is all what a person think he can use.

By the way I shoot "low gun" for skeet, what you use?

February 3, 2009, 04:52 PM	#1
Super-Dave Senior Member Join Date: February 1, 2008 Location: Florida Posts: 795	Can I use a cylinder choke for trap shooting? can I use an open cylinder choke for trap shooting? Or is this only recommended for experts. I am going trap shooting soon and all I have is open cylinder and a xtra full turkey choke. I am hoping I can get by with one of these chokes. Should I go with these two chokes or wait until I have a different choke? __________________ If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - forever. George Orwell

February 3, 2009, 05:02 PM	#3
Super-Dave Senior Member Join Date: February 1, 2008 Location: Florida Posts: 795	I was thinking about using the xtra full and #9 shot to get the widest spread from the xtra full choke tube. __________________ If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - forever. George Orwell

February 3, 2009, 05:24 PM	#5
Super-Dave Senior Member Join Date: February 1, 2008 Location: Florida Posts: 795	I have always been told the more pellets the bigger the spread because they hit each other and spread out more while traveling. __________________ If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - forever. George Orwell

February 3, 2009, 06:44 PM	#8
Ghost22 Member Join Date: January 19, 2006 Posts: 89	Xtra Full and 8 shot I would try the extra full with 8 shot. With a cylinder bore choke, your pattern is very wide, to the point the there tend to be holes in the pattern big enough to fit a clay into. Typically, its recommended to use at least a improved cylinder and preferably a modified, full or improved-modifed choke. Turkey chokes are usually too tight, but you'll at least have the shot concentrations to get it done; you just won't have as much margin of error. Concerning shot size, 9 shot tends to cause target dusting in trap. Target dusting (by my definition) is were pellets strike the target but don't have enough velocity/energy to break the target, causing it to instead look like its shaking off dust. Back when I shot regularly, I used a modified choke with 1 oz of 7.5 shot at approx 1250fps (Winchester AA for matches, reloads for training) and never lost a target that I couldn't blame on a technique error. 9s may work if your quick on the gun, but 8s will break them if your slow on the target. All else fails, shoot a shell or two at a 30in patterning board/paper target to see what's going on. Good luck, be safe and have fun.

February 3, 2009, 08:37 PM	#10
3 gun Senior Member Join Date: December 23, 1999 Location: N41 24.283 W81 43.370 N.E.Ohio Posts: 561	Sure you can, I do it all the time. I use Remington 11/8oz#71/2 shot loads in a Mossberg 500. You got to be quick. I usually run high teens, low 20's once I get the rhythm. You can not shoot like the rest of your group will shoot. You can not wait on the target, you have to ambush the target right out off the house. __________________ Change you can believe in... Pre-65 US silver coins NRA RSO & Certified Instructor in rifle, pistol, shotgun. An unloaded pistol is a paperweight. Opportunity knocks..Trouble kicks down the door.

February 3, 2009, 04:57 PM	#2
oletymer Senior Member Join Date: September 9, 2005 Posts: 338	Your extra full might work but you would be better off with something from modified to full.

February 3, 2009, 05:29 PM	#6
hogdogs Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 31, 2007 Location: Western Florida panhandle Posts: 11,069	Some pattern deviation may occur from "bumping into each other" but it would be inconsistent and a nuisance to determine IMHO. Predominately they all are going forward. the ones doing the bumping would be "flyers" deformed from the choke, again IMHO... Best way to decide is break out the pattern board and determine how each load and choke work together to decide. Otherwise sticking with proven chokes and loads is easiest for us that are either new to shooting sports or general utilitarians (I am in the second group) of the po' folk variety... Brent

February 3, 2009, 06:03 PM	#7
JWT Senior Member Join Date: March 16, 2007 Location: Southern Arizona Posts: 3,888	You'd be lots better off with a modified or improved modified choke for trap. Cetainly you can shoot any choke you have for trap but you may not get the best results.

February 3, 2009, 07:51 PM	#9
BigJimP Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 13,195	You can do anything you want - if you don't want to break any targets. Open cyclinder choke won't cut it - not even by going to 7 1/2's with 1 1/8 oz - it'll still give you a pattern that a target can easily fly thru. 9's will only break targets out to about 35 yards - but you might give that a try - but you better jump on them pretty quickly.... or maybe just break down and buy a Modified choke for $ 20 - $30 ( would seem to be a better plan ..). But like I said, you can do whatever you want...

February 4, 2009, 12:08 AM	#11
olddrum1 Senior Member Join Date: March 23, 2008 Location: Mid Missouri Posts: 807	If you are shooting in cold weather stay with the 7 1/2s. Modified will work well at the sixteen yard line, full by the 25 yard line. If you are serious about breaking birds use 1 1/8 ounce. You need to find a skeet field.

February 4, 2009, 12:47 AM	#12
jrothWA Senior Member Join Date: November 11, 2006 Posts: 2,519	If you stay at the 16 -20 yds station, ... the cylinder choke will work BUT you must be firing at the clay just as it starts leveling off from rising and before it drops, for use as a starter. The "CYL" choke is more open for a new shooter, too tight a choke can be frustrating. Are the barrel fixed chokes? Is the shotgun one that a new tubed barrel is made? If so, then consider buying a barrel with tubes, normally get three tubes, "Imp Cyl", "Mod" & "full". use the Imp cyl and as you get better switch to the mod or a "lite Mod" Use full when really experienced and shooting from the 25+ lane and further.

February 4, 2009, 01:44 AM	#13
Wuchak Senior Member Join Date: June 1, 2007 Location: Shawnee, KS Posts: 1,093	Skip the first day of shooting and use that money to buy the correct choke to use on the second (now first) day. You'll save yourself frustration. Why begin something that is already challenging and make it harder by not having the proper tool? A tube is only $15 - $40 depending on what gun you have.

February 5, 2009, 12:08 AM	#14
USA123456789 Senior Member Join Date: October 26, 2008 Location: Somewhere Posts: 123	Your so called *xperts* of trapshooting do not use a cylinder choke. Don't know where you had heard that from. I personally use the Xtra Full for everything but for you I would recommend a Improved modified it's not to full and not to open just right for the 16 yd line. And all the **PROS I know use an Xtra full Dave you have you sizes backwards a little bit there. If your like me at all I want to get my $6 worth a round and see an INK BALL every time with the shooting of that target and not chunks I want to just see ink. Thats what most of the pros** like to see too. __________________ You can never have to many hulls but, the man that dies with the most hulls wins USA USA USA USA

February 6, 2009, 08:09 PM	#15
perazzimx14 Senior Member Join Date: February 10, 2007 Posts: 130	Give a buddy your gun and choke tubes. Have him put either choke in and keep the other in his pocket. Do look at what he installed and go shooting. If you have never shot trap you most likely will only be shooting 16yrd targets. Either of you tubes will do fine. I will not buy a trap gun with screw-in choke tubes because you always keep in the back of you head, "do I have the right tube in for the conditions" Plus they are a pain in the a$$ to clean. I have fixed tubes in my O/U and shoot the bottom barrel from 16 to 27 yards. The top barrel is only for the second shot on doubles. Doesn't matter if it is hot,cold, sunny, cloudy, windy etc... I shoot with what I have.

February 6, 2009, 11:48 PM	#16
jrothWA Senior Member Join Date: November 11, 2006 Posts: 2,519	As a "EXPERT", I 've been using... a 1979 20ga Red Label Skt &Skt, for skeet and 16 yd trap shooting. As you know, the Skt chokes are 0.003 to 0.006 tighter than cylinder. I suggested that the original poster use what he has to know the rule of trap & skeet, then as HE acquires experience to make his own choices. Trap & Skeet shooting is all what a person think he can use. By the way I shoot "low gun" for skeet, what you use?