Article 5 – 2022 (June)
Australian Shooter Magazine
Question and Answers
Article 5 – 2022 (June)
Question: I was wondering if you could verify if I am correct in my thinking here. I was under the impression that when I shoot sporting clays, I would get more distance out of my loads if I use a full choke as opposed to a modified choke. I have often been told that my modified choke is only good for around thirty metres, but my full choke is good for up to fifty metres. Can you please explain this?
Bob Fowles, Croydon VIC
Answer: OK I get around seven hundred words to answer these questions and in reality, I could write a book on this answer so I will try to keep my response simple.
As far as physical distance is concerned your shot will basically travel the same “distance” out of a cylinder, or no choke at all, as it will with the tightest of full chokes. The distance your shot travels in metres will largely depend on the size of your shot and the force or velocity that it has been pushed out of the end of your barrel. If you are using exactly the same loads then my statement is pretty much correct. There have been countless theories bounded around about “shot strings” and other such phenomena’s that have some validity. Despite what many people believe an open choke actually gives you a longer shot string than a tight choke due to more constriction keeping the back part of a shot load guarded from air resistance for longer therefore keeping the back pellets closer to the front of the payload creating less string. Will all this effect the distance that the shot is thrown? In theory the more the shot at the rear end of your shot load is protected from air resistance then I guess this could very well be the case. If it is then I would suggest its only marginal, but I have no evidence to back this up.
The real answer to your question lies in what is to be considered as the effective distance of your shotguns choke. I would suggest that if you are shooting at fifty metre targets then a full choke may very well work better for you than a half choke simply because you will rain more shot pellets on your target at that distance. With a half choke you may run the risk of having big enough holes in your shot pattern that a clay could find its way through it. As I always suggest, if you are shooting inaccurately then it won’t matter what choke, shotshell or barrel length you are using.
I have written countless articles on effective choke distances over the years and I have always been a great believer in changing your shotshells at greater distances as well as chokes. Simply screwing in a full choke will not always work. On tougher targets I would always suggest you try the largest legal shot size relative to the discipline you are shooting in. I believe bigger shot will be just as important at breaking targets at long range as I have seen countless targets over the years that simply won’t fall apart when being “tickled” with lighter, smaller shot sizes. Full choke means you need to shoot more accurately and for some competitors this is not a realistic expectation. Bigger shot of course will give you greater distance.
Effective distance therefore becomes a different argument than actual distance. There a numerous shot charts available that will give you the maximum distance that each shot size can be thrown with a constant muzzle velocity, but I can’t ever recall seeing analysis done of distance being measured from different choke restrictions. I guess if you are really bored there are ways you could measure this, but don’t be silly enough to get one of your mates to stand out in the paddock a couple of hundred metres out with your shotgun aimed at around forty-five degrees above the horizon and let him tell you how far your different chokes are throwing your shotshells payload. Take my word on it; it won’t make too much difference.