which choke

[fishnhuntnboy]

I've been searching and looking up alot of stuff about duck hunting and It have read that quite a few people use the mod. choke. What does everyone here like to use? Right now I am using just the normal full choke but am considering to try out the mod. to see the difference since most of my shots are pretty close.

So whats your choice and what size?

[mnhunter79]

Patternmaster

[slabchaser]

I would be carefull using a full choke. I would stick with mod. but as well as mnhunter i shoot a patternmaster. it isnt magic but i have limited some cripples with it.

[Maxxed Out]

This conversation begins and ends with Patternmaster. I hunted with a modified choke for years and years and killed lots of geese. I switched to a patternmaster and killed more geese and stopped having to chase cripples.

[fishnhuntnboy]

with the patternmasters are they extended modified chokes? I looked at them on their HSOforum and all of them were the extended chokes. Also i was thinking of getting the blackcloud one but not sure but can you use normal steel threw those or just blackcloud?

[riversmallmouth35]

You don't need to buy any after market chokes until you pattern all of your factory chokes. Patterning is the only way you can definetly tell what choke/shell works best in your gun. Buying patternmasters is now the "cool" thing to do in todays waterfowling world. However I get the best pattern out of my winchestor X2 with the factory mod shooting federal blue box BB.

Patternmasters will give you a better pattern a lot of times but you still need to find the right shell for your gun.

[Maxxed Out]

Pattern master will give you the best pattern consistently for killing waterfowl.

But I guess lets answer the real question, you say our considering changing chokes but not sure if you need to because all of your shots are pretty close. Are you having a tough time hitting birds or killing birds.

If you're crippling birds and not killing them you should definatly not go to the modified (larger pattern more holes) If you're having a tough time hitting birds you should not go with the full or patternmaster because they are a tighter pattern.

If you just want to get out and put a hurting on some ducks and geese, go with the pattern master. You can really do some damage to birds.

[fishnhuntnboy]

But I guess lets answer the real question, you say our considering changing chokes but not sure if you need to because all of your shots are pretty close. Are you having a tough time hitting birds or killing birds.

If you're crippling birds and not killing them you should definatly not go to the modified (larger pattern more holes) If you're having a tough time hitting birds you should not go with the full or patternmaster because they are a tighter pattern.

Im not having to tough of a time hitting birds. I would say 50/50 but the birds i have shot they were killed with a regular full choke and have left some hefty holes in the bird. So should i go to the regular modified? Maxxed you said i should not go with the mod. do you mean i should?

[Maxxed Out]

You should not go with the mod if you were crippling birds and not killing them. It sounds like you are concerned about damaging the birds you are shooting, so I would recommend just calling the shot a little sooner.

In my opinion as long as the full choke you have is rated for steel shot, I would stick with that for waterfowl. You should however pattern it so you have a good idea of where the majority of your shot is grouping and where your holes are.

I hunt a lot of geese and ducks, and especially for geese and some late season mallards pattern master just can't be beat. And I can say this because my first shotgun was a full choke, I then hunted with mod for many years and switched to the pattern master about four years ago. Probably the biggest benefit is the ability to kill birds when it appears they had gotten out of the kill zone. So when the birds have decoyed in and you've dropped few and there's that bird that looks like it's going to sneak out the back door. Those are the shot where the modified very rarely does the job, and the pattern master kills.

[carpshooterdeluxe]

pattern pattern pattern. i run 4 guns for waterfowling, and two of those sport aftermarket chokes, while the other two are simply factory improved cyl. it all boils down to your pattern preference, and ammo selection. you'll want to quit when you find that first great patterning load, but do yourself a favor and find 3 or 4 loads within the range of different brands, so if you cannot find one type of "pet" load, you can always go with another.

[DRH1175]

Anybody ever shoot the Drake Killer choke? How about good old Carlson tubes? They are way cheaper than the drake killers and pattern masters.

[Sergio M]

I really like the Kick's High Flyer X-Full. For geese 3.5 #2 and duck's 3.5 #4

[ec30_06]

I would pattern your factory mod. before buying any aftermarket chokes.

[Moonie]

Pattern your weapon w/ what you got. You said you have some good size holes in your birds? Then the full is prob a little too tight for the close in work you're doing. a good general rule i follow is mod for ducks over deeks w/ steel. You can always switch chokes if you find yourself taking longer shots, or go to a different size shot. One could talk for hours on shot size, choke selection, barrel length, Dram EQ... but it boils down to practice and confidence.

[Tom7227]

Amazing that people are even considering a full choke with steel shot. It doesn't work and will very likely provide you with the worst pattern of anything you have, and you also create the possiblity of damaging the gun.

Full chokes work with lead shot because the lead shot deforms as it goes down the barrel and through the choke. Steel shot on the other hand does not deform. As it gets compressed you get force that pushes the shot sideways instead of straight ahead. Thus you get a lot of fliers and a very wide pattern.

Since you don't have any time left I would suggest you go with either modified or improved cylinder. If you really want to know what's going on go to a range with a patterning board and go through the process of patterning the gun. I'm sure you can get instruction on how to do that through the Google.

[S 16 Guy]

Tom, Patternmaster chokes are designed for steel shot specifically. They work great, you just need to know the right applications for the right constrictions though.

[Tom7227]

S 16,

Thanks for the info. I guess I am not up on all the dodads that are available.

I still think it is a wise choice to pattern a gun. I did it as part of my advanced hunter ed years ago and it was very interesting to see what happened with the various chokes. I also helped a friend do it with his Citori and he learned that every time he shot the load was high and left by 4-5 inches.

Tom

[rattlem'up]

i have both the drakekiller choke and carlson's mod. choke I use the mod choke for ducks and have patterned my gun and federal blue box #3's have a great pattern along with BB shot. I mainly use the drakekiller for geese both canada and s&b's. Same shells federal blue box. 2's or BB. Kevin that makes drakekiller chokes has patterned the chokes with many style guns and will give you a list of good patterning loads to try out. You still have to pattern your gun.

[fishnhuntnboy]

Can you use regular ammunition threw a black cloud tube or just black cloud?

[Quackaddict9]

I use a Extended Range Patternmaster out of a Nova and shoot either shot 2 or BB. I have seen changes between the choke I used the last 3 years- Haydel's choke. There was no reason to change to a Patternmaster but I wanted to give it a try and have been very pleased... It is much tighter of a pattern but after learning from it, it's been deadly and like it a lot.

[RumRiverRat]

Can you use regular ammunition threw a black cloud tube or just black cloud?

Forget about the fancy chokes, pattern your Chokes that came with your gun.

No point in using a Carlson Black Cloud Choke if you are not going to shoot Black Cloud.

[fishnhuntnboy]

well i am thinking of trying out the black cloud and use it. i figure since im spending so much on ammo that whats it going to hurt to spend like and extra 3 bucks for a box a shells that may be alot better than what i am using. and i am thinking of getting a case of shells to get them a lil cheaper since me and my dad will be using them. I still do need to pattern my gun tho but i would like to get an extended mod for my gun.

[no bait nate]

I shoot a KICKS hi flyer full and it shoots great. Patterns well with many different shells (Supremes, black cloud, Hevi-steel) nice pattern at 40 yds. and can drop ducks out to 50+

[benbosh]

i use to use a modified and then switched to full last year and it made a difference, i bought a carlsons factory choke (only like 20 bucks). i have had way less cripples and doesnt blow the birds apart

[Gordie]

just bought a browning BPS 10ga and it came with a pattern master choke not sure witch one but I will be givibng it a try on some geese next week so I will post my results