Aftermarket chokes; are they worth it?

[Duckaholic]

Keep in mind that different chokes shoot differently with different loads. I learned this from turkey hunting. I forgot this complex situation recently. I had my favorite duck and turkey gun stolen from my vehicle. I had my Briley extended Light Modified choke tube in the gun. I have taken many high flying geese and long kill shots on ducks shooting the Winchester X-Pert loads with this LM choke in the past. My insurance company replaced my stolen gun with a brand new gun of the same model. I decided to purchase the Carlson's ported Medium Range "Cremator" choke. This MR was listed to have similar ID as my old LM choke.

I took the new gun and choke teal hunting this year. to my surprise, the new choke shoots much tighter patterns than the Briley with the same Winchester loads. So...

Just keep in mind that you may have to switch loads and pattern to get the desired results no matter what manufacturer and choke that you decide to purchase.

Duckaholic

[Duckaholic]

Also, don't forget, extended chokes aren't just cool looking, they have a purpose. The longer tube has more surface contact with the shot creating better patterns. And... There is no common ground between manufacturers on choke sizes and restrictions. You just have to shoot each with your load to see if it is better....

Sucks but that's the facts.

[C-Bass2mouth]

Originally Posted by Duckaholic

Also, don't forget, extended chokes aren't just cool looking, they have a purpose. The longer tube has more surface contact with the shot creating better patterns. And... There is no common ground between manufacturers on choke sizes and restrictions. You just have to shoot each with your load to see if it is better....

Sucks but that's the facts.

X2

Shot size and type can make a big difference. The extended chokes will also reduce recoil. Read up on them before you buy, they should recommend shot size etc. If you shoot black cloud, they have chokes made for these, and will warn you to not shoot them through others. I've shot the Kicks HF in Full and Mod for the past few seasons and love them. Before that I had a Patternmaster Full and it was extremely tight with everything I shot, from BB's to #4. If I had to have only 1 it would be the Kicks HF Mod.

[C-Bass2mouth]

Originally Posted by C-Bass2mouth

X2

Shot size and type can make a big difference. The extended chokes will also reduce recoil. Read up on them before you buy, they should recommend shot size etc. If you shoot black cloud, they have chokes made for these, and will warn you to not shoot them through others. I've shot the Kicks HF in Full and Mod for the past few seasons and love them. Before that I had a Patternmaster Full and it was extremely tight with everything I shot, from BB's to #4. If I had to have only 1 it would be the Kicks HF Mod.

https://www.kicks-ind.com/category/chokes.html

[Duckaholic]

FYI ... The Kicks HF is on sale now it Midway USA for $44.99