We've all debated on this board the various pros and cons of various chokes, but let's say we have a fixed single barrel shotgun. What's the best compromise choke that gun?
After about twenty five years of shooting a whole lot of clay targets and a few birds on the wing, my vote goes to a 12 gauge shotgun choked about .015 thousands constriction, otherwise known as Skeet 2 or Light Modified.
Feed such a gun#8's or #9's and it's a skeet gun. Give it 7 1/2's and it shoots trap and sporting clays. With #6 pheasant loads it works for pheasants. Or you could just shoot 7 1/2's at everything and be done with it.
The makers have pretty well settled long ago on Improved Cylinder, Modified, and Full chokes being the standards, and Light Modified is usually an "extra" choke or something you have done to your old fixed choke barrel. If I can't have Light Modified, I want Improved Cylinder (.010 constriction). If I can't have that I want Modified (.020), and if not that I'll shoot the full choke and learn to like it or have it reamed out to Light Modified.
We've all read about how each choke and each load is different, and only the patterns on the plate count, and then we go right out and shoot what we have. I've found that most light modified chokes shoot about the same pattern as any other light modified tube or barrel, and they don't vary a whole lot. Also, I think that a light modified is more able to shoot wide patterns with smaller shot and tighter patterns with larget shot than any other choke constriction.
Add to all this that the barrel makers seem to have all agreed years ago that .015 constriction is as tight as an older fixed barrel gun should be and shoot steel shot, and the case for the light modified for a single barrel gun is closed.
Make mine light modified,,,,if it's convenient.
Otherwise I'll shoot whatever is handy.
Who else likes (or doesn't like) a light modified choke to shoot everything with?
After about twenty five years of shooting a whole lot of clay targets and a few birds on the wing, my vote goes to a 12 gauge shotgun choked about .015 thousands constriction, otherwise known as Skeet 2 or Light Modified.
Feed such a gun#8's or #9's and it's a skeet gun. Give it 7 1/2's and it shoots trap and sporting clays. With #6 pheasant loads it works for pheasants. Or you could just shoot 7 1/2's at everything and be done with it.
The makers have pretty well settled long ago on Improved Cylinder, Modified, and Full chokes being the standards, and Light Modified is usually an "extra" choke or something you have done to your old fixed choke barrel. If I can't have Light Modified, I want Improved Cylinder (.010 constriction). If I can't have that I want Modified (.020), and if not that I'll shoot the full choke and learn to like it or have it reamed out to Light Modified.
We've all read about how each choke and each load is different, and only the patterns on the plate count, and then we go right out and shoot what we have. I've found that most light modified chokes shoot about the same pattern as any other light modified tube or barrel, and they don't vary a whole lot. Also, I think that a light modified is more able to shoot wide patterns with smaller shot and tighter patterns with larget shot than any other choke constriction.
Add to all this that the barrel makers seem to have all agreed years ago that .015 constriction is as tight as an older fixed barrel gun should be and shoot steel shot, and the case for the light modified for a single barrel gun is closed.
Make mine light modified,,,,if it's convenient.
Otherwise I'll shoot whatever is handy.
Who else likes (or doesn't like) a light modified choke to shoot everything with?