Reverse chokes?

[Silvers]

As we know the “Fox-Cylinder” choke as on Fox Skeet & Upland guns is similar to the Winchester WS-1 choke as furnished on Model 12’s and 21’s. Both of those and similar chokes by other makers are a so-called reverse choke with a profile like an hourglass ..... the muzzle opened up from the max choke constriction with a reverse taper to larger than bore diameter.

Not looking here for advertising or historical info. More practically, has anyone done objective testing of either for efficiency, by counting pellet hits in a 30” circle at increasing yardages out to 40 yards? Bare shot as period designed and as compared with modern shells with plastic shotcups? Different theories abound on what happens with plastic shotcups in a reverse choke but I’ve yet to see any data or stats. The “Fox-Cylinder” choke testing in particular might be a good subject for the Newsletter. frank

[Greyfox]

My 80’s Remington 1100 Skeet barrel also has a “reverse” choke, similarly designed to my 12 Model Winchester 12 with a .004-.005” constriction with about a 2” inch long section to the muzzle that is opened to about.010” over cylinder. While I haven’t done any formal patterning tests, I have shot thousands of rounds over the years with Model 12/1100 using contemporary plastic/shot cup ammo on the skeet course. My observation is that the SK-1 design of the Model 12/1100 delivers a pattern out to 25 yards comparable to a cylinder choke(no constriction). When using standard .005” Briley Skeet chokes in another of my Model 12’s as well as other skeet choked shotguns the patterns are “denser” as demonstrated by consistently cleaner breaks from skeet stations 3-5….As opposed to usual chips/pieces from those same stations…and comparable to a cylinder choke. My Remington SK-1 behaves like a cylinder bore as well. Just my thoughts observations though. My interest is peeked though, and I may do some formal pattern testing to get some actual data.

[Greyfox]

My 80’s Remington 1100 Skeet barrel also has a “reverse” choke, similarly designed to my 12 Model Winchester 12 with a .004-.005” constriction with about a 2” inch long section to the muzzle that is opened to about.010” over cylinder. While I haven’t done any formal patterning tests, I have shot thousands of rounds over the years with Model 12/1100 using contemporary plastic/shot cup ammo on the skeet course. My observation is that the SK-1 design of the Model 12/1100 delivers a pattern out to 25 yards comparable to a cylinder choke(no constriction). When using standard .005” Briley Skeet chokes in another of my Model 12’s as well as other skeet choked shotguns the patterns are “denser” as demonstrated by consistently cleaner breaks from skeet stations 3-5….As opposed to usual chips/pieces from those same stations…and comparable to a cylinder choke. My Remington SK-1 behaves like a cylinder bore as well. Just my thoughts observations. My interest is peeked though, and I may do some formal pattern testing to get some actual data.

[kgb]

I had a M21 Skeet 12ga with WS1/WS2 chokes, do not remember the constriction before the flare of the WS1, just that it had one and seemed right for Skeet. I did pattern it and found it shot as expected, the shells I used were 7/8oz reloads with Winchester's gray wad. I kept the loads light due to recoil with that gun, and found the wads left a lot of plastic in that WS1 choke, did not foul the WS2 any more or less than the other wads I tried. Good question as to how the choke performs with loads of its era, vs the plastic wads we use, maybe the works I've read about the choke acting as if the flare wasn't even there have more to do with modern shells.

I do have a factory 20ga Beretta Skeet Mobilchoke that constricts then flares to the muzzle, have not done any comparison to the other Beretta chokes or the Briley Skeet I also have for the gun.