Poly Choke

[Lunker]

I was given an older(but still very nice) 870 Wingmaster 12 ga a couple years ago when a family friends father passed. It has a PolyChoke attached to the barrel, and after using it this fall, decided I won't carry a polychoked gun again. I just don't like it. I don't like the patterns, and I don't like that it interferes with my aiming(i think it does). Someone told me that these things can't be removed withough cutting the barrel, but I find that hard to believe. Is there anyway to remove this or have it removed by a gunsmith?

[icehousebob]

Back in my misspent youth in a gunsmith shop Polychokes were called dial-a-ducks. They are ugly and change the gun's line of sight. The barrel is cut shorter when they are put on, so the original choke is gone. You can cut the threaded part off and have a cylinder bore barrel or spend lots of bucks having one of the national companies bore and thread the inside of the barrel for the newer modern screw in chokes. My option would be to cut the one you have to a cylinder barrel and have a new sight installed for grouse and rabbits and hit some of the bigger gun shops to find a used barrel as a replacement. I can think of three or four shops in the metro area that might have one.

[Lunker]

What's a replacement barrel run for an 870 usually?

[New Yankee]

$200 to $250, used you can usually find them for about half that.