Chokes question

JLK · March 2, 2014, 04:26 PM

I am new to shooting trap, I have a 12guage with 28 inch. Barrel .
What chokes would you recommend I have a skeet and ic in now .
Also using AA what size is best, low velocity or 1300 fps skeet load?
And finally do you really tell the difference with chokes with a 5%
Reduction in recoil?
Thanks lot of questions

NoSecondBest · March 2, 2014, 05:03 PM

Trap shooters usually use a Full or Improved Mod chokes. Many use Full and Full. I'm not sure what you mean by 5% reduction in recoil attributed to a choke. Chokes don't reduce recoil at all. If you're shooting trap, spend some time talking to other shooters and you'll find out where to point the gun in relation to the house before calling for the bird and what shells they are using. Trap usually is shot with shot size seven and a half. You'll learn a lot more at the range than you will on here on what you need and how to do it. Good luck and shoot safe.

JLK · March 2, 2014, 05:29 PM

Bailey chokes offer an extended choke that is ported claiming
A 5 % reduction in recoil, if any one on this forum has used these
I wondered if they can tell the difference in 5 % reduction.

NoSecondBest · March 2, 2014, 07:19 PM

Most of my shotguns are ported. I sent them out to get this done. The reality is that I can't really tell the difference. I don't think it did much for me. I also shot a lot of shotgun competitivley. I can't see using a ported choke making any discernible difference.

BigJimP · March 2, 2014, 07:23 PM

From the 16 yard line ...if you're getting on your targets the way you should, shooting them when they are still rising ( not when they are flattening out or dropping )....you'll be breaking them at about 35 - 40 yds from where you stand ( 16 yds) ....so a Modified choke is plenty. If I shoot Trap singles at the 21 - 23 yd lines I tighten up to an Imp Modified... and at 24 - 27 yds ( where I have no business shooting from - I go to a Full choke).

In terms of shells..../ for 16 yd Trap singles.... 7/8 oz or 1 oz of shot ...either in 9's, or 8's is plenty ...and at 1150 fps is fast enough..../ you don't need 1 1/8 oz of shot and you sure don't need anything at 1300 fps...

Having said that....my primary shell for many years in a 12ga ...has been 1 oz of 8's right around 1225 fps...and I use the same shell....for Trap singles from the 16 - or back to the 20 yd line, and Skeet, sporting clays or 5 stand...
-------------
Briley is a solid company ...and I won't downgrade their assertions...but I don't think ported chokes make enough difference that I could ever tell ...
--------------
I'm not a big time Trap shooter.....but when I shoot Trap, my primary gun, is a Citori XT Trap, a 10 lb O/U with 32" barrels, a Gra Coil system installed...and I use the Midas grade Browning extended chokes....so adding a ported screw in choke, wouldn't make much difference in my case.
-------------
With the cost of shot going up all the time, I have transitioned most of my 12ga practice loads to 7/8 oz of 9's for Skeet...and I've been trying to work on a 3/4 oz load of 9's as well for skeet ...but I'm having trouble with the crimps / but the 7/8 oz loads of 9's or 8's break Trap singles very well / or at least well enough for me to average about a 94 out of 100. While scores like that won't win any tournaments ...its all I want out of my Trap shooting.

Just a note: but serious Trap shooters would threaten to sell their gun - if they averaged a 94.../ 98's or better are the norm for serious competitive Trap shooters.../ and for guys that shoot that well...yes, I will see many of them shooting Imp Mod or Full chokes.../ but the rest of us don't need chokes that tight to break Trap targets, in my view.

Barrel length ...doesn't affect the load or choke you should use / barrel length, affects the length of your sight plane...and swing characteristics. In Trap, where there isn't much right to left/ or left to righ -- barrel movement ...most of us want heavier and longer guns...so we can smooth out the follow thru / the gun maintains its momentum as you execute your shot better with a longer and heavier gun / where that Trap gun is too long and too heavy for effective all around shooting for Skeet or Sporting clays...where I go with an 8 1/2lb gun with 30" barrels..

But the gun you have is just fine.../ and lighten up on those shells...to reduce recoil and maybe get better patterns. If you don't have a Mod choke ...then shoot the IC ...and maybe go with a shell of 7.5's...instead of 8's or 9's..

JLK · March 2, 2014, 09:18 PM

Thanks Big Jim that was very helpful information.

Dreaming100Straight · March 3, 2014, 02:19 AM

BigJim knows of which he speaks, but I would add that some advocate using a full choke from the 16 yard line in order to force them to center their pattern.

I did that for a while, but have gone to using an improved modified as I am beginning to shoot a little quicker and break the targets closer in. As I hit them even closer in, I am experimenting with using a modified.

Bake · March 3, 2014, 02:25 AM

Times 2 w/ Big Jim.

Jim,
Knew a guy who put a Briley 20 ga. tube in his Browning BT99. His load was 3/4 oz. of #8's, around 1200 fps. His average was around 96.?, so I need a "GOOD Day" for me to take him at the 16...

BigJimP · March 3, 2014, 12:53 PM

I shot my Citori XS Skeet model...30" barrels...28ga a couple of weeks ago for 2 rounds of Trap ( just to mess with the Trap Shooters a little )....I made sure they all saw I was shooting a 28ga.../ and a pair of Mod chokes.... with my typical 28ga reload of 3/4 oz of 9's at 1200 fps...in Rem STS hulls.

I'd been shooting Skeet with it ( with skeet chokes ) ...and my son wanted to shoot a couple lines of Trap ..so I just changed the chokes and went out with the squad he signed us up on ( didn't want to get another gun dirty ...)..

I managed a 48 ( a 25 and a 23 )/ missed one on station 4 and one on station 5 -- but not because of the gague or the loads ( I flat out flinched and made a bad move on both targets - when my eyes blurred out )...and that's as good as I can shoot anyway...even with a 12ga. My son is 35 now ....and he's still mumbling about getting whipped by a 28ga....keeps the young buck humble.../but he shot ok with a 42 or so, for a young guy that only gets to shoot 5 or 6 times a year - he's raising 2 of my grandkids.

My wife says I should feel guilty about beating him ...over sunday dinner with the rest of the family .../ but that's not going to ever happen....he has to earn it !!

...and he wouldn't want it any other way either.

But the 3 serious Trap shooters on the squad....all beat me in the 2nd round..with 24's or 25's.../but I held my own...at least that day ! They weren't "12ga" breaks....I chipped my way thru both rounds...but a dead bird is a dead bird.../ but I hit enough of them square - that you still know when you center the pattern on a target.../ as in all clay target shooting, a lot of this is confidence - and good fundamentals...and I really like my 28ga ( its a gun built on the 20ga receiver in the Citori XS skeet model...and I was lucky to pick up a new in box - pair...one in 28ga and one in .410 ...both with 30" barrels...( so I have a 20ga, 28ga and .410 ) that are virtually identical.

http://thefiringline.com/forums/atta...1&d=1339792349

Top gun is the 12ga...then the 20ga, 28ga and .410 ...( all XS Skeet models)...which, I am sad to say, Browning has now removed from their online catalog in all gagues...

Bake · March 3, 2014, 04:19 PM

Big Jim,

"GOOD TIMES"

March 2, 2014, 04:26 PM	#1
JLK Senior Member Join Date: October 1, 2001 Posts: 135	Chokes question I am new to shooting trap, I have a 12guage with 28 inch. Barrel . What chokes would you recommend I have a skeet and ic in now . Also using AA what size is best, low velocity or 1300 fps skeet load? And finally do you really tell the difference with chokes with a 5% Reduction in recoil? Thanks lot of questions __________________ Rsrc

March 2, 2014, 05:29 PM	#3
JLK Senior Member Join Date: October 1, 2001 Posts: 135	Bailey chokes offer an extended choke that is ported claiming A 5 % reduction in recoil, if any one on this forum has used these I wondered if they can tell the difference in 5 % reduction. __________________ Rsrc

March 2, 2014, 07:23 PM	#5
BigJimP Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 13,195	From the 16 yard line ...if you're getting on your targets the way you should, shooting them when they are still rising ( not when they are flattening out or dropping )....you'll be breaking them at about 35 - 40 yds from where you stand ( 16 yds) ....so a Modified choke is plenty. If I shoot Trap singles at the 21 - 23 yd lines I tighten up to an Imp Modified... and at 24 - 27 yds ( where I have no business shooting from - I go to a Full choke). In terms of shells..../ for 16 yd Trap singles.... 7/8 oz or 1 oz of shot ...either in 9's, or 8's is plenty ...and at 1150 fps is fast enough..../ you don't need 1 1/8 oz of shot and you sure don't need anything at 1300 fps... Having said that....my primary shell for many years in a 12ga ...has been 1 oz of 8's right around 1225 fps...and I use the same shell....for Trap singles from the 16 - or back to the 20 yd line, and Skeet, sporting clays or 5 stand... ------------- Briley is a solid company ...and I won't downgrade their assertions...but I don't think ported chokes make enough difference that I could ever tell ... -------------- I'm not a big time Trap shooter.....but when I shoot Trap, my primary gun, is a Citori XT Trap, a 10 lb O/U with 32" barrels, a Gra Coil system installed...and I use the Midas grade Browning extended chokes....so adding a ported screw in choke, wouldn't make much difference in my case. ------------- With the cost of shot going up all the time, I have transitioned most of my 12ga practice loads to 7/8 oz of 9's for Skeet...and I've been trying to work on a 3/4 oz load of 9's as well for skeet ...but I'm having trouble with the crimps / but the 7/8 oz loads of 9's or 8's break Trap singles very well / or at least well enough for me to average about a 94 out of 100. While scores like that won't win any tournaments ...its all I want out of my Trap shooting. Just a note: but serious Trap shooters would threaten to sell their gun - if they averaged a 94.../ 98's or better are the norm for serious competitive Trap shooters.../ and for guys that shoot that well...yes, I will see many of them shooting Imp Mod or Full chokes.../ but the rest of us don't need chokes that tight to break Trap targets, in my view. Barrel length ...doesn't affect the load or choke you should use / barrel length, affects the length of your sight plane...and swing characteristics. In Trap, where there isn't much right to left/ or left to righ -- barrel movement ...most of us want heavier and longer guns...so we can smooth out the follow thru / the gun maintains its momentum as you execute your shot better with a longer and heavier gun / where that Trap gun is too long and too heavy for effective all around shooting for Skeet or Sporting clays...where I go with an 8 1/2lb gun with 30" barrels.. But the gun you have is just fine.../ and lighten up on those shells...to reduce recoil and maybe get better patterns. If you don't have a Mod choke ...then shoot the IC ...and maybe go with a shell of 7.5's...instead of 8's or 9's.. Last edited by BigJimP; March 2, 2014 at 07:33 PM.

March 2, 2014, 09:18 PM	#6
JLK Senior Member Join Date: October 1, 2001 Posts: 135	Thanks Big Jim that was very helpful information. __________________ Rsrc

March 3, 2014, 12:53 PM	#9
BigJimP Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 13,195	I shot my Citori XS Skeet model...30" barrels...28ga a couple of weeks ago for 2 rounds of Trap ( just to mess with the Trap Shooters a little )....I made sure they all saw I was shooting a 28ga.../ and a pair of Mod chokes.... with my typical 28ga reload of 3/4 oz of 9's at 1200 fps...in Rem STS hulls. I'd been shooting Skeet with it ( with skeet chokes ) ...and my son wanted to shoot a couple lines of Trap ..so I just changed the chokes and went out with the squad he signed us up on ( didn't want to get another gun dirty ...).. I managed a 48 ( a 25 and a 23 )/ missed one on station 4 and one on station 5 -- but not because of the gague or the loads ( I flat out flinched and made a bad move on both targets - when my eyes blurred out )...and that's as good as I can shoot anyway...even with a 12ga. My son is 35 now ....and he's still mumbling about getting whipped by a 28ga....keeps the young buck humble.../but he shot ok with a 42 or so, for a young guy that only gets to shoot 5 or 6 times a year - he's raising 2 of my grandkids. My wife says I should feel guilty about beating him ...over sunday dinner with the rest of the family .../ but that's not going to ever happen....he has to earn it !! ...and he wouldn't want it any other way either. But the 3 serious Trap shooters on the squad....all beat me in the 2nd round..with 24's or 25's.../but I held my own...at least that day ! They weren't "12ga" breaks....I chipped my way thru both rounds...but a dead bird is a dead bird.../ but I hit enough of them square - that you still know when you center the pattern on a target.../ as in all clay target shooting, a lot of this is confidence - and good fundamentals...and I really like my 28ga ( its a gun built on the 20ga receiver in the Citori XS skeet model...and I was lucky to pick up a new in box - pair...one in 28ga and one in .410 ...both with 30" barrels...( so I have a 20ga, 28ga and .410 ) that are virtually identical. http://thefiringline.com/forums/atta...1&d=1339792349 Top gun is the 12ga...then the 20ga, 28ga and .410 ...( all XS Skeet models)...which, I am sad to say, Browning has now removed from their online catalog in all gagues... Last edited by BigJimP; March 3, 2014 at 01:03 PM.

March 2, 2014, 05:03 PM	#2
NoSecondBest Senior Member Join Date: December 7, 2009 Location: Western New York Posts: 2,736	Trap shooters usually use a Full or Improved Mod chokes. Many use Full and Full. I'm not sure what you mean by 5% reduction in recoil attributed to a choke. Chokes don't reduce recoil at all. If you're shooting trap, spend some time talking to other shooters and you'll find out where to point the gun in relation to the house before calling for the bird and what shells they are using. Trap usually is shot with shot size seven and a half. You'll learn a lot more at the range than you will on here on what you need and how to do it. Good luck and shoot safe.

March 2, 2014, 07:19 PM	#4
NoSecondBest Senior Member Join Date: December 7, 2009 Location: Western New York Posts: 2,736	Most of my shotguns are ported. I sent them out to get this done. The reality is that I can't really tell the difference. I don't think it did much for me. I also shot a lot of shotgun competitivley. I can't see using a ported choke making any discernible difference.

March 3, 2014, 02:19 AM	#7
Dreaming100Straight Senior Member Join Date: February 3, 2013 Posts: 1,235	BigJim knows of which he speaks, but I would add that some advocate using a full choke from the 16 yard line in order to force them to center their pattern. I did that for a while, but have gone to using an improved modified as I am beginning to shoot a little quicker and break the targets closer in. As I hit them even closer in, I am experimenting with using a modified.

March 3, 2014, 02:25 AM	#8
Bake Senior Member Join Date: November 11, 2012 Location: San Joaquin Valley, Calif. Posts: 482	Times 2 w/ Big Jim. Jim, Knew a guy who put a Briley 20 ga. tube in his Browning BT99. His load was 3/4 oz. of #8's, around 1200 fps. His average was around 96.?, so I need a "GOOD Day" for me to take him at the 16... __________________ 1. The pattern board is your friend, use the Dam thing!!! 2. The maximum range of a firearm and/or cartridge, is usually measured in miles, and means nothing. 2a. The effective range of a firearm and/or cartridge, is usually (the ability of the shooter) measured in yards, and means everything.

March 3, 2014, 04:19 PM	#10
Bake Senior Member Join Date: November 11, 2012 Location: San Joaquin Valley, Calif. Posts: 482	Big Jim, "GOOD TIMES" __________________ 1. The pattern board is your friend, use the Dam thing!!! 2. The maximum range of a firearm and/or cartridge, is usually measured in miles, and means nothing. 2a. The effective range of a firearm and/or cartridge, is usually (the ability of the shooter) measured in yards, and means everything.