I have seen several choke tubes blow out and take with them a fractured portion of the barrel end. There was no obstruction, type or size of shot was not a factor , and in one instance, the owner of the 870 stated that before shooting he had checked the choke tube for tightness.
We checked the sporting clays range for the tube , found it and determined that the shot had pushed one lower edge up, causing the tube to rotate and take off about 240 degrees around the muzzle end. Why the choke tube blew out I have no explanation, particularly considering the owners statement that he had just checked it for tightness.
That was the fourth choke tube I had seen blow out, either witnessing the incident directly or seeing it shortly afterward. There were no injuries to the shooter or bystanders in any of the incidents. Three were in Rem 870s and one in a black gun , a Benelli I think, but since Rem 870's are the most popular gun, its not surprising one would see an unrelated occurrence there.
|