Personally I would use a name brand just in case a problem arises.
You will have a much better chance of getting help from them if it does.
You seem to have it figured out pretty well, go for it, you won’t take anything with you when you leave this world so enjoy it best you can.

 

It sounds to Me like You’re on a good track. Keep in mind that there are some good generic components out there of all types, but I’d stick to something tried and true for a choke setup.
Good luck with whatever You choose.
Bob

 

I shoot trap, 5 stand, and SC with LM in both barrels. Maybe IC for skeet if you want to. Carlson's are my go-to brand. Whatever you do, don't get ported chokes unless you really like scraping carbon out of little holes.

 

For chokes my choice is LMx2 M IM F to cover everything you can also get Fx2 instead of an IM

 

I would get one cylinder bore tube, and two of each of the others, including modified.
You rarely need a cylinder bore unless your sporting clays targets are appearing almost in your lap, but after that you can use two of the same at once or a mix of whatever you have, depending on the presentation of targets. I've shot IC/F for a close rabbit at speed and a long distance teal, but most sporting clays targets I shoot are IC or LM, or rarely LM/M.
Invector Plus tubes are made by Briley, so there's no need to go aftermarket.

 

It's not usual, but if you're shooting sporting clays you never know what the evil b####rd setting the course has done, and you may need two of a kind.

Fishjager has a bunch of Invector plus tubes for sale here, both Browning and Briley, if you're interested.

 

Haha i see!

Thanks for the tip on the classified... got a little while longer of pledging the forum before I'm allowed in there. eBay until then!

Just missed a nice set it seems!

 

I've got a Citori Ultra XT 30" (Invector Plus). I'm a casual shooter. Not super serious but also like to have the right/nice stuff. I'm pragmatic with my gear prioritizing function over flash, but hey everyone likes sharp looking things.

I shoot trap, but my club also has 5 stand. I'm not opposed to giving skeet, or sporting clays a whirl.

I know my boomstick is built for trap but I shot some sporting clays just fine. I'm a 'run what you brought' kinda guy so I'm not obsessed with swapping.

That being said i wouldn't mind an extended choke set (my are all flush). First, for barrel protection and secondly i wouldn't mind another inch or two when resting my gun on the pad between turns occasionally (I'm tall).

I'll probably peruse the second hand market/ebay etc. Theres no rush. I figure they're chokes so what kind of problems would i even run into.

Did some research and looks like a full kit would be:

S -Skeet (maybe 2) :Skeet
IC-Improved Cylinder :Sporting Clays & 5 Stand (close, Std, Mixed)
LM-Light Modified :Sporting Clays & 5 Stand & Trap (Std, Long, 16yd)
IM-Improved Modified:Sporting Clays & 5 Stand & Trap (Long, Mixed, Mid)
F -Full :Trap (Long)

Looks like the ones i see the most often are
Briley: Very good
Carlson: USA made, good value
Browning: Might just be made by Briley?
Billman Arsenal: Generic amazon sets but very inexpensive.

How did I do?
"Slim it down" recommendations?
Any weigh in on brand/model?

At the end of the day they are tubes that have a taper so I'm guessing they are all not that far off from each other, especially with my casual/occasional use.

You've been listening to a bunch of sporting clays guys (or the marketing they love to tout) that have no idea what they are talking about.

Here's a great graph put together from pattern testing from Neil Winston:

So .020" of choke difference equates to 1.6" in diameter of an effective pattern. So if you are on the course and you think to yourself 'gee, I think I missed that target by 8/10ths of an inch'. Then swap the full choke (.035) for a LM (.015) to buy that 8/10ths back.

So you can see realistically when the guys on the course are all swapping to their dramatically more open chokes they are buying very little effective pattern spread. And more importantly they are giving up pellets in the center of the pattern which are the most important pellets (since they are in the middle they are going where you are pointing the gun at the best).

So if you are going to buy some additional chokes you could just do with:

Extra Full (.040) for long yardage handicap/handicap in general/long sporting targets/second barrel doubles​

Modified (.020) for singles trap/majority of sporting targets/first barrel doubles​

Pair of skeet chokes (.005) for shooting skeet/the pesky rabbit that's up close and fast/frustrating​

That really covers most everything. Feel free to get a second modified so you have two for sporting courses if for some reason running a (.040) in the second barrel makes you nervous (by 8/10ths of an inch, haha).
Or if you think you'll shoot some bunker/oly trap then get an IM (.025) or LF (.030) for first shot in that game since you'd use your .040 for the second shot.


Changeable chokes are a weird circular logic game between businesses that want to sell more things and shooters that desperately want to get a higher score. As you see, having lots of choices doesn't really help much, but manufactures will happily sell you a whole pile of tubes.

And, for steel tubes my go to is Briley. They measure what they say they are going to measure and have had no issues.

 

^^^^^^^^This^^^^^^^^
A while ago I think @timb99 did a wright up on this or maybe it was someone else I don't remember, but it was a good read. Anyway, there was a time long ago when I thought I needed all the choke tubes ever designed for every specific sport. What I actually needed was someone to point out what @hbar314 did. It would've been nice if someone pointed it out to me BEFORE I spent my retirement fund on a bunch of metal tubes that are extremely good at lying around collecting dust. Save the money you were going to spend on tubes, invest it wisely and retire early, you'll thank me someday.

 

I shot SC for around 7 years and never changed my chokes once. Never saw the need.

 

I'm a casual shooter.
IC-Improved Cylinder :Sporting Clays & 5 Stand (close, Std, Mixed)
LM-Light Modified :Sporting Clays & 5 Stand & Trap (Std, Long, 16yd)

I'd go with IC in the bottom, LM in the top barrel, and go have some fun.

 

When I bought my last gun it came with Cyl, IC, Mod, IM, and Full and that covers most any trap target and an IC/Mod for sporting will be plenty for most courses. If you're not shooting any serious amount of skeet I wouldnt bother with a pair of chokes and just get one. It can be nice to have a SK for sporting and shooting SK/IC for skeet is ok at a basic level.

On a side not note, I don't think the cylinder has ever been in my gun.

 

I use Briley Titanium extended come tubes in my O/U. Only because I got a screaming deal on them at the time. Was a buy one, get one deal.

For Skeet, I use 2 US SK chokes and sometimes a EU SK choke

Sporting Clays, I use between IC to LF .... Depends on the course and target presentation. We have one stand here I could shoot SK chokes.

Trap, I've been shooting a M choke from 16 and IM or LF for handicap.
I usually shoot LF choke for everything but I've been struggling this year. Actually shooting better from handicap yardage.

 

The full in each barrel is for Helice. A guy i know shoots full and full fixed chokes for every game. I speced out a new perazzi choked .32 and .40 for trap at 16yd depending on my gun my bt99 is choked full my mx8 bottom barrel is .18 for sporting clays most times I shoot LM/M in my semi auto is use LM and put a IM in for the 1 or 2 stations with far targets

 

If you are building a set at a minimum you need 2 skeet, 2 mod, and a Full. I shoot all games and I have 2 of each up to a mod, one IM, one LF, one Full. Generally speaking 90% of sporting clays courses can be shot with a light mod and a mod. And I’d say 75% can be shot with two Light mods. Trap I shoot an IM on singles, full on caps, mod/LF for doubles. Skeet is Skeet/Skeet. I also use Briley Spectrums. If you can find a big Youth shoot Briley generally is buy one get one free.

 

I've got a Citori Ultra XT 30" (Invector Plus). I'm a casual shooter. Not super serious but also like to have the right/nice stuff. I'm pragmatic with my gear prioritizing function over flash, but hey everyone likes sharp looking things.

I shoot trap, but my club also has 5 stand. I'm not opposed to giving skeet, or sporting clays a whirl.

I know my boomstick is built for trap but I shot some sporting clays just fine. I'm a 'run what you brought' kinda guy so I'm not obsessed with swapping.

That being said i wouldn't mind an extended choke set (my are all flush). First, for barrel protection and secondly i wouldn't mind another inch or two when resting my gun on the pad between turns occasionally (I'm tall).

I'll probably peruse the second hand market/ebay etc. Theres no rush. I figure they're chokes so what kind of problems would i even run into.

Did some research and looks like a full kit would be:

S -Skeet (maybe 2) :Skeet
IC-Improved Cylinder :Sporting Clays & 5 Stand (close, Std, Mixed)
LM-Light Modified :Sporting Clays & 5 Stand & Trap (Std, Long, 16yd)
IM-Improved Modified:Sporting Clays & 5 Stand & Trap (Long, Mixed, Mid)
F -Full :Trap (Long)

Looks like the ones i see the most often are
Briley: Very good
Carlson: USA made, good value
Browning: Might just be made by Briley?
Billman Arsenal: Generic amazon sets but very inexpensive.

How did I do?
"Slim it down" recommendations?
Any weigh in on brand/model?

At the end of the day they are tubes that have a taper so I'm guessing they are all not that far off from each other, especially with my casual/occasional use.

Muller Chokes would be my first choice

 

J Muller (Muller Chokes) has several educational choke videos on YouTube. He's done very extensive testing of numerous chokes. He's got very strong opinions based on his experience and testing, but I still take his input with a grain of salt because if there was ever an endeavor that validates the warning, "your mileage may differ," this is it. About the time you think you have found choke Nirvana, you'll start monkeying with your shell loads and then start wondering if maybe a higher rib or a single barrel or a longer or shorter barrel or an adjustable comb will help. Eventually you'll realize that you should find the setup that fits and feels best and then spend your money on lessons, ammunition for practice and, of course, practice itself. Join ATA and start shooting in events - not to become Top Gun (you are a casual shooter, remember?), but because the ATA tracks your results and you can see any improvement you are making over time. It's like golf - your scores are usually only interesting to you anyway, so you really only need to "compete" with yourself. Good luck!

 

A wise man once told me......

"Chokes give you inches, you usually miss by feet!"

LHS

 

Carlson extended non ported is what I ended up liking for patterns.005 in between each choke size in 20ga. I pattern board each with pellet count and density,only 1 long range extra full was out of spec for pellet count falling below mid long range .

 

Go with briley and don’t look back!

 

Hey everybody. Thanks for all the great input thus far! I think i have a pretty good feel of what I'm looking for now. I'll keep an eye on the second hand market and grab a Briley/Browning/Carlson set when it pops up. They seems to come and go on eBay. I've got the non extended chokes i need for now so there's not a rush. Hopefully this thread helps someone else out as well.


A good chunk of my posts in here got deleted because i was responding to you guys too quickly and it fell into speed post territory. Had a conversation with the mods and we're all sorted...

Me currently:

Figured I'd just patch up the missing posts in one:

Before this I had asked what the risks were with choke quality beyond just pattern as they are just simple tapered tubes. I hadn't even considered barrel damage and at worst thought it would be a new tube but Frankieboy brought up a good point about potential collateral damage to the gun or myself.

The risk could be choke tube failure resulting in barrel damage or worse. I don’t know anything about the Billman Arsenal tubes. They might be terrific, I’ve just never heard of them. We’re all big fans of quality & value, maybe choose quality on this purchase. You also mentioned eBay, that’s worth a look.
Anyway, take care.
Bob

I have a bunch of Beretta ported chokes that I got for $20 each on clearance. Now I know why they were so cheap.

This was a follow on to my response where I mentioned that i actually have a ported barrel that i absolutely despise cleaning so i would surely take that recommendation for non ported chokes!

Goose Hunting or Long yard Trap Games ... 40 to 100 Yards. 😲

Storeman was responding to me asking what the heck you would use double full for.

You've been listening to a bunch of sporting clays guys (or the marketing they love to tout) that have no idea what they are talking about.

Here's a great graph put together from pattern testing from Neil Winston:

So .020" of choke difference equates to 1.6" in diameter of an effective pattern. So if you are on the course and you think to yourself 'gee, I think I missed that target by 8/10ths of an inch'. Then swap the full choke (.035) for a LM (.015) to buy that 8/10ths back.

Thanks for the perspective. I am a data driven guy and this was helpful. I didn't realize how small the difference was on these. I likely have more issues with a repeatable mount that would make any of the difference in these chokes a wash!

I shot SC for around 7 years and never changed my chokes once. Never saw the need.

When i get into hobbies I get a rush from researching and tracking down all the gear... then as time progresses I end up not adjusting anything. How many infinitely adjustable components I've installed on my gear for all hobbies that remain unchanged over the years is silly.

I use Briley Titanium extended come tubes in my O/U. Only because I got a screaming deal on them at the time. Was a buy one, get one deal.

Thanks for the insight into what you shoot where. Also i looked up those Ti chokes and they are lovely. I assume the allure is for weight reduction/balance (?) but boy am I a sucker for some nicely anodized Ti.

It's a cool process if you haven't seen it done. The colors of TI instantly change with the specific voltage you put into it. Its like watching sorcery.

I'm too pragmatic to spring for it though...

The full in each barrel is for Helice. A guy i know shoots full and full fixed chokes for every game. I speced out a new perazzi choked .32 and .40 for trap at 16yd depending on my gun my bt99 is choked full my mx8 bottom barrel is .18 for sporting clays most times I shoot LM/M in my semi auto is use LM and put a IM in for the 1 or 2 stations with far targets

Thanks for the input. Until this post I've never heard of Helice and looked it up. It look pretty neat! Makes sense for double full. I saw one of the targets in the lobby of my club and didn't know what it was. I'll have to ask if they do it locally or not.

 

If you look into Muller Chokes and decide you want one, here's a discount code you can use to save 10% BROCL10. I've loved all of my Mullers and highly highly recommend them, and I've never had someone be disappointed!

 

Step 1- go with a proven brand/series tubes known for Quality not Wild Claims of Reinvention
Step 2- decide on type shooting games you intend to participate in
Step 3- Go forth and purchase 2 Skeets, 2 either Lite Mod (.015) or 2 Modified .020 and finally a pair of Full somewhere between Lite (.030) and XFUll (.040)
Step 4 - Pattern for BOTH POI & DENSITY with the ammo of your CHOSING
Step 5- Eliminate any of inferior performance and replace with subsequent testing repeated
ALTERNATIVE PLAN ONLY EASY PAINFULL STEP - Go insane and buy at least one of everything gimmicks and all, you’ll be to broke to really shoot much but you’ll have the ULTIMATE CHOKE SET, LOL