Help-new gun and a novice on steel shot and choke used(damage)

[laker1]

have a almost new 870 Remington express with a modified screw in choke. Does it matter if I get a full choke adapter as far as barrel stress? I have been getting advice from all angles and it differs widely. Is it o'kay to use any size steel shot with any choke size? Should I use a certain choke size only and steel shot size make a difference? Does choke used vary with 2.75 or 3.0 inch shells? I honestly don't know? Keep hearing about choke-barrel bulging?

[surewood]

Don't use anything over modified choke with steel shot. It may and most likely would damage the barrel and is not safe. I use modified as I think most people do for waterfowl. Doesn't matter what size shot or size shell, atleast that is what I've always read and been told. Pretty sure it will say in any shotgun manual what the gun can handle and all mine say nothing over modified. Hope that helps. I'm sure other people can chime in and give specifics to why.

[TylerS]

Well...that all depends.

If you're using a basic, standard screw-in choke with some super fast steel shot, I might be able to see some damage (although I haven't personally seen that).

However, a lot of people I know use Patternmasters and other custom choke tubes that are at least full. That said, many of those coke tubes also come with vent holes, so that might help with pressure issues.

I don't know. I used to use a full choke like the one you mentioned in my 870 and never had any problems. But I couldn't hit he broad side of a barn with it, so I switched back to a modified. Actually, I run a Patternmaster close-range choke tube and that seems to do the trick (still a pretty dense pattern...I can't imagine trying to hit anything with their long-range tubes...sheesh!)

[BoxMN]

Depends on the age of the gun and barrel, actually. Older ones (before days of screw in chokes) were of a harder steel or something, and I think I even got some type of payment from Remington long ago for the potential damage my barrel could get (it was like $8 or somethign, haha!).

But nowadays steel is a fact of life and most manufacturers take that into account. I know in my Browning Gold the Full choke says "safe for steel" but not sure how all others are.

FWIW, you would be better served by using a few chokes and several different loads and finding the right one, rather than guessing. Bro and I use same guns, same chokes (Light Modified) and found that we will never shoot any 1 or 2 steel of any type anymore, but 3 and especially 4's give great patterns and have been killing more ducks. And the more dense shot works awesome at our ranges (inside 35 yards). But it takes some time and ca$h to find the right one. Good luck.

Also, I was trapshooting and unknowingly shot a few rounds with the choke not screwed in tight. It curled the end just slightly, but that was enough to make me shoot some 13 and 14's and I could not figure out why... then I looked at the choke and could feel the slightly ruined edge. Had I just kept using it I would have missed about every duck I shot at, instead of my normal missing every other Kepp your chokes screwed in tight, and inspect them. Good luck again

[Gordie]

I have a few 870's and the modified seems to pattern best I have a couple after market chokes (nothing fancy) in full and I still always go back to my Mod choke.

I would suggest however using a steel safe choke for your gun and try patterning your gun with differnt makes of shells till you find what you want.

As for the size of shot thru a coke tube I have soht everything from 6 steel to T's for geese and have shot 2.750 and 3.00 inch and I have found that some 2.750 seem to pattern better than the 3 inch but I for the most part shoot 3 inch shells.

[Finlander]

After reading and testing all kinds of chokes and shells, the main thing to be aware of is not to shoot large shot BBB and T's thru any full choke.

BB's are the largest shot I shoot thru a so called full constriction choke and that is an extended choke where the constriction is in the extended part of the choke. The extended chokes give you better patterns due to a more gradual taper in the choke and lenghtened parrallel that stabilizes the shot therefore eliminating donut hole patterns.

I never use my Remchokes anymore, the aftermarket choke work better!

[laker1]

Thanks for all the advice. Talked to a friend of mine

who is a duck hunting addict and he uses only improved cylinder.

[SmilinBob]

If it newrly new as in age and not use, chrck your owner's manual that came with it (note the part where Remington states to NOT OIL THE TRIGGER GROUP too) that will tell you whether it is safe to shoot steel and which chokes. I am a gunsmith and not another guy that heard from another guy... That being said, all the firearm manufactures are making barrels that are designed to shoot steel shot and modern ammunition through pretty much all but the extra full and/or turkey chokes, the controversy over this for waterfowl needs to be put to bed for good, the law isn't changing back and they are all building guns to suit. The barrel needs to meet certian thickness specs to have choke tubes installed in the first place, and that is a pretty hefty number, the bigger concern comes in older barrels with fixed chokes bulging because they can run quite thin where the choke constriction begins. If you are still not sure you could bring it into a gunsmith and have the barrel wall thickness measured for piece of mind.

[Superduty]

I never take the improved cylinder tubes out of my guns during duck/goose season.