Mystery Choke Devices

[Researcher]

There was a question over on Shotgunworld about some choke devices from vintage skeet guns.

I looked through the Gun Digests from 1944 to 1959 and 1934, 39 & 41 Stoeger's and didn't see anything like this.

What is it 01.png

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We know the Winchester Model 12 on the left and the Remington Model 11 on the right have Cutts Compensators, but what is on the Browning A5 in the middle?

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What is on the Remington Sportsman-48 the gent in the middle is holding?

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[Reggie B]

There was a PowerPac choke that I think was similar in design. Weaver also had a choke system. The one pictured looks like a Cutts of a different model?

[Researcher]

My thought was that someone re-engineered the Pachmayr POWer-PAC by making a new body with one slot and machining a bunch of slots in a Pachmayr choke tube.

Pachmayr POWer-PAC 1962 Gun Digest.jpeg

Weaver-Choke 1962 Gun Digest.jpg

[Alfred Houde]

It looks like something that Cutts may have done. Just speculating based on the number of experimental items of his that I recall that are held in the collection of the National Museum of the Marine Corps.

I have attached probably the most detailed article on Cutts and his son. It was authored by USMC Captain John Sheehan while he was a Special Assistant at the National Museum of the Marine Corps.

[Bill Murphy]

The odd part of the Cutts story is that it was designed to keep a Thompson sub machine gun from rising in recoil at the time of discharge. However, the wildly popular Cutts Compensator sold for use in shotguns did not have vents that prevent the rise of the muzzle on discharge. The vents are equally situated on the top and bottom of the compensator body. After at least fifty years of using guns with Cutts Compensators in dozens of different shotguns, I still don't understand why the compensator body has vents at the bottom. The pictured, probably modified, Pachmayr Power Pac in my opinion is the proper use of vents in a shotgun barrel, in the top only. I agree with Researcher, the compensator in question is a modified Pachmayr Power Pac, never marketed in that configuration.

[Bill Murphy]

Al Houde, thanks for the article I have never seen. I haven't read it in it's entirety yet, but I will. I remember attending an auction in Rockville, Maryland, of Colonel Cutts' personal property, hoping to find some gun related items. Unfortunately, no gun related items were included in the auction. I still shoot a rather large collection of Cutts equipped shotguns and am looking for a proper rifle to utilize a rare and unusual Cutts Compensator made for a 30 caliber rifle, according to the information on the box.

[Alfred Houde]

It's a very well researched article. John had some talent, and I tried hard to get him on the staff of the museum. He chose to pursue his PhD, and I couldn't fault him for that.

A number of years ago, the museum took in a toolbox, tools, and a number of completed and uncompleted items belonging to Cutts. Some of the items were still on display last I visited.

[Double Lab]

Alfred, thanks for the fascinating article on an item that eventually made it's way to the public. I have a 1950's Model 12 with one and really love it. Growing up all the skeet shooters had them on their M12's, 11-48's and Model 11's. I saw you mentioned in the footnotes, so if you served, thank you for your service. I'm not sure the military industrial complex is much different today, only on a larger scale. To me a Thompson doesn't look complete without the Compensator.

[James L. Martin]

Here's my 1948 M-12 skeet gun with a original cutts

[Wilmurt]

I see what I believe is a “Polychoke” in the 3rd photo