Over thinking chokes is always fun: What chokes for pheasant and grouse in a double barrel?

[nastynate]

I saw @BrentD wrote on another thread "Over thinking chokes is fun." So hopefully this will be fun!

I have my grandpa's 16 gauge Winchester model 12, that had a fixed full choke. I didn't use it much because it pummeled birds, so I had a gunsmith open it up to IC this last year, and used it last fall for pheasants and ruffed grouse. As far as I am concerned it was perfect. Shot a bunch of ruffed grouse and pheasants all season at all sorts of ranges. It worked great. No need to think about chokes again for me.

That is until I bought another 16, this one a side by side. So now I have two barrels (and two triggers). I *think* it has 2 fixed full chokes (will find out soon), and I will likely open them both up. I want to carry it for both grouse and pheasants. I'm thinking either skeet and IC, (ideal for grouse?) or IC and Modified (ideal for pheasant?). I killed birds between ~15-45 yards with my IC last fall. I also missed some at all ranges. Would a skeet choke be good for pheasants inside of 30? What would you do?

 

[Birdbander]

I use Cyl & IC in my O/U for dove, woodcock & ruffed grouse. I'll use the same this September when I go after dusky grouse & hopefully ptarmigan.

 

[perma]

I used IC and full and shot pheasants with both. The full was nice for a longer shot but ended up losing too much meat. IC and Cyl are what I will run moving forward.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Skeet 1 & Light Modified.

 

[ammo]

Finally got the sxs I've been dreaming of for pheasant and it's IC/Mod. Those rat bastards fly fast where we hunt em.

 

[BrentD]

I lean towards Ben's suggestion. Not surprising, I suppose.
When you have too little choke, your pattern is too thin, right? So one way to compensate for a low density pattern would be to load more pellets. Heavier payloads will give you a little more range that way. (but also more recoil and pressure so you will have to adjust for that with powder and wad).

For instance you could shot 7/8 or 1 oz loads for grouse and then move up to 1.125 oz loads for pheasants. I think 1.125 oz would be about the ceiling for a 16.

You may also consider using tighter chokes with spreader wads, but I don't like that solution for a few reasons that may be mistaken.

Of course, the true solution is another gun(s)

 

[Gunner46]

My 1st thought was Skeet & Modified, then I thought about it again and said Yeah, thats' about right.

 

[Nutrioso]

Seems like we all (myself included) like to talk about chokes in a vacuum, without reference to loads. Many nontox loads pattern tighter than lead. High quality lead patterns tighter than the cheap stuff. Higher speed loads can result in less dense patterns than lower speed. Shot size affects pattern, too. Makes me wish I had the time and persistence to pattern a bunch of chokes and loads at target yardage to see what is really “ideal.”

 

[BrentD]

Seems like we all (myself included) like to talk about chokes in a vacuum, without reference to loads. Many nontox loads pattern tighter than lead. High quality lead patterns tighter than the cheap stuff. Higher speed loads can result in less dense patterns than lower speed. Shot size affects pattern, too. Makes me wish I had the time and persistence to pattern a bunch of chokes and loads at target yardage to see what is really “ideal.”

Yes to all of this!

One of my local ranges has a greased steel plate 4'x8' which makes paternity so much easier. I tested some fiber wad blackpowder loads last week and they were stunningly good.

 

[cedahm]

One of my local ranges has a greased steel plate 4'x8' which makes paternity so much easier.

You get a Gold in the spellchecker olympics, Brent

I typically stick to Skeet/Mod for grouse and switch to IC/Mod for pheasants. In the autoloader, I used to swap in Full later in the winter for pheasants, but just keep Modified in there year round now until it's time to screw in the big ported Turkey choke. I kill more birds than when I used to shoot the Full choke, but I also have a better dog and a number of years more experience.

This is largely borne out of laziness and not anything scientific. For Dusky's, I'm shooting whatever the cheapest load of 8's I can find and don't really have any issues whatever choke is in there, but they are fairly fragile so any pellet in the right place is going to work.

I'm intrigued to pattern some of the fancy pheasant loads now after reading this, though. Especially in the 28 since I had some wildly divergent experiences last year with that gun on Chickens and Pheasants.

 

[paulm9999]

I use IC in the first barrel and modified in the second for pheasants. Lead shot 5 and 4 respectively. It took me years to get this. I read a book where it was explained that birds shot over pointers are usually very close. Game changer for me for sure. Grouse I use skeet/ic, #7/ 6 shot

 

[Don Fischer]

IC and SK 2. My gunsmith recommended it

 

[Mako]

I use IC and LM, which I understand is essentially the same as Skeet II. I do live in a lead-free hunting state though, so my choices are for steel shot. That said, that combo should work well with lead as well.

 

[Bill Zent]

For all upland birds....... 12 ga AYA Matador, single trigger, Modified (7 1/2) shoots first, then full (6) for pheasants. A gift from Dad in 1958.

 

[Moserkr]

IC/Mod with 2.75" #5 shot has worked for many years on pheasant. We hunt the wild, smart ones late season with lots of feathers. Have to let them get out if they are under 20 yards though or hit em in the head.

 

[shrapnel]

I buy guns because I like the looks of nice guns. I never checked the chokes on a single vintage gun before I bought it.

Any one of them has managed to kill what I was aiming at, pulling the front trigger first and the rear trigger second if I need it…

 

[Farmerj]

My doubles always had the more open choke shoot first then the tighter as they flushed away.

Most times I installed modified and IC.

 

[brymoore]

IC/Mod

I had an LC Smith 16 choked this way that I killed a lot of pheasants and grouse.

 

[howl]

How the choke is made and how the load works with it has a significant effect. I'd pick my shell and have a shotgun choke specialist match the gun to it.

 

[Farmerj]

How the choke is made and how the load works with it has a significant effect. I'd pick my shell and have a shotgun choke specialist match the gun to it.

Why it’s so critical to always pattern every load to your shotgun.

Same Remington 870, same ammo, same choke. Difference between 30 and 40 yards though.



Stevens 320, same ammo.