Tight Chokes!?

[DarylC]

Not having much experience with Fox smallbores I'd like to pose a question on chokes in a 20 ga.
My recently acquired 30" Sterlingworth chokes when I measured them as I was buying the gun came up .021/.024. After shooting the gun at 200+ claybirds I was noticing that every bird I hit, whether it was at 30yds. or 50yds., was literally pulverized. So i finally got around to taking more accurate measurements and found choke constrictions of .031/.033 using two different gauges. Bores were .618/.622.

My question is are'nt they extremely tight for a 20?

[vaturkey]

There are some real tight twenty's. Here's a link where others have had chokes that tight in a 20 gauge.

http://www.foxcollectors.com/My%20Forum ... hilit=.031

[Researcher]

The most choke I have in a 20-gauge is in a 30-inch No. 4E NID with all the bells and whistles that I bought from Steve Cobb nearly 30 years ago. It has .038" right and .042" left!!

[OH Osthaus]

I was not knowledgeable enough back the to measure bores and chokes

But I bought a 20 Sterlingworth long ago that (based on performance) was one of the tightest guns I have had. It cleanly decapitated the first pheasant I shot with it. I had it opened to 3 to 5 thousands in the right and low 20's in the left which I felt was a good mix for grouse

[DarylC]

Thanks Tom, that thread pretty much shows me that .030 is not that rare in a twenty. Could'nt find it when I searched.

Dave, that's some god awful,but nice, chokes.

Rick, I'm going to keep these chokes tight...just how I like them.

[OH Osthaus]

Daryl

Like I said - that was years ago. I also had the chambers opened to 2 3/4.
Both things I would not do again

The latest Fox came home a few weeks ago. A 12 with 36 thousands in both barrels, it will stay that way

[vaturkey]

I had a custom Fox done in 20 gauge (grouse/woodcock gun). Opened the full/mod chokes (.022 and .032) to .004 and .014 as this gun will be used over my pointing dog (Sophie). If hadn't been turned into a custom I'd of left it alone. I like tight chokes, but full/mod at 15 yards over a pointing dog and whatever one hits won't be edible.

[eightbore]

Daryl, I will comment on 28s instead of 20s. I have a Parker Repro with .039 in the left barrel and an Arrizabalaga 28 with the same .039 in the left barrel. I have never patterned either gun. I'm surprised the wads make it out of the barrels. Oh, forgot to tell you. I don't mess with them. All my tight guns are still tight. Not every double barrel shotgun has to be a quail gun.

[DarylC]

I could'nt agree more Bill. I am one who loves tight chokes on a gun and would never think of reaming them out. But everyone has to do what they feel is right for them and that's OK. If I want a more open choked gun I just find one that has them. Gives me a good excuse to buy more guns.

[J. A. Early]

Here is my .024 and .031 20. I think it is way too tight for doves but I won't destroy what the factory did. I'll just use a different gun. It will make a good squirrel gun for a youngster some day.

http://foxcollectors.com/My%20Forum/php ... =25&t=4897

[JNW]

My 30" 20 gauge Sterlingworth came with 0.033" in both barrels. It is now 0.016 and 0.024 which are M/F. It still shoots modern ammo crazy tight. We'll see what it does to pheasants and doves.
Regards,
Jeff

[kgb]

Not every double barrel shotgun has to be a quail gun.

That's one of the last things I thought I'd read here, "quail gun" instead of "grouse gun". An appreciated minority opinion.

I don't think I've seen a Fox gun, or Lefever for that matter, with the chokes marked on the barrels. A while back I looked at a 16ga Utica Sterlingworth with 26" barrels that the owner uses on quail and pheasant. Left barrel's choke was in the .030"'s and the right was close to .020" IIRC. Didn't seem to matter to him what they were, but if he had opened the right to straight cylinder, and maybe altered the left, who else would know what the originals were?

[vaturkey]

Not every double barrel shotgun has to be a quail gun.

That's one of the last things I thought I'd read here, "quail gun" instead of "grouse gun". An appreciated minority opinion.

I don't think I've seen a Fox gun, or Lefever for that matter, with the chokes marked on the barrels. A while back I looked at a 16ga Utica Sterlingworth with 26" barrels that the owner uses on quail and pheasant. Left barrel's choke was in the .030"'s and the right was close to .020" IIRC. Didn't seem to matter to him what they were, but if he had opened the right to straight cylinder, and maybe altered the left, who else would know what the originals were?

If one ordered the factory card they would know whether they were full/mod or something else. They wouldn't know the exact constriction however.

[MilRob]

I opened the chokes on both of my 16 ga A grades. Neither were collector guns, both restocked and restored, and now I use them way more than I would have. I got sick of reloading spreader loads. One gun is IC/IM for pheasants and sharptails. The other is Sk1/Sk2 and is my dedicated grouse gun.