I'm old school I guess...and shoot a full choke from the 16 on back, and for doubles.

I don't really like the quality of my second target break, probably because it's farther out than it should be when I hit it (almost at the stake sometimes)..and was wondering if anyone ever shot anything tighter than full at the second target in trap doubles.

I would have already have tried a extra full choke if I had one...just to see what it did.

Anyone else ever have that itch....thoughts?

Stan...

If you check out the sporting clays chokes thread you will find some people recommending IC or LM for all targets no matter the distance. Just remember that free advice is worth what it costs.

Leo

You have to learn how to break the first bird quickly. That is how to solve your problem. A skeet choke on the first shot and a mod. choke on the second shot can make the game a lot easier. HMB

10 Thousanths constriction on the first shot 20 thousanths constriction on the second.. Smokes em Full Choke ?? Shoot faster !!! and Don't watch the first one break !!

The chokes that I've always used for Doubles is a .025 constriction (Modified) for the First shot, and a .035 Constriction (Full) for the second shot. when I'm in the middle of them I smoke 'em pretty well, And I'm not the fastest doubles shooter by any means. But I also shoot in high elevations and low humidity, so it doesn't take much constriction to get a smoke ball. I'd stick with the full though, just because with experience comes speed, and I'm sure in no time you'll be breaking them like Leo :)

Just my (limited) experience; I recently changed from shooting a 0.015" (LM) for my first shot and a 0.025" (IM) for my second shot to a 0.010" (IC) for my first shot and a 0.020" (M) for my second shot. I had been a class "C" doubles shooter with a .8333 average, but I have had some higher 80's score and at the time my high score ever was a 91.

When I switched to the IC/M set-up, the first time I tried it, I shot my "then" all-time high score of 96 !!! Since then I have been shooting 95's and 96's (with an occasional 89 or so), but finished up shooting my new all-time high of 98 at our Texas State trapshoot, right after I have moved up to class "B", and all this was after changing to IC/M. Now I do shoot relatively fast, but I sure like my new set-up. I guess it might also be that I am finally shooting enough doubles to start getting a better "feel" for what I am doing.

Mike Hessong* (MH*)

Victoria (Texas) Skeet and Trap Club

Since advice is free I won't give any that is worth anything....lol!! I use 7/8 oz 8.5 shot at 1250 fps thru a light mod. choke, and for the second shot I use 1 1/8 of 7.5 at 1145 fps thru a light full choke.

First Bird--Light Mod.----Second Bird--Light Full. Works for me. joe90t

My thoughts .......

If your a fast doubles shooter you dont need anymore than F ....or LF

I think Extra full might be too tight to stuff 1-1/8oz through without somehow having an effect on pattern.

Ive found that when I shoot 1oz with F it patterns nice and smokes them.

For 1-1/8 I use LM or LF , It will allow a for nice patterns...

this is were you need to go to your pattern board and see how your loads are effected ......

see you at the club :o)

I do fine shooting IC and Mod for doubles. I don't even own a full choke and do just fine. I guess I am not old school. If you are not happy with your second shot breaks with a full choke, then you are not centering the target. It is not a choke issue. Have you tried patterning your gun to see where it is shooting at 40 yds.?

If you aren't getting smoke on that second target using a full choke then you just aren't on the target. A commonly used doubles choke combo is Mod and IMOD and that will smoke the targets provided you are on them.

I would look to other causes.

Well...I'm very new at doubles and over careeful, I know I shoot slower than the "big guns" and could stand to pick up the pace. I'm sure I would like the breaks better if I shot quicker.

The distance doesn't bother me so I'm not worrying about speed right now. I have always had to shoot tighter chokes than the norm....but that's another can of worms.

I'm not sure my breaks arn't as good as they should be...just arn't as good I would like them to be. So I thought I'd ask...mostly just to see if there was anyone that shot tighter than normal chokes (like myself at most things). It's mental for me, I guess....if I have loose chokes...I figure the pattern should do all the work, and I don't bear down or something...and shoot like crap. Then when I screw in some tight chokes, I dot the I's and cross the T's...just like back out on the farm 50 something years ago.

I've been looking at these new fangled chokes that stick out of the barrell...but I see guys messing wth them all the time like they are afraid they have become loose. That would be be the s**tz if they did get loose and messed up my choke threads. I'm pretty sure I would forget check them all the time. They seem expensive too...do they help that much?

Thanks guys, As usual...always a lot of great input.

Best regrads...Stan

Tighter choke won't help you, you're shooting too slow.

John C. Saubak

Stan, you want to get better at doubles?.............. get a Terry Jordan wall chart and a couple snap caps. Practice the move from each station, click click. Teach your muscle memmory but..............better than that teach your eye to leave the 1st target at the snap and look for the second. Most second birds that are missed is because a persons eye follows the beads to the bird, you need to train the eye to find the second bird and the gun will go to the bird and smoke it. I raised my doubles average 6 birds by just doing that. So there you have it, technique not choke, at first. And just for confirmation I have an older gun, fixed full top barrel (.040 constriction) but.......... my new one will be a lot more open. I use skeet for first bird, Like to get on it quick right out of the house. That is another way to get more time on second bird, get your gun down on the house, get that 1st bird quick, with some practice you CAN get that first bird 3' to 6' above the house, you know where it is coming from. All my second bird misses come from following the beads over and not spotting bird first. Good luck! Ideal chokes, when technigue is good, Skeet/Mod YMMV. Scott

Scott hit it on the head !

I shoot the same as voodoochild, .025 and .035. That pretty well smokes both targets. As mentioned earlier, get your eyes on that second target as quickly as possible; your barrels will follow. The speed will come as your confidence grows.

Steve

AA...Now we're talking..ha ha...

Mod and Full is something I can do!.. looser than that..and I mght as well go home. I wouldn't hit 20% of them...because I would count on the pattern to cover the whole western hemisphere....lol.

Thanks everyone.. Best regards..Stan..