Bad info on both counts, the distance shot travels is a function shot size and velocity, choke restriction only changes the diameter and density of the pattern. External chokes will only increase distance by the amount the choke extends beyond the barrel.

 

Only advantage that I see (and I use them) is that they are easier to check for tightness during a round of clays.

 

Easy to identify what choke you have in your barrels, easy to change and they look cool. Good shooting, Rey

 

.. they look cool.

And THAT is the actual reason most of us use extended chokes.

 

Choke ID
Tightness check
Easy change-over

 

If a full choke keeps the pattern tighter for longer, is there a drafting effect (think Nascar cars going around a track) that would help the pellets slow less rapidly/fly more efficiently vs the pattern of a cylinder choke?

 

If a full choke keeps the pattern tighter for longer, is there a drafting effect (think Nascar cars going around a track) that would help the pellets slow less rapidly/fly more efficiently vs the pattern of a cylinder choke?

No.

 

I prefer flushly mounted chokes. It’s just me. You do you.

 

A big benefit i like that gets overlooked is that the extended chokes protect the end of the barrels. One of my guns fell out of a cart and dented the extended tube pretty bad. Would have knocked the rib loose and had to send the gun in for repairs with a flush or no choke, but all i had to do was screw in another. I also like to rest the barrels on my foot or on the floor of a wood station. Extended tubes take the wear from that.

 

A big benefit i like that gets overlooked is that the extended chokes protect the end of the barrels. One of my guns fell out of a cart and dented the extended tube pretty bad. Would have knocked the rib loose and had to send the gun in for repairs with a flush or no choke, but all i had to do was screw in another.

Exactly this!

 

Extended vs flush chokes

Some pros and cons of extended choke tubes include:

1) extended tubes are usually easier/faster to change (usually no wrench needed),

2) most extended tubes have the choke/constriction printed on the exposed portion (visible when installed) while some flush tubes don’t have notches to indicate choke constrictions when installed,

3) extended tubes provide muzzle protection from possible muzzle damage (dint) that could make choke removal or instillation difficult,

4) extended tubes provide additional length which allows for the possibility of different choke geometry and design (ramp angle and length, choke angle and length, parallel section length, porting and endless marketing gimmicks) which may or may not provide improved performance,

5) extended tubes usually weigh more than flush tubes which may or may not be a good thing for your gun’s balance,

6) some shooters think the extended tubes look cool and some like the traditional uncluttered look of flush tubes, and

7) extended tubes are generally more expensive (the choke makers like that).

None of this means extended choke tubes work/perform "better" (whatever that means) than flush chokes. It really depends on the kind of performance you need/want from your chokes and loads for your type of hunting/shooting. However, if you aren't going to take the time to pattern them properly (with the ammo you use) to find out how they really perform then it doesn't really matter, just use what you like.

 

Extended vs flush chokes

Some pros and cons of extended choke tubes include:

1) extended tubes are usually easier/faster to change (usually no wrench needed),

2) most extended tubes have the choke/constriction printed on the exposed portion (visible when installed) while some flush tubes don’t have notches to indicate choke constrictions when installed,

3) extended tubes provide muzzle protection from possible muzzle damage (dint) that could make choke removal or instillation difficult,

4) extended tubes provide additional length which allows for the possibility of different choke geometry and design (ramp angle and length, choke angle and length, parallel section length, porting and endless marketing gimmicks) which may or may not provide improved performance,

5) extended tubes usually weigh more than flush tubes which may or may not be a good thing for your gun’s balance,

6) some shooters think the extended tubes look cool and some like the traditional uncluttered look of flush tubes, and

7) extended tubes are generally more expensive (the choke makers like that).

None of this means extended choke tubes work/perform "better" (whatever that means) than flush chokes. It really depends on the kind of performance you need/want from your chokes and loads for your type of hunting/shooting. However, if you aren't going to take the time to pattern them properly (with the ammo you use) to find out how they really perform then it doesn't really matter, just use what you like.
[/QUOTE

One other thing, extended chokes add a extra inch or more to the total barrel length. That affects every aspect of the shot pattern, size and speed. Not much but it is the same argument between 30, 32 and 34 inch barrels. Powder gets the most effective pressures at a certain length, different foe each powder and load.

Like many here, I have spent a fortune on all different brands, sizes and constriction and they are all different! Carlson is a great choke but Briley is better. Personally, I like Muller competition chokes as the constriction is non standard. Almost everyone else has a .005 degree between chokes so a full is .695, light full is .700, improved mod is .705 and so forth. Muller #2 is.003 degrees less than mod and to me is perfect for regular 50 yard sporting clays.

But it always changes. Each gun likes a particular choke and a particular load in a particular hull, powder, wadd and powder. Trying a new 1 ounce load ar 1325fps and 9800 psi tomorrow. Psi translates not perceived recoil which determine flinch the more shots are fired in a day. 1 1/8 at 1150 to 1200 is a great load, especially with Hogdones International or Clay's powder. Good luck getting any!

 

Chokes pattern differently to each gun, extended or not, and sometimes even within the same brand.
However, aftermarket chokes flush or extended can improve your pattern.

The ease of changing makes extended nice. Additionally, you can choose ported or non ported. You also can add “barrel length and weight” with extended chokes.

Extended chokes aren’t snake oil contrary to what some people believe. But you have to find what works best for you and your gun router login.

For what it’s worth, I love my Pure Gold (extended and ported) chokes. They are designed to produce a very “hot center” in your pattern and I feel like they shoot tighter than they are marked. (For example, you can smokeball birds in Sporting at 40 yards with a .5 skeet choke because it shoots more like an Ic)

 

I like extended choke tubes but not when hunting in heavy grouse cover. The little notches always get hung up on branches.

 

definitely easier to check for tightness throughout a shoot. if i was gonna blow out a barrel due to loose chokes it almost certainly would happen with the flush vs extended.

 

I find the opposite:
After shooting a station, I can easily tell if a flush choke is coming loose just by looking at it.
It's almost impossible to visually check an extended tube...until it's almost too late.

 

Also, extended chokes put the maximum hoop stress (where the choke will swell) outside of the barrel. Important if you're shooting hot mag loads, steel, etc. Extended designs also allow larger OD's to counter these stresses.

I bought a used A303 years ago and I found that the Moble choke (factory flush) was swelled in the barrel. Took several hours (and ruined a ct wrench) but it came out. Barrel was fine thankfully. PO no doubt shot something beyond Moble's design limit.

 

Hunter summed it up.

 

I like extended for muzzle protection, ease of checking tightness, ease of change and adding a little forward weight.

 

I have a 26" barreled Citori 12 ga. Long extended chokes in it provide some extra weight that make it swing nicer than with flush chokes. I shoot a lot of steel shot in my 20 ga steel waterfowl guns and none of the factory flush Full chokes I have are rated for steel shot.

 

On more than one occasion (podcasts), I've heard one of the pro's say they prefer tighter chokes, and one of the reasons being longer shot string...
I'm guessing this is what they are referring to.

 

Extended chokes unported, can provide a longer construction which some claim give better patterns. They are cheaper to replace than repairing a damaged muzzle. Ported extended chokes are a sales gimmick, no benefits just like ported barrels. Chokes can be made eccentric to adjust POI and regulate barrels also.

 

Read Dr Andrew Jones book. All of these old guesses have been debunked.

also look at the hyper slo mo videos.

or

keep reciting this old wrong stuff.

 

I don't own that particular book. Can you briefly phrase his findings? Thanks.

 

Brister noted his theory on this only in the captions under the illustrations posted by @Breakin25. He does not mention anything further that I could find in the book's text.

 

My personal experiance is more uniform patterns from extended chokes vs regular. Removing a stuck tube is a lot easier.

 

i just wanted to fit in🤣🤣🤣🤣 and yes they look cool. so my new 725 field grade which came with flush chokes now has Briley extended skeet chokes. mine are green so a little easier to identify my gun in the rack at the club, since 90% of them are 725's of some model.

 

Sporting Shotgun Performance by Andrew Jones

I'll confess that many of Dr. Jones' findings are unsurprising to me, personally. They comport seamlessly with prior observations in many cases. Sir Gerald Burrard was right about shot string and that was from 1927 or thereabouts. Ed Lowry revisited it and confirmed it. A “modified” choke with lead hardly means a “full choke” with steel. Don Zutz noted that bit of bogus information a long time ago, but apparently marketing departments have decided to ignore and forget about it.

I like the perspective of Dr. Jones and the way he looks at things. I found it refreshing and I think you will, as well. On the subject of gauge, there is no wunderkind of gauges. Payload wins the day, not a gauge, and for many applications the limitation of the gauge is payload, little more. Dr. Jones goes farther than that. You'll read that, yes, a 12 gauge is likely capable of tighter patterns than sub-gauges, measurable but still insignificant compared to payload. A tighter pattern is naturally only of value if you want a tighter pattern than your gun is already capable of achieving, which most wingshooters who like to eat what they bag are not at all looking for.

There are many questions left unaddressed and unanswered. After some time with Sporting Shotgun Performance, I came away with new found respect for Sir Burrard, considering that the technology of the day was 1920s technology. There are a few areas not of general interest to American shooters, such as the fiber wad vs. one-piece plastic shot cup analysis. That hardly invalidates it, it is just that Americans are quite comfortable with plastic and the European bio-degradeable wads haven't caught on as of yet in the U.S., although leaving less trash in the field isn't a bad idea.

If there is a sin of omission, I suppose it would be the effect of forcing cone modifications on patterns and, to a lesser extent, the effect of shooting a 2-3/4 in. hull in a longer chamber. Dr. Jones offers his opinion about forcing cones as a generality, I'm inclined to agree, but nothing is further explored or quantified. After absorbing a work of this size, I'm reminded that all of us are quite free to get up off of our most delightful posteriors and produce a work more comprehensive and extensive on our own, something that hasn't been attempted for at least fifty years.

I'm delighted that Dr. Jones has released this book and I can't recommend it highly enough for those with more than a casual interest in what makes shotguns work. The results are analyzed and tabulated to show trends or reveal that there is no support for some preconceived notions. It is an important contribution.

 

On the Project Upland website there is an article about the Weatherby Orion S x S wherein Kyle Killen of Weatherby says they went with extended ( Yildiz Pro ) chokes because during testing the extended chokes consistently outperformed flush-chokes, when using steel shot, and that's the only reason they went with extended chokes.

I just bought an Orion S x S in 12 gauge, having grown up on Winchester 21's ( and 12's ) this Orion will be my first experience with screw-in's...at 66 years old. It came with SK, IC, M, IM, and F chokes.

 

Dr Jones says everything performed in a Bell curve distribution.

That fast shells do not “blow open” the pattern.

that you cannot tell where on the clay that it was hit due to its high rotation speed.

Patterns are created by the back pellets drafting on the front pellets until they are pushed aside.

That one pellet can break a clay but multiple pellet strikes ensure the breaks.

 

I shot with a guy last weekend in a registered shoot at the Meadows in Georgia who carries an old Renato Gamba. He was the only guy at the event with flush tubes. He did not HOA but did kill a lot of us with $74-$85 choke tubes on our muzzles. He smoked targets and finished a very challenging SS course with a 91.

we all spend too much time on choke tubes…

 

it's the indian not the arrow.