Choke opened DH-16....who to send it?

[SXS OHIO]

My new light O-frame DH-16 26" with short chambers. This was to be my "grouse gun" addvertized with open chokes turn out to be F/F .028/.029 Im thinking of opening the left barrel only........maybe .006 leave the right barrel alone. Who is the best person to preform this task???? Will be shooting 2 5/8" 1oz. hunting loads...This light gun is not my preferd choice for wild roosters anyway or would leave the F/F alone...thanks all SXS ohio....(-:

[Setter Man]

Mike Orlen in MA or Brad Bachelder in Grand Rapids, MI. Both have done work for me and both are excellent and reasonably priced.

[ch]

Don't know if the have 16 spreaders but i've shot them out my 10 full and killed phez withem haven't patterned them yet. best ch

[AmarilloMike]

I am curious why you would open the left choke and not the right. I have never hunted grouse.

I have an O framed 16 VH 28" that I am very fond of.

Thanks,

Mike

[Setter Man]

Grouse take off like a bat out of he'll and can probably cover at least 15- yards by the time you get on the second trigger and re acquire your target. Most people need more choke for the scond shot than they think. Also, it's a lot easier to open a choke than it is to tighten one so better to start tight.

Spreaders are a good option. On a tightly choked gun I'll put a spreader in the right barrel and a regular load in the left. You just have to keep track of the different loads.

I agree with Jent and have your barrel man nake sure there is enough to hone out. I am sure both Mike and Brad would give you an idea of how much they could open the chokes before wall thickness wo uld become an issue. Also, might as well have the forcing cones opened while you are at it, again I there is enough metal to start with.

[Autumn Daze]

My main to grouse guns are a PH 16 that is choked CYL. and Full....Perfect. On a windy day I will shoot the full choke barrel with a regular 16 gauge load. If I think the birds may hold I will use a speader in the full choke barrel to open it to about Mod. The 20 gauge Trojan is choked MOD. and Full so I just use a spreader in both barrels.

I am not a real fan of messing with Parker chokes but if you must I prefer a gunsmith that hones them to open them up vs. a reamer. The hone will follow the original bore much better than taking the chance of a reamer cutting off axis resulting in an out of regulation bore.

[SXS OHIO]

Mike did a set of mine couple years ago, 20ga 28" M/F set repro's. I had the really full & fuller chokes opened to .010/.024 ...great job....guns still shoots point of aim...(-: I will most likly use mike....thanks all....

[Wild Skies]

Kenny, you've got that 20/16-ga. Repro Bi-gauge set with the perfect for ruffed grouse Q1/Q2 chokes, why do you want to remove metal from this original Parker Bros. gun?

[Bill Faulk]

I shoot a lot of Sporting Clays with fixed full and xtra full.I see shooters spending more time deciding what chokes to screw in than studying the targets.The days I'm really on the targets are "smoked".If there is a target under 20 yards I do use spreaders.I have competition guns with screw in chokes but shoot 85% of my targets with the imp mod and light full.
Actual game under 20 yards should be shot with spreaders as a full pattern
at short distance sometimes leave skin and feathers.
Spend time developing proper shooting techniques and study of targets
IMHO....not on chokes.

[Bob Jurewicz]

Ken,
Use speaders. I've used a number of different brands and been happy with performance.
Jent is right about ease of opening if your inclined. I've opened many a chokes with the basic reamers followed by polishing with a brake hone. None of them were Parkers however!!!!!
Bob Jurewicz