GUNS Magazine October 1956

Attachable chokes like Poly-Choke have collet-type sleeve
inside which is regulated by turning knurled ring.
Ventilated models of choke attachments use slotted front
tubes to relieve gas pressure and tend to reduce recoil.
Variable "Deluxe" with target-type ramp bead sights
offers many advantages for skeet and field shooting.
Standard "Deluxe" Poly-Choke is fitted with target sight
but uses adjusting ring without vented compensator tube.
choke, the tighter the group of shot will
gun. ., , and thefarther itwilltravel. So. , . iust as the nozzle of
a hose is tightened to direct a narrow, far-reaching stream
of water across the garden, and opened to get a wide,
short spray of water for the flower bed-in the same way,
a full choke is used for long distance shooting and a more
open choke for close range.
This may seem basic to most wingshooters, but it is
shocking how many scattergunners fail to fully understand
these principles.
While the principle of shotgun choke is very simple,
the various effects of different types of choke, with different
guns and different shot loads, shot at varying ranges and
types of game, is another story. But it is a story that any
shotgun owner worth his salt must understand, at least
with respect to his own gun, because the only way to
know a gun thoroughly and use it effectively is to pattern
it. This is not a difficult job, and it can be fun as well
as enlightening. It is a form of target shooting which checks
the accuracy of a gun and choke, rather than the accuracy
of a shooter's aim.
x,
Importance of choke selection for hunting is graphically
shown in open (top) and full choke-pattern diagrams.
Simply set up a sheet of paper at least 40" square, pace
off 20, 30, or 40 yards, depending on the range you want
to check, aim your gun at the paper and let go. Then tie
a piece of string 15 inches long to a pencil and draw a
30-inch circle around the largest concentration of shot
holes. The number of holes in the circle, figured as a
percentage of the total number of shot in the load used,
is the pattern.
The point is to find out what a gun does with the shot
loads normally used. A generally accepted guide to ideal
pattern percentages for a 12-gauge gun at 40 yards, using
a No. 7%-1% oz. load, is as follows:
Choke Pattern
Full 67-75%
Modified 55-65%
Improved Cylinder 45-55%
Cylinder Bore 35-45%
The Poly-Choke Company uses this standard in its Wing-
shooter's Handbook, "How to Make Every Shot Count."
It is a basic instruction manual which provides a great
deal of factual information of use (Continued on page 69)
Fitting attachment such as Master Choke may restore shotgun with blown-off muzzle to years more of useful service
despite short barrel. Choke also makes possible use of short barrel for special purpose such as on boat or in police car.