A friend and I tested our 20 ga shotguns (mossberg / winchester / weatherby choke system) with 5 kinds of chokes, all using the same ammo (7.5 birdshot) at the same distance (20 yds.) The shotguns were different brands, but same barrel length. We shot at big lengths of newsprint paper from a roll, and always had clean targets for each shot. We tested.
Cylinder bore (flush fit)
Imp. Cyl (flush fit)
Mod. (flush fit)
Full. (flush fit)
and a Carlson's Turkey choke. (extended)
One shotgun shot its cylinder bore tube better than the other-- the size of the patterns were visibly different. We did two shots each with cylinder tubes installed.
The improved cylinder tubes didn't seem any tighter than "cylinder." This was unexpected, so we repeated the shoot to confirm it, and yes, there was really no "improvement" over cylinder. Not to the naked eye. If we divided the target into quadrants and actually counted the pellet strikes in each zone, maybe that would show some difference.
Modified chokes gave visibly tighter patterns, and this was the first time that the center 10" zone of the pattern was dense enough that even a small bird or clay target presenting edgewise would be reliably hit with more than one pellet. But, one gun (his) shot tighter groups than mine. Both with our same-sized MOD chokes (flush fit).
The full choke tubes were tighter yet, as expected. Just slightly-- barely enough to be visible at a glance.
Now, up to this point, all the patterns were well-centered on the targets, as we "aimed" pretty carefully.
No shotguns threw off center patterns, until...
Until we used my Carlson extended turkey choke.
My gun threw a tight pattern considerably to the right of my aiming point. I fired twice at two different patterning targets to confirm this. My friend's gun, using THE SAME choke tube, threw his pattern LEFT and also LOW. He also confirmed this with a second shot thu that choke tube.
Weird.
Cylinder bore (flush fit)
Imp. Cyl (flush fit)
Mod. (flush fit)
Full. (flush fit)
and a Carlson's Turkey choke. (extended)
One shotgun shot its cylinder bore tube better than the other-- the size of the patterns were visibly different. We did two shots each with cylinder tubes installed.
The improved cylinder tubes didn't seem any tighter than "cylinder." This was unexpected, so we repeated the shoot to confirm it, and yes, there was really no "improvement" over cylinder. Not to the naked eye. If we divided the target into quadrants and actually counted the pellet strikes in each zone, maybe that would show some difference.
Modified chokes gave visibly tighter patterns, and this was the first time that the center 10" zone of the pattern was dense enough that even a small bird or clay target presenting edgewise would be reliably hit with more than one pellet. But, one gun (his) shot tighter groups than mine. Both with our same-sized MOD chokes (flush fit).
The full choke tubes were tighter yet, as expected. Just slightly-- barely enough to be visible at a glance.
Now, up to this point, all the patterns were well-centered on the targets, as we "aimed" pretty carefully.
No shotguns threw off center patterns, until...
Until we used my Carlson extended turkey choke.
My gun threw a tight pattern considerably to the right of my aiming point. I fired twice at two different patterning targets to confirm this. My friend's gun, using THE SAME choke tube, threw his pattern LEFT and also LOW. He also confirmed this with a second shot thu that choke tube.
Weird.
