Imp. cyl. vs. Skeet chokes

[Wyo. Coyote Hunter]

  Most of my life I have shot shotguns, and with the advent of screw in chokes, I have most chokes from skeet to turkey...I used Imp. Cyl. for much of my upland hunting...I have read where the skeet is even more open with a few yards less range than the I. C. other places they say that the skeet has a more even pattern but the two are about the same. What is the deal with these chokes is one shorter range than the other?

[mattmillerrx]

I am no expert and am curious to see what they have to say, but I think you are right on the money.  A little more open, a little less yards, but not to much different.

[RaySendero]

If I remember my chokes correctly, they progress from open to full:

•   Open, sometimes called a cylinder bore
•   Skeet 1, Usually just called Skeet
•   Improved Cylinder
•   Skeet 2
•   Modified
•   Improved Modified
•   Full

[mattmillerrx]

I have not heard of Skeet 2 is this the same as light modified?  Below is from the browning web site.  Theses are there Diana invector-plus tubes.  My gun came with skeet, improved, and modified.  That takes care of my hunting needs for the most part. Anyway, this gives you an Idea of the difference between the constriction of each.  I am plan on using this gun for sporting clays, hunting, and our range is just finishing up a skeet range and a trap house so may try shooting both sports with it as well.  I am thinking of getting the improved modified and the light modified.  I may go ahead and get the Full just for a complete set.  So I am interested in this topic right now as I am about to be buying.


1131053   Full                          Titanium Nitride, black b   20ga      Constriction .035"      $59.99
1131063   Improved Modified   Titanium Nitride, black b   20ga      Constriction .025"      $59.99
1131073   Modified                  Titanium Nitride, black b   20ga      Constriction .020"      $59.99
1131033   Light Modified           Titanium Nitride, black b   20ga      Constriction .015"      $59.99
1131083   Improved Cylinder   Titanium Nitride, black b   20ga      Constriction .010"      $59.99
1131093   Skeet                       Titanium Nitride, black b   20ga      Constriction .005"      $59.99

[PowPow]

My choke tubes had names on the original packages, but numbers from I to IIIII on the tubes.
Without getting up of this sofa, I could not tell you which is which, except to say the one with the thickest wall is the fullest choke.

I use the most open choke on the first shot and the next number for the second shot for released quail.
(You have to shoot them quick or they land and run, or thd dog loses point and chases.)

For doves, I use the same chokes in both barrels, starting with the more open chokes early in the season and moving to more closed chokes later in the season.

For any given brand of choke tube, I would think you could put some calipers on the muzzle end of the tube to measure thickness, to see what order they go in, if they are not marked numerically.

[spruce]

A skeet 1 choke is slightly more open than IC, a skeet 2 is somewhere between IC and modified - THEORETICALLY!
The reason I added the caveat is because with shotguns you just never know exactly how they will pattern with a given choke.

I have an over/under that patterns noticeably tighter with the bottom barrel when I put IC tubes in both barrels - switch the tubes around and it still patterns tighter in the bottom barrel.  Put a skeet 1 tube in the bottom and an IC tube in the top and patterns look almost identical.

Barrel markings or choke tube markings give you a rough estimate of what to expect, but actual results vary so much from gun to gun, barrel to barrel, tube to tube, (and ammo) that you really don't know for sure unless you actually go out and pattern it.

[Maritime Storm]

And none of this info makes a difference until you pattern the gun with both chokes.

[RaySendero]

.....

Barrel markings or choke tube markings give you a rough estimate of what to expect, but actual results vary so much from gun to gun, barrel to barrel, tube to tube, (and ammo) that you really don't know for sure unless you actually go out and pattern it.

I'll second (third) Spruce's and MStorm's recomendation to pattern your gun.

I'd add that THE LOAD also has effect on the pattern.  I find that both shot size and shot hardness effects the pattern.

[Graybeard]

Generally speaking and assuming both chokes are from the same manufacturer you'll get about five more yards of effective range from an IC than a Skeet choke tube. I tend to agree the skeet tube will give a more even pattern whereas the IC will have a tighter center and be thinner on the outside.

Both are exellent choices for upland game and if you are shooting a double either SxS or O/U having one of each is quite handy.

On the skeet range many folks like to play around especially after they've missed one or two and it's quite common at least at the range where I shoot for folks to shoot doubles at station seven backwards. That means they shoot the incomer high house bird first than switch to the outgoing low house bird for the second shot.

Doing this most often means you're shooting the first bird at closer to 30 yards than the 21 yards to the stake. If you hesitate and shoot it closer to the stake at nearly 21 yards then the outgoing bird is going to be easily 35-40 yards out by the time you shoot it. If you point the gun correctly these shots are easily enough taken with 20 gauge skeet choked guns using 7/8 oz of shot.

I've done it with both 28 gauge and .410 bore as well both using skeet choke tubes so it really proves that out to 30-35 yards even the lowly .410 using a half ounce of shot is up to the task of breaking a clay target.

Now that is not by any means indicative of it being able to kill upland game birds just because it can break a clay target. But a skeet choked 28 or 20 gauge must less a 12 gauge is fully up to the task of killing game like quail, dove and grouse to 35-40 yards using a skeet choked tube and proper size shot. I have no hesitation taking a 40 yard shot with a 12 ga so choked and in fact in an O/U 12 I tend to go with cylinder and skeet tubes for upland shooting unless I know shots will be long in which case I'll use IC in place of the cylinder tube or occasionally a light modified. If shots are gonna be longer than that I prefer to move to a different spot rather than try reaching out so far.

[Wyo. Coyote Hunter]

  Graybeard, thanks, this is what I was looking for...I thought there was a diff. in range between the skeet and I.C. I use open chokes quite a bit in upland game, except turkey, and have killed a couple of those up to 40 yards with and IC and 7 1/2's...I mostly use the full  in my 28, but will have to try the IC....thanks...

[Graybeard]

For skeet shooting with the various gauges my preference is to use the most open choke I can get with the 12 gauge. I used to have a gun with Cutts on the end of barrel and I used the spreader tube in it. These days a cylinder bore is as wide as I can find. With the 20 ga I do pretty much the same but will use either two cylinder tubes or one cylinder and one skeet.

With both 28 and .410 on skeet I use the skeet choke tubes from Briley. In fact Briley is my first choice for choke tubes for all uses. While I don't break both every time doing it I can and have broken the doubles at station seven backwards using a .410 several times just to show relatively new shooters that it is possible to help give them more confidence in their guns. Some times folks use the 12 and even heavy loads under the false assumption that more shot will break more birds for them. They are candidates to be shown that the .410 can do it even backwards on the longest shots on the field.

It's really all about where ya point the gun when ya pull the trigger. Folks use a lot more shot than they really need for most tasks hoping it will make up for their lack of shooting skill. It won't.