Chokes what to do

Boxbirder · 11-02-2011, 08:20 AM

Gentlemen I have an issue and we are going to need a sit down. I purchased a wonderful DHE 32" VR Single trigger, beavertail for flyer shooting. I sent this gun to out had it redone, the man show did the work is first class all the way.

From what I know the gun left the shop with both barrels full choked. Someone over the years figured they should open the right barrel up. The bore is .732 but as it gets into the right barrel choke it was done poorly and is a all over the mic. with a final choke of about 18thou for a quarter inch.

I took her out this past weekend and shot some flyers using Remington pigeon loads along with RST 3drm loads. That right barrel is just not tight enough for my likings. Would you unload the gun or have a tube installed. If I was going to have a tube installed I would Wilkensen do the job.
Well whatcha think.

AmarilloMike · 11-02-2011, 08:39 AM

Send the gun to a barrel smith. Let him look it over and make recommendations. Kirk Merrington comes to mind. If there is enough wall thickness ahead of the chokes the barrel can be jugged choked. I don't have personal experience with it but I have read that lengthening the forcing cone will tighten up the pattern. Most recently Chuck H. posted here about lengthening the forcing cones in a 410.

Best,

Mike

Bruce Day · 11-02-2011, 08:50 AM

No real advise, just a sad experience. Had a friend who contacted me with a gun that he had the chokes let out from ultra tight to mod. They came back out of round and threw odd oblong patterns with quail sized holes. You could feel with your finger that they were out of round. The only recourse for the gun was to further relieve the chokes to IC and then the muzzles were pretty thin. He sold the Parker, for some people it would have been a good close gun, but for him it was ruined.

I am not a gunsmith, so I cannot comment on the mechanics of what went wrong.

If the barrels pattern well , but the pattern is too sparse, what about some of these Ballistic Products shot cups like the Long Ranger that are supposed to keep the pattern tight? I have not tried them but I have heard they work.

Don Kaas · 11-02-2011, 08:56 AM

I also shoot pigeons. I would send it to a good choke man and have him clean up the right barrel retaining as much choke as possible. (the "all over the mic" comment worries me). See how it shoots on paper and on birds before you tube it. You might also try RST's pigeon loads and Winchesters. .018 of choke on a first shot using hard 8s can be very effective. I have won most on my matches (not that many but more than a few) using .015 to .020 in my first barrel. I think most pigeon shooters could do with less choke in their first barrel not more. Most first shots out of the trap by an experienced gun strike the bird at 30-33 yards. A good patterning modified chokes is more than sufficient. Having said all that. If you like the gun but insist on "more choke" just put a tube in the right barrel. I have a Purdey pigeon gun with notchless Briley S1s in one of its barrel sets and I recently acquired a 34" 3 frame DHE with Brileys in both barrels (somebody paid $9200 for this gun a Julias a few years ago so I guess Brileys did not destroy its value). I also have a rather rare BSA Magnum Wildfowler BLE with Brileys that I use a a rain gun for waterfowl. A nice double with tubes is still a nice double. I wouldn't have tubed these guns myself but I was happy to buy them with the tubes- just MHO...

Boxbirder · 11-02-2011, 11:13 AM

I have patterned the gun with several loads but they are spotty. As for shooting flyers with a 15 choke have at it. I want min 20thou in my first barrel. Shooting flyers is a game where you do not rely on an opened choked, choked tight and balls of stainless steel topped of without thinking gets em down.

I would venture to say Wilkensen does some unreal work and if you look at the winners in pigeons and trap shooters he's the go to guy. I was not getting the hits like I do with my 21 that for sure in the right barrel. The left was fine.

Don Kaas · 11-02-2011, 11:56 AM

Thanks for the advice...you are clearly an expert already.

Ray Masciarella · 11-02-2011, 12:13 PM

Precision Arms and Gunsmithing located in King City, Ontario sleeved chokes in my 12 ga that were bored out to 11ga. They are not scerw in but sleeved. Can hardly tell they are there. I would have to point it out to you for you to noticed them. Beats having to use tubes. Ray

Boxbirder · 11-02-2011, 01:20 PM

Don by no means an exert you gave me an answer and I am going to get it tube. When you mentioned the auction sale well then I am not going to kill the value of the gun. I guess it's I have invested a pile in the gun between buying it, Turnbull doing it up and now cleaning up the choke. When I had the gun in Madrid I should have taken the offerings and picked up another. Another lesson learned the hard way.

Pa SxS · 11-02-2011, 02:44 PM

Mark,

If you mean Tom Wilkinson from N. Carolina, he is the guy the top dogs go to to fine tune their barrels. Since I'm not a top dog, I've not had any barrel work done by him but his reputation is top notch.

Dean Romig · 11-02-2011, 09:16 PM

From what is said all over the gun sites Mike Orlen in Amherst, Ma. is the best choke man bar none.