Is it possible to thread for a choke on a sawn shotgun ?

RH · January 3, 2001, 09:34 AM

I have an old 20ga Ted Williams (High Standard) pump gun with an adjustable choke on a 27 inch barrel. I've checked it out, and it really has no collector value, since it's not labeled as a HS, but as a Ted Williams. It is rather unwieldy for HD use in a small condo. A couple of smiths will cut & crown the barrel for me, but none will attempt to reattach the choke. So, I thought maybe there was a way to tap threads inside a cut barrel to accept Rem choke tubes, to extend the usefulness of my shotgun.

PJR · January 3, 2001, 10:36 AM

Whether a gun can be threaded for choke tubes depends strictly on the barrel thickness. Briley http://www.briley.com has put tubes into very thin wall English guns so I would imagine putting them into your gun wouldn't be a challenge. As for doing it yourself, in theory you could order the necessary reamers from Brownells but doing this kind of work is probably best left to the experts.

The cost of putting in choke tubes may exceed the value of the gun itself and it would be money you wouldn't recover if you sold it because of the gun in question. If it were my gun I would cut it and crown it and put the money I was planning to spend on choke tube installation on another gun.

Final point, should the worst happen and you need to use the gun for HD it will be seized and spend time in a police locker. Better to have a second gun.

Dave McC · January 3, 2001, 01:11 PM

Choke is meaningless at HD ranges. My HD 870 is chokeless(cut bbl) and has a 10 yard pattern of 3-5",and that's further than any possible shot in here.

Cut bbls can be threaded for tubes. The bbl on the bird 870 was shortened from 28" to 21" and threaded. The question here is,"Is this a wise use of the money?".

Ron L · January 3, 2001, 09:37 PM

I'm looking into doing the same for an Ithaca Model 51. I was quoted a price of around $150 and that would also include the cost of two chokes.

For me, it's worth the cost. It's a nice gun that was given to my son as a gift and it's just too long and unweildy (sp?) for him to use right now. With the barrel cut down to around 20" and with some screw-in chokes, it should make a real nice field gun for him.

Ron
Detroit Area Chapter
Terra Haute Torque & Recoil Society

James K · January 3, 2001, 10:12 PM

You might want to check the original choke. Most of those were not screwed on, but soft soldered after the barrel was turned down. If this is the case with yours, it should be a simple matter for the smith to remove the choke from the old piece of tube, turn down the barrel and reattach the choke.

Jim

George Stringer · January 4, 2001, 08:50 AM

RH, either installing screw-in chokes or as Jim said using the original choke would work. Since the guys in your local area aren't interested in it you can e-mail me if you like. I'd be happy to do either for you. You can check out the prices at http://www.stringergunsmithing.com. The site's still under construction but the Gunsmithing Services and Refinishing pages are done. George

January 3, 2001, 09:34 AM	#1
RH Senior Member Join Date: June 17, 1999 Posts: 532	I have an old 20ga Ted Williams (High Standard) pump gun with an adjustable choke on a 27 inch barrel. I've checked it out, and it really has no collector value, since it's not labeled as a HS, but as a Ted Williams. It is rather unwieldy for HD use in a small condo. A couple of smiths will cut & crown the barrel for me, but none will attempt to reattach the choke. So, I thought maybe there was a way to tap threads inside a cut barrel to accept Rem choke tubes, to extend the usefulness of my shotgun.

January 3, 2001, 10:36 AM	#2
PJR Senior Member Join Date: May 31, 2000 Posts: 1,127	Whether a gun can be threaded for choke tubes depends strictly on the barrel thickness. Briley http://www.briley.com has put tubes into very thin wall English guns so I would imagine putting them into your gun wouldn't be a challenge. As for doing it yourself, in theory you could order the necessary reamers from Brownells but doing this kind of work is probably best left to the experts. The cost of putting in choke tubes may exceed the value of the gun itself and it would be money you wouldn't recover if you sold it because of the gun in question. If it were my gun I would cut it and crown it and put the money I was planning to spend on choke tube installation on another gun. Final point, should the worst happen and you need to use the gun for HD it will be seized and spend time in a police locker. Better to have a second gun.

January 3, 2001, 01:11 PM	#3
Dave McC Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 13, 1999 Location: Columbia, Md, USA Posts: 8,811	Choke is meaningless at HD ranges. My HD 870 is chokeless(cut bbl) and has a 10 yard pattern of 3-5",and that's further than any possible shot in here. Cut bbls can be threaded for tubes. The bbl on the bird 870 was shortened from 28" to 21" and threaded. The question here is,"Is this a wise use of the money?".

January 3, 2001, 09:37 PM	#4
Ron L Senior Member Join Date: March 16, 1999 Location: Livonia, MI USA Posts: 386	I'm looking into doing the same for an Ithaca Model 51. I was quoted a price of around $150 and that would also include the cost of two chokes. For me, it's worth the cost. It's a nice gun that was given to my son as a gift and it's just too long and unweildy (sp?) for him to use right now. With the barrel cut down to around 20" and with some screw-in chokes, it should make a real nice field gun for him. Ron Detroit Area Chapter Terra Haute Torque & Recoil Society

January 3, 2001, 10:12 PM	#5
James K Member In Memoriam Join Date: March 17, 1999 Posts: 24,383	You might want to check the original choke. Most of those were not screwed on, but soft soldered after the barrel was turned down. If this is the case with yours, it should be a simple matter for the smith to remove the choke from the old piece of tube, turn down the barrel and reattach the choke. Jim

January 4, 2001, 08:50 AM	#6
George Stringer Staff Alumnus Join Date: October 12, 1998 Location: Earlington KY Posts: 2,299	RH, either installing screw-in chokes or as Jim said using the original choke would work. Since the guys in your local area aren't interested in it you can e-mail me if you like. I'd be happy to do either for you. You can check out the prices at http://www.stringergunsmithing.com. The site's still under construction but the Gunsmithing Services and Refinishing pages are done. George