What would be a good choke for a .410 skeet gun?

80viking · September 22, 2014, 04:01 PM

With powder being hard to find these days I was thinking of finding myself a .410 o\u for the skeet range to help save on components and maybe even sharpen some skills. I'm just not sure what to look for as far as choking goes. I know there may not be many options.

Thanks, John

zippy13 · September 22, 2014, 05:18 PM

It's a no brainer, for shooting skeet you want skeet chokes. All my .410 comp O/Us are 12s with Briley tubes. I had a .410 framed skeet O/U, but it was light and whippy -- when I changed to the tubed 12-ga, my scores greatly improved. Yes, .410 are cheaper to reload -- the big savings being in shot.

BigJimP · September 22, 2014, 06:05 PM

I shoot a Skeet choke in my .410 for Skeet as well....

I find the .410 a little frustrating...in terms of its pattern size ( roughly 18" vs the normal 30" )....so I think a 28ga might be a better gun for you / and more versatile. You'll still need to reload to keep your costs down ...but the 28ga is easier to reload than the .410 as well ( and 3/4 oz loads in the 28ga vs the .410 ) will cost you a little more in shot...but I just like the 28ga a lot more.

I shoot a Skeet choke in my 28ga as well / unlike our friend Zippy - I have stand alone O/U's in 12ga, 20ga, 28ga and .410...../ mine are all Browning XS Skeet models with 30" barrels --- and the 20ga, 28ga and .410 were all built by Browning on their 20ga receiver...( as Browning will usually do on their 28ga and .410 models ). What Zippy says is true on a lot of .410's - being whippy --- but mine are 7.5 lb guns ( 30" barrels ) and I add about 8 oz of lead tape under the forend ...and 8oz inside the stock ...to bring them all up to 8.5 lbs and not change the balance point.
--------------
But you don't need sub gague guns to shoot lighter loads ...and save money on shot...there are a lot of loads in 3/4 oz for the 12ga and 20ga as well...
-------------
smaller patterns don't sharpen your skills in my view....they can cause all kinds of problems / its my view that most shooters are way better off shooting a 30" pattern ...and working on their fundamentals. You can tell when you center a target...

Dreaming100Straight · September 22, 2014, 07:02 PM

Perhaps BigJim only finds his .410 frustrating because it laughs at him.

zippy13 · September 22, 2014, 08:05 PM

Jim, my friend, I love the 28-ga, too -- too bad you can't shoot it in .410 events.

In competition, the .410 really separates the men from the boys.

BigJimP · September 24, 2014, 10:54 AM

It is pathetic ....that I let that little .410 shell intimidate me....

( but I hear it start to giggle when I put the gun in the case...."who are you kidding - you suck - you can't shoot this....")...

80viking · September 25, 2014, 11:27 AM

So it looks like a skeet choke is .005 tighter than cly. The problem is that the guns that I have available to me are choked either full/full or full/mod. I wonder how hard it would be to open things up enough to work for me so that I would not have to be a sharp shooter like the late great Tom Knapp.

Thanks, John

zippy13 · September 25, 2014, 04:41 PM

I've opened chokes (cheap screw-ins) with an automotive brake cylinder hone.

243winxb · September 25, 2014, 07:03 PM

The older Citori/ Miroku skeet 410s had the high comb like a trap gun and a longer LOP. Helps to keep from lifting the head to look for the bird. The fixed chokes run on the tight side. Mec charge bars throw lite when using magnum shot. Open it up for a full 1/2 oz. Pattern at 25 yards.

80viking · September 26, 2014, 09:42 AM

I shot a round of skeet last night with a Stoeger Condor .410 with full/full chokes. It went better than expected. I did well on 1 and 2 struggled in the middle got a couple on 6 and 7 and nothing on 8 for a total of 11. It was interesting because 2 of the broken clays were turned to absolute smoke and they were not close shots. I think with the chokes opened up my scores may be well up into the teens with this gun.

Dreaming100Straight · September 27, 2014, 12:24 PM

Another shooter is giving me a lot of help learning skeet. While most everyone is very helpful in pointing out things as we shoot a round, this guy suggests practicing by not shooting actual games, but concentrating on the stations that are most troublesome.

saltydog452 · September 27, 2014, 01:12 PM

Is there a competitive place for a 32 bore?

BigJimP · September 27, 2014, 04:55 PM

I'm assuming you mean a 32 gague....and no, there is no competition for it ( or for the 16ga or 10ga ) for that matter.....

32 gague is not popular ( in fact I've only seen 2 or 3 of them in side by sides in the last 25 yrs ) / and its slightly smaller than a 28ga and bigger than the .410.../ so I suppose in theory, as long as you don't shoot any pellets bigger than 7 1/2's....you could shoot it in 28ga , or 20ga or 12ga events...

but I can't think of a reason why you would...especially for the clay target games / and you would certainly have to reload it if you were going to shoot 4 or 5 boxes a day....

September 22, 2014, 04:01 PM	#1
80viking Senior Member Join Date: December 8, 2009 Location: The Peoples Republic of Massac Posts: 333	What would be a good choke for a .410 skeet gun? With powder being hard to find these days I was thinking of finding myself a .410 o\u for the skeet range to help save on components and maybe even sharpen some skills. I'm just not sure what to look for as far as choking goes. I know there may not be many options. Thanks, John

September 25, 2014, 11:27 AM	#7
80viking Senior Member Join Date: December 8, 2009 Location: The Peoples Republic of Massac Posts: 333	So it looks like a skeet choke is .005 tighter than cly. The problem is that the guns that I have available to me are choked either full/full or full/mod. I wonder how hard it would be to open things up enough to work for me so that I would not have to be a sharp shooter like the late great Tom Knapp. Thanks, John Last edited by 80viking; September 26, 2014 at 09:09 AM.

September 25, 2014, 07:03 PM	#9
243winxb Senior Member Join Date: July 26, 2011 Location: USA Posts: 1,730	410 skeet The older Citori/ Miroku skeet 410s had the high comb like a trap gun and a longer LOP. Helps to keep from lifting the head to look for the bird. The fixed chokes run on the tight side. Mec charge bars throw lite when using magnum shot. Open it up for a full 1/2 oz. Pattern at 25 yards.

September 27, 2014, 01:12 PM	#12
saltydog452 Senior Member Join Date: August 16, 2004 Posts: 516	32 bore. slight thread drift Is there a competitive place for a 32 bore? __________________ Bread and Circuses don't pay the Bills.

September 22, 2014, 05:18 PM	#2
zippy13 Senior Member Join Date: August 23, 2008 Location: SoCal Posts: 6,442	It's a no brainer, for shooting skeet you want skeet chokes. All my .410 comp O/Us are 12s with Briley tubes. I had a .410 framed skeet O/U, but it was light and whippy -- when I changed to the tubed 12-ga, my scores greatly improved. Yes, .410 are cheaper to reload -- the big savings being in shot.

September 22, 2014, 06:05 PM	#3
BigJimP Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 13,195	I shoot a Skeet choke in my .410 for Skeet as well.... I find the .410 a little frustrating...in terms of its pattern size ( roughly 18" vs the normal 30" )....so I think a 28ga might be a better gun for you / and more versatile. You'll still need to reload to keep your costs down ...but the 28ga is easier to reload than the .410 as well ( and 3/4 oz loads in the 28ga vs the .410 ) will cost you a little more in shot...but I just like the 28ga a lot more. I shoot a Skeet choke in my 28ga as well / unlike our friend Zippy - I have stand alone O/U's in 12ga, 20ga, 28ga and .410...../ mine are all Browning XS Skeet models with 30" barrels --- and the 20ga, 28ga and .410 were all built by Browning on their 20ga receiver...( as Browning will usually do on their 28ga and .410 models ). What Zippy says is true on a lot of .410's - being whippy --- but mine are 7.5 lb guns ( 30" barrels ) and I add about 8 oz of lead tape under the forend ...and 8oz inside the stock ...to bring them all up to 8.5 lbs and not change the balance point. -------------- But you don't need sub gague guns to shoot lighter loads ...and save money on shot...there are a lot of loads in 3/4 oz for the 12ga and 20ga as well... ------------- smaller patterns don't sharpen your skills in my view....they can cause all kinds of problems / its my view that most shooters are way better off shooting a 30" pattern ...and working on their fundamentals. You can tell when you center a target...

September 22, 2014, 07:02 PM	#4
Dreaming100Straight Senior Member Join Date: February 3, 2013 Posts: 1,235	Perhaps BigJim only finds his .410 frustrating because it laughs at him.

September 22, 2014, 08:05 PM	#5
zippy13 Senior Member Join Date: August 23, 2008 Location: SoCal Posts: 6,442	Jim, my friend, I love the 28-ga, too -- too bad you can't shoot it in .410 events. In competition, the .410 really separates the men from the boys.

September 24, 2014, 10:54 AM	#6
BigJimP Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 13,195	It is pathetic ....that I let that little .410 shell intimidate me.... ( but I hear it start to giggle when I put the gun in the case...."who are you kidding - you suck - you can't shoot this....")...

September 25, 2014, 04:41 PM	#8
zippy13 Senior Member Join Date: August 23, 2008 Location: SoCal Posts: 6,442	I've opened chokes (cheap screw-ins) with an automotive brake cylinder hone.

September 26, 2014, 09:42 AM	#10
80viking Senior Member Join Date: December 8, 2009 Location: The Peoples Republic of Massac Posts: 333	I shot a round of skeet last night with a Stoeger Condor .410 with full/full chokes. It went better than expected. I did well on 1 and 2 struggled in the middle got a couple on 6 and 7 and nothing on 8 for a total of 11. It was interesting because 2 of the broken clays were turned to absolute smoke and they were not close shots. I think with the chokes opened up my scores may be well up into the teens with this gun.

September 27, 2014, 12:24 PM	#11
Dreaming100Straight Senior Member Join Date: February 3, 2013 Posts: 1,235	Another shooter is giving me a lot of help learning skeet. While most everyone is very helpful in pointing out things as we shoot a round, this guy suggests practicing by not shooting actual games, but concentrating on the stations that are most troublesome.

September 27, 2014, 04:55 PM	#13
BigJimP Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 13,195	I'm assuming you mean a 32 gague....and no, there is no competition for it ( or for the 16ga or 10ga ) for that matter..... 32 gague is not popular ( in fact I've only seen 2 or 3 of them in side by sides in the last 25 yrs ) / and its slightly smaller than a 28ga and bigger than the .410.../ so I suppose in theory, as long as you don't shoot any pellets bigger than 7 1/2's....you could shoot it in 28ga , or 20ga or 12ga events... but I can't think of a reason why you would...especially for the clay target games / and you would certainly have to reload it if you were going to shoot 4 or 5 boxes a day....