Choke size

[Michael Brown]

I have a Parker letter describing my gun it states that my guns chokes were : Patterned 255 pellets with size 7 shot in a 40" circle at 40 yards.
What would that be in choke size ?

[Chuck Bishop]

I hope I didn't make a typo. 30" circle at 40 yards. 255 pellets should equal full choke.

[Michael Brown]

Thanks,
Parker must have used a standard load for all their testing.
Does anyone know of a chart that wold show the results of that testing in Parkers ? and what that load might have been.

[Bill Murphy]

In earlier times, no standard shot size, shot weight, range, target shape, or target size. In later times, 30" circle at 40 yards with various loads. I have seen loads from #9 to 00 buckshot.

[Michael Brown]

Thanks,
This gun was made in 1923 and the chokes were patterned RH 255 pellets and LH 255 pellets of size 7 shot in a 40" circle at 40 yards. Just trying to figure of what this might equate to in today's chokes.

[Bill Murphy]

Chuck answered your question in an earlier post.

[Michael Brown]

Chuck answered your question in an earlier post.

Aware of that, however,
Would there be a difference in 30" and 40" circle at the same distance ?
Seems that there would be,

[Chuck Bishop]

Aware of that, however,
Would there be a difference in 30" and 40" circle at the same distance ?
Seems that there would be,

Your letter should have read 255 pellets in a 30" circle at 40 yards which is also the standard for a 12 ga. today. Your number of pellets in a 40" circle should be lower than a 30" circle at the same distance. I'm sending you a revised letter.

If I did the math correctly, Tatham had approximately 325 pellets in 1 1/8 oz. of size 7 shot so 255 / 325 = .788 % which is a full choke

[Michael Brown]

Your letter should have read 255 pellets in a 30" circle at 40 yards which is also the standard for a 12 ga. today. Your number of pellets in a 40" circle should be lower than a 30" circle at the same distance. I'm sending you a revised letter.

If I did the math correctly, Tatham had approximately 325 pellets in 1 1/8 oz. of size 7 shot so 255 / 325 = .788 % which is a full choke

Okay thanks..

[Dylan Rhodes]

Your letter should have read 255 pellets in a 30" circle at 40 yards which is also the standard for a 12 ga. today. Your number of pellets in a 40" circle should be lower than a 30" circle at the same distance. I'm sending you a revised letter.

If I did the math correctly, Tatham had approximately 325 pellets in 1 1/8 oz. of size 7 shot so 255 / 325 = .788 % which is a full choke

Chuck, you lost me here. Just making sure I don’t have an egregious misunderstanding of patterning. Shouldn’t the number of pellets in a 40” circle be higher than a 30” at the same distance?

[Garry L Gordon]

Your letter should have read 255 pellets in a 30" circle at 40 yards which is also the standard for a 12 ga. today. Your number of pellets in a 40" circle should be lower than a 30" circle at the same distance. I'm sending you a revised letter.

If I did the math correctly, Tatham had approximately 325 pellets in 1 1/8 oz. of size 7 shot so 255 / 325 = .788 % which is a full choke

Mr. Bishop is a wizard! Well worth the price of admission.:bowdown:

[Chuck Bishop]

Chuck, you lost me here. Just making sure I don’t have an egregious misunderstanding of patterning. Shouldn’t the number of pellets in a 40” circle be higher than a 30” at the same distance?

No Dylan, you are correct, I get confused in my old age. At least tell me I figured out the percentage correctly!

[Dave Noreen]

In my saved pictures of Parker Bros. hang-tags from around the 1923-time frame I see lighter 12-gauges targeted with 1 1/8-ounce and heavier guns targeted with 1 1/4-ounce. So, 1 1/4-ounce of #7 chilled would be 374 pellets. That would be 255/374 = 68.2%. My table shows 336 in 1 1/8-ounce so 255/336 = 75.8%. I'd say 68% is more reasonable. Damn few guns patterned over 70% back in the day.

[Chuck Bishop]

My table for Tatham shot shows 1 oz is 291 pellets of size 7 shot and I assumed a 1 1/8 oz. weight.

[Dave Noreen]

291 is soft, 299 is chilled. Hang-tags from the 1920s and considerably earlier state "chilled."

[Mike Koneski]

Chuck, you lost me here. Just making sure I don’t have an egregious misunderstanding of patterning. Shouldn’t the number of pellets in a 40” circle be higher than a 30” at the same distance?

Yes it should. Chuck just did a typo.