I am getting my "Ducks” in a row (pun intended) for this upcoming season. There are a couple of 3" 870 and 1100's that I can pick up at a reasonable price. However, all are fixed full chokes. I have always used modified for steel in my 2 ¾” 870, and the 3”modified’s are safe queens. Can some one tell me from their own actual experience if it's a bad idea and the pro's or cons of shooting steel through a fixed full choke. Will it blow up, stretch it out or split it. It seems that it may have an adverse effect on the pattern at first. I am one who goes by the rules and won’t risk injury to life and limb, if it’s a bad idea please speak up. When I find the appropriate barrel configuration I will buy, but I am curious about this issue. Thanks for you thoughts. Dave
Steel Shot thru a Full Fixed Choke
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I am getting my "Ducks” in a row (pun intended) for this upcoming season. There are a couple of 3" 870 and 1100's that I can pick up at a reasonable price. However, all are fixed full chokes. I have always used modified for steel in my 2 ¾” 870, and the 3”modified’s are safe queens. Can some one tell me from their own actual experience if it's a bad idea and the pro's or cons of shooting steel through a fixed full choke. Will it blow up, stretch it out or split it. It seems that it may have an adverse effect on the pattern at first. I am one who goes by the rules and won’t risk injury to life and limb, if it’s a bad idea please speak up. When I find the appropriate barrel configuration I will buy, but I am curious about this issue. Thanks for you thoughts. Dave
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16,409 Posts
Shooting steel through them will in time "pound" out what ever choke they had.
Find a good smith and install choke tubes, if your bound and determined to go this route.
Find a good smith and install choke tubes, if your bound and determined to go this route.
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50 Posts
I have fixed choked 3" 870's and Mod 12 3" waterfowl guns , one is .017
constriction and the other is .025 . I choose to have these opened up to
shoot steel shot Duck loads . The .025 , I shoot up to #2's in shot size
and the .017 ,I shoot 1's and BB's through it .
I had Kirk Merrington in Kerrville TX do the work and I couldn't be happier
with this guns . They out perform all my choke tube guns ,with my reloads !
I've been shooting these for a long time and I see no damage whatsoever .
Hope this helps
constriction and the other is .025 . I choose to have these opened up to
shoot steel shot Duck loads . The .025 , I shoot up to #2's in shot size
and the .017 ,I shoot 1's and BB's through it .
I had Kirk Merrington in Kerrville TX do the work and I couldn't be happier
with this guns . They out perform all my choke tube guns ,with my reloads !
I've been shooting these for a long time and I see no damage whatsoever .
Hope this helps
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1,172 Posts
I called and ask Remington this question, They told me as long as I didn't use shot bigger than a steel #2 that it would not hurt a full choke. But you can ask them yourself by calling 1-800-243-9700 and talking to technical support. That might make you feel better about it than anything we say on here.
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7,989 Posts
Mark...
You're right, but I think he was alluding to practicing for upcoming season...
TM...
Thanks for that Remmy update...
Personally I use a fixed full 90T for my trapshooting and #1 Invector+ in my BT99 guest gun, but then I only throw #7s or on occasion some #6 steel for game shooting...
regards all,
Jay
You're right, but I think he was alluding to practicing for upcoming season...
TM...
Thanks for that Remmy update...
Personally I use a fixed full 90T for my trapshooting and #1 Invector+ in my BT99 guest gun, but then I only throw #7s or on occasion some #6 steel for game shooting...
regards all,
Jay
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50 Posts
When I tried shooting steel shot sizes 3's and 2's through my stock full
choked guns , I could see on the patterning board at different distances it
would throw the pattern in a hour glass shape , tight ,open then tight again ,
losing pattern control of the shot and making it difficult to be consistent .
A more open choke for steel shot is better as the shot-string stays together
longer with it being shorter , with steel shot !
choked guns , I could see on the patterning board at different distances it
would throw the pattern in a hour glass shape , tight ,open then tight again ,
losing pattern control of the shot and making it difficult to be consistent .
A more open choke for steel shot is better as the shot-string stays together
longer with it being shorter , with steel shot !
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135 Posts
Thank you all for the responses, and of course I was talking about the upcoming "trap" season. I didn't mention anything about duck hunting, did I? Haha. I think 3200-2-man is right on in regard to my best options. The best option for me is to just have the fixed choke opened up. The gun in question will be dedicated solely to duck hunting so it will be cheaper than buying another barrel, additional threaded chokes or having threads cut. Dave
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50 Posts
And the Arms manufactures proved , there has never been proof of steel shot
loads , loaded with-in SAAMI limits to cause any barrel damage other than a
small ring of (maybe) .003 to .005 in front of the choke and this would be hard
to see , for most .
loads , loaded with-in SAAMI limits to cause any barrel damage other than a
small ring of (maybe) .003 to .005 in front of the choke and this would be hard
to see , for most .
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25,397 Posts
Tpeterson1, quote: <i>"Remington had a class action suit against them (shotguns) from 1988 and prior years,to the tune of 33million$ numorus injuries from bulged barrels,I suspect these older duck guns had full choke constrictions,as stated .20 to .25 would be your best bet or shoot your full with hevi shot or hevi metal as stated above,no worries then period."</i>
Will this old wives tale never stop?
This had NOTHING to do with steel shot in a full choke barrel.
The lawsuit specifically addressed the type of steel used in the manufacture of barrels for several Remington shotguns.
Remington maintained, and still does, that the type of steel was only an issue when overpressure rounds and/or a barrel obstruction was present. Regardless, Remington switched to a higher quality steel.
The fact is, many of these older Remingtons are still in use and there is no epidemic of their barrels blowing up.
Details are at the link.
Will this old wives tale never stop?
This had NOTHING to do with steel shot in a full choke barrel.
The lawsuit specifically addressed the type of steel used in the manufacture of barrels for several Remington shotguns.
Remington maintained, and still does, that the type of steel was only an issue when overpressure rounds and/or a barrel obstruction was present. Regardless, Remington switched to a higher quality steel.
The fact is, many of these older Remingtons are still in use and there is no epidemic of their barrels blowing up.
Details are at the link.
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25,397 Posts
Shooting steel shot through a full choke MIGHT cause damage under these circumstances:
An older shotgun with a lower quality steel might get its physical choke properties changed from repeated pounding.
Ditto for a shotgun with very thin walls in the choke area.
Using early steel shot wads, which had thinner petals.
Or a combination of any or all of the above.
In a modern steel shot barrel, made from quality steel, with sufficient wall thickness, using modern thick petal wads, and limiting the larger shot sizes, the only damage that may occur will be cosmetic marks on the bore. The smaller the steel shot size, the less issue it will have. Note Remington's recommendation on not using steel larger than 2 through a fixed full choke.
Also note that this does not apply to their full Rem Choke that is marked specifically for steel. This is the one that has the golden tint to it, because it is made from special heat treated alloy. It works quite well with larger steel shot. If someone with an 870 was worried about their fixed full choke, the solution is to get a new or used 870 Rem Choke barrel and use the full Rem Choke rated for steel shot. Problem solved.
Another issue is blown patterns. Steel shot, because it won't compress, acts like it is choked one to two choke steps. Meaning steel shot in a modified will act like lead through a full or extra full. Steel shot in a full will act like an extra full or super full (ie "turkey chokes"). Sometimes this makes a nice pattern, and sometimes the pattern is blown. You have to pattern your particular shell and choke to know, and you cannot substitute another shell without patterning again.
An older shotgun with a lower quality steel might get its physical choke properties changed from repeated pounding.
Ditto for a shotgun with very thin walls in the choke area.
Using early steel shot wads, which had thinner petals.
Or a combination of any or all of the above.
In a modern steel shot barrel, made from quality steel, with sufficient wall thickness, using modern thick petal wads, and limiting the larger shot sizes, the only damage that may occur will be cosmetic marks on the bore. The smaller the steel shot size, the less issue it will have. Note Remington's recommendation on not using steel larger than 2 through a fixed full choke.
Also note that this does not apply to their full Rem Choke that is marked specifically for steel. This is the one that has the golden tint to it, because it is made from special heat treated alloy. It works quite well with larger steel shot. If someone with an 870 was worried about their fixed full choke, the solution is to get a new or used 870 Rem Choke barrel and use the full Rem Choke rated for steel shot. Problem solved.
Another issue is blown patterns. Steel shot, because it won't compress, acts like it is choked one to two choke steps. Meaning steel shot in a modified will act like lead through a full or extra full. Steel shot in a full will act like an extra full or super full (ie "turkey chokes"). Sometimes this makes a nice pattern, and sometimes the pattern is blown. You have to pattern your particular shell and choke to know, and you cannot substitute another shell without patterning again.
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488 Posts
My friend has a Smith & Wesson older 30 inch full choked pump that he used as his turkey gun. He decided he wanted to go goose hunting with us one weekend and took his old corn shucker as he called it! Anyway, after two days of shooting 3 inch steel BB,s the old full choke turkey gun was now an old I/C turkey gun! Probably shot less than a box of steel through it. No ringing , or belling of the barrel noticeable looking at it from the side, but you could see a flare in it looking down the barrel. The flare begins about two inches back from the muzzle. This was a few years ago, and he still uses it to hunt turkeys and still kills as many as he did when it was a full coke. He says he likes it better this way. Lol! So yeah, I would say repeated use of big steel will change things.
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10,562 Posts
I shoot steel shot through full choke tubes and full fixed guns using birdshot. Thousands and thousands of rounds without problem. Used a bore mic, no changes. Never patterned the steel shot using varying chokes, but my eyes tell me full chokes andvsteel shot break targets better than improved modified. My full chokes are 35 to 40 thousandths on constriction. Guns used are browning auto, Remington auto, and browning Bt and Xt.
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