shooting clays with Muller chokes...

[Slugo]

after hearing all the hoopla, I decided to give Muller choke tubes a try. Ordered a pair for my 32" Browning 725 Sporting. Bought the equivalent to IC/LM -- in Muller language that's their U1/U2 combination.

Went out this past Saturday to try them out for the first time. Now mind you, the original Browning DS chokes performed very well. But, I have to admit the Muller's performance beat the Brownings by a pretty wide margin. Patterning was better and tighter, and the weight difference was big! The Muller tubes are less than half the weight of the factory tubes and twice as strong. Easy to clean also. The breaks were hard and literally crushed the targets, nothing but dust if you did your part.

Anyway, just thought some of you target shooters might be interested. Happy Holidays guys...

[buckhorn_cortez]

I have Muller chokes in my Beretta SV10 Prevail. What I found was the Muller chokes and Beretta factory chokes were about equal for the percentage of pellets in a 30-inch circle.

However, there was a huge difference in quality of the patterns. The factory chokes had an average of 10 holes in the pattern with a greater amount of pellet clumping. The Muller pellet distribution patterns were far more even when evaluated in 10, 20, and 30-inch circles with an average of 5 holes in the 30-inch pattern and minimal shot clumping.

The interesting part of the pattern testing was that if you just visually evaluated the patterns without counting pellets, the Muller choke gave the impression of having far more pellets in the pattern circle because of the even pellet distribution. The person who actually shot the tests for me was totally surprised when I told him there was only a 1% pellet count difference between the Muller choke and the Beretta choke.

There is a design difference between the Beretta factory chokes and the Muller chokes. The factory chokes are a continuous taper design, while the Muller chokes for the Beretta are a taper from the breach end of the choke to a parallel section about 1-inch long to the muzzle end of the choke.

The next question for testing is to compare the Muller chokes against a choke of the same design - taper / parallel. In theory, one would expect no difference between the Muller and another manufacturer if the designs are the same - I'm testing that now using a Trulock choke.

[Slugo]

Very interesting data. Thanks for the response.

[buckhorn_cortez]

I have been using the U1 / U2 combination for trap. I have found on doubles, that the second clay gets a bit too far out for me to hit it solidly with the U2. So, I'm changing to the U1 / U3 for doubles.


I tried a U2 / U3 combination for doubles and my percentage went down on the first clay and went up on the second which is why I'm trying the U1 / U3.

I don't shoot registered targets and do all of this just for fun - part of it being finding out what works in my gun for me - and also attempting to find out why it works.

[Slugo]

I just ordered another U1. I shoot mostly sporting clays on short to medium length courses. I also shoot standard ATA 16 yard and also wobble trap which is growing more popular day by day. I can dust most courses with a SK or IC choke, but the U2 is so good it hammers clays up to 65 yards. I have little to no need for anything tighter...

[BigD_in_FL]

It's the stroke, not the choke - BUT if anything you do or use gives you that much extra confidence, then use it......

[zippy13]

It's the stroke, not the choke - BUT if anything you do or use gives you that much extra confidence, then use it......

+1

[Slugo]

Big-D, can't disagree!! But even a pro-photographer gets better with a full-frame Nikon DSLR!!

[BigD_in_FL]

And then you have King George who has fixed chokes and is best in the world.........

[BigJimP]

Personally, I like changing chokes...if for no other reason than aggravating my friend Big D....
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Interesting comparison...but I'll stick with the Browning Midas grade chokes in all of my Citori's...

[BigD_in_FL]

Since I am mostly shooting a gas gun these days I DO change a choke now and again. I carry a M to go along with the IC. One of these days I'll just buy the LM and leave it alone

[BigJimP]

Come on man, get a cigar case and splurge ....and get a set of 6 chokes for that thing....( 5 in your pocket and one in the pipe ).....

a Cylinder
a Skeet
an Improved Cylinder
a Modified
an Improved Modified
and a Full

............. I know you want to .....

[Slugo]

BigD--the LM gives you the best of all worlds. Shoot the whole course with it!!

[buckhorn_cortez]

But even a pro-photographer gets better with a full-frame Nikon DSLR!!

Mmmmm...maybe. The technical quality of the image may be improved, but the camera isn't going to help you be more creative or see a photograph better. I did a magazine cover about 10 years ago with a Holga so it looked like a 1950's summertime vacation photo.

Hard to beat a $25 camera with a plastic lens & some light leaks for that type of look.

I have an assortment of cameras and end up using a Leica M8 for most everything I shoot now.

[Virginian]

Oh my, the Mueller Mafia has arrived on The Firing Line.

[BigD_in_FL]

Jim, I got three with the gun, and another 6 with my other A400 but no LM so I have them, but carrying all that crap around the course takes up space and weight and I walk the sporting courses; Slugo has it right and I came REAL close to buying one from my local sporting clays place, but the brand he sells has way too many reports of it patterning one constriction tighter, so the LM should be more like a M, which I have. Might just have to go get another Briley or maybe a Trulock

[Slugo]

buckhorn, you know photography. Here's my first Nikon. Bought it back in 1972 for $460! Had the meter recalibrated so I can use alkaline batteries. Nikon Ftn...

[buckhorn_cortez]

buckhorn, you know photography. Here's my first Nikon. Bought it back in 1972 for $460! Had the meter recalibrated so I can use alkaline batteries. Nikon Ftn...

Have the same camera purchased in 1967 along with an F penta prism - and then added an F2. None of mine look that nice as they've been used heavily. Put away the F's when mercury batteries were discontinued and went to an N90 and an M6.

Glad to see Nikon is attempting to change the digital SLR size of brick form factor paradigm with the new Nikon Df - may have to look at one of those.

[Slugo]

here's my current rig, a soon to be axed D90 with a bunch of lenses and speedlights. Still works, but I use my iPhone allot...

[BigJimP]

I walk the sporting courses too.....but at least get a "rugged gear" push cart..../ carry a little extra water, a few more shells, raingear.....whatever...( and chokes )...

[BigD_in_FL]

I have my homemade cart from a three wheel golf bag one:

[IMG][/IMG]

[BigJimP]

Ok, that works too...( but mine will carry 2 guns - so I can make my buddy - or one of the kids - push it ) ..???

an older version of this one ....

http://www.ruggedgear.com/index.cfm/...rod/prd308.htm

in case guys have no idea what we're talking about ...

[Slugo]

how about this one! My good friend Dave Buffington built it. Automatic ammo feed and attached liquid hydration unit!!

[BigJimP]

Not bad....the guy had some imagination...

( but what if you want to carry 5 boxes of 1 oz of 8's / 2 boxes of 1 oz of 9's / and a box of 1 1/8 oz of 7 1/2's.....( just dig thru the tube...)....

[BigD_in_FL]

That little black bag on mine came with the cart - the bottom half is a cooler and has a blue ice thingy that came as well; but most courses now have water all over the place, so that means more room for other stuff........like snacks...............