Extended Optima or Teague or?

[Sampop]

Hi there - have just bought myself a beretta 682 Gold E, and it came with the usual array of chokes - 3/4, 1/2, 1/4, skeet and open (hopefully I have got that right!). As I mainly shoot sporting I am after another 1/4 and maybe another 1/2 - doing my research and looking around and there are several options for extended chokes. The question is, are there any real differences, and has anyone got any recommendations on which to get?

cheers!

 

[Will Hewland]

Unless you have strong views on it, I would say that you have the right mix there for sporting, which is inherently non specific in its choke requirements. Save yer money..

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[optima]

Hi there - have just bought myself a beretta 682 Gold E, and it came with the usual array of chokes - 3/4, 1/2, 1/4, skeet and open (hopefully I have got that right!). As I mainly shoot sporting I am after another 1/4 and maybe another 1/2 - doing my research and looking around and there are several options for extended chokes. The question is, are there any real differences, and has anyone got any recommendations on which to get?

cheers!

I,d stick with same as came with gun,pattern well, and theres not many clays a half choke won,t break

 

[Sampop]

thanks guys ...maybe I am trying to be overly cautious - I used to shoot 3/8, 3/8 extended chokes in my zoli - am thinking that I may want to give myself the additional options of shooting 1/4, 1/4 or 1/2, 1/2. Guess it is not all about your chokes, but a combination of your shot, kill zone and the choke - could be over thinking!

 

[Will Hewland]

You need two identical targets on a stand to justify two identical chokes. Rarely happens..

 

[Hamster]

thanks guys ...maybe I am trying to be overly cautious - I used to shoot 3/8, 3/8 extended chokes in my zoli - am thinking that I may want to give myself the additional options of shooting 1/4, 1/4 or 1/2, 1/2. Guess it is not all about your chokes, but a combination of your shot, kill zone and the choke - could be over thinking!

One of the greatest advantages of shooting an O/U is the flexibility of utilising two barrels to your advantage so sticking the same in both is kind of defeating that object. The top 5% can maybe get away with that but that's a different subject.

If you must shoot identical chokes then it's best to go tighter than 3/8, my advice is just use the 1/4 and 1/2 but remember to use the barrel selector. Throwing 1/4 at a tough teal and then trying to straight a 10 yard rabbit with your 1/2 is daft but I see it done every week.

 

[Fuzrat]

Have finally come to the conclusion that choke is a pile of pooh and differing shell choice is more important. Always used 3/8 and 5/8 with olympics and they gave nice breaks, with these new kent velocities its like shooting 3/4 and full. They are tighter than a ducks bum. Shot the whole of Newbold today with skt and 1/4 and still had the same quality of breaks, wussed out on the longish black teal and put 5/8 in but I rekon 1/4 would have broke it.

 

[snipey]

I personally prefer to stick 1/2 1/2 in both barrels for the majority of stuff; for me it stops me fiddling with choke/selector letting me concentrate on putting it in the right place. However after my master class I have started change to skeet if very close and 3/4 for anything over 40 yd because of the pattern my 24g throw at that distance. On another note I prefer to shoot bottom barrel first, so it would alway mean I have switch the chokes around.

 

[Will Hewland]

Snipey, you touch on the other (most important) element of chokes; namely having something that leaves your head in order. This may mean massive choke shuffling, or none at all; both strategies offering different people a calm mind - which is 90% where the kill comes from.

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[VicW]

Being an auto user I only have one choke to worry about but what I have found is that I shoot just as well with the flush fitting 1/2 choke that the gun came with as I do with the extended Briley 1/2 choke that I actually use.

So why do I use the extended choke,it's easy to check for tightness and it protects the end of barrel.

I would stick with the extended Optima's,if you decide to use the same choke in both barrels then you have only got to buy one and I thought they were good chokes when I had a gun that used them.

Vic.

 

[TobyM]

Buy a fixed choke gun - job done

 

[philpot]

Have finally come to the conclusion that choke is a pile of pooh and differing shell choice is more important. Always used 3/8 and 5/8 with olympics and they gave nice breaks, with these new kent velocities its like shooting 3/4 and full. They are tighter than a ducks bum. Shot the whole of Newbold today with skt and 1/4 and still had the same quality of breaks, wussed out on the longish black teal and put 5/8 in but I rekon 1/4 would have broke it.

I'm with you on this Fuz. I have shot over the years with both fixed and multi and it does not bother me at all what type of arrangement I use but I may carry 3 or 4 different types of carts in the bag to cope with different targets. My most favoured choke is 1/2 & 3/4 for sporting and I use a fair percentage of 9 shot which I find copes very well with a wide variety of targets.

Earlier this year I had a few days at High Lodge with my wife. One day, just for fun, I shot a round of DTL and 100 sporting targets using the 25.5'' barrels, sk & sk on my 3200 with both 7 and 9 shot and was really supprised how well the combination accounted for itself. I am old fasioned perhaps but I believe that the if the gun fits you and the cartridges do what YOU want them to do and have confidience in them, the only other thing to concern youself with is the bit between your ears and forget about constantly changing chokes just use the power of mind over matter and get on and enjoy.

Just as an example, my wife has no interest in cart or choke selection, she simply uses what I give her or whatever she picks out of the bag and whilst Trish is not a good sporting shot, she kills her fair percentage of the targets. Dont confuse matters just shoot.

Phil

 

[Sampop]

Thanks guys - I am not really a choke shuffler, I find that there is too much to think about, without adding that into the mix (always good to have the tools though - just in case). I previously slotted 3/8 and 3/8 in my zoli and that is all I ever shot with it - and they broke a fair deal of targets. I was thinking of moving in that direction with my new gun - but after the advice and feedback here, think I will stick to my 1/2 and 1/4 and the selector for now, and see how things go.

thanks all!