opening chokes changing value

[Bill Murphy]

The guy with the best reputation for messing with shotgun barrels has a bunch of anecdotes about screwing up barrels in our forum files and other forum files. Even those who pretend to know what they are doing put out more than their share of disasters. Sorry, not for me.

[Dean Romig]

Umm... does he use a torch to obtain funny-looking 'case colors' too?






.

[classicioi]

Dean, I also raped my Parker Repro 28 Ga 28" barrels many years ago. The unrealistic factory tight chokes were usless for any kind of hunting that I do and the patterns were horrible. I sent the barrels to Kirk Merrington and now at .010 & .020 the gun throws excellent patterns.

When I sell this gun some day I'm willing to bet the new owner will appreciate the new chokes just as much as I do.

[Big D]

I recently handled a CSMC M21 with gold inlays of the owner's fat Jack Russell terriers. Don't know if the terriers were, in fact, that fat, or whether it was a poor inlay job, but what sealed the "Heck No" deal for me was the screw in chokes

[stumpstalker]

Yes, this an old topic, widely-covered in many retrievable threads. But, it is worth bringing back for discussion as it has enduring relevance as to why we bother to seek out vintage guns to collect and shoot, when there are many traditionally-styled guns being produced today with modern stock dimensions and multiple choke choices, all of which can offer an edge in hitting wild or clay birds.

To answer the original question: For me, opening chokes reduces monetary value, while it surely can enhance other values, utility being one.

I happen to be one consumer who was willing to pay a higher price for a factory open-choked 16-gauge, 0-framed VH. It is not a high-grade or high-condition piece; in fact, it had been restored. But, for me there is a significant distinction between restored and altered (surely another debate subject).

I could have saved a lot of money if I had just sent out my father’s full-choked 16-gauge, 1-framed VH for opening. It just meant a lot to me to keep that one original and buy another -- a gun that left Meriden in 1907 essentially as it was represented to me as being: "a New England bird gun”, cylinder and modified.

[William Davis]

A other factor in value is the chance of poor choke opening work. Look at enough SXS muzzles you will see many out of round alterations. Running a reamer it’s critical everything is concentric . Problem with concentric on a hand regulated SXS barrel is they were bent to regulate. Reamer set up on the bend is not going to run true.

A very few gunsmith will set the job up carefully and refuse to alter if it is risky. Most are low price fast turn with a high percentage chance of out of round .

Want to see a high risk alteration google “Larry Potterfield open chokes” good utube on how not to do it. Did not indicate the tool before he cut, relied on the bushings to index the reamer.

William

[Tom Flanigan]

Long barrels usually mean tight chokes but not always. I once owned a CE grade 26" fox 20 bore with both barrels full choke. If I am not mistaken, Bill Murphy owned beautiful GH small bore with 26" full choke in both damascus barrels.

I sold the Fox because I bought if for grouse hunting and found the full chokes when I measured the constriction. I didn't have the chokes opened because I don't believe in opening chokes on vintage guns. To each his own, but my personal preference is to leave them alone.

[Tom Flanigan]

I don't consider changing chokes in a repro to be raping. It is not an original Parker so I would do what I wanted with the chokes. But my thoughts are that the chokes on vintage guns should be left alone. You can't put the metal back and the gun is changed forever. I used to get good IC performance (I pattern my guns) from the old Remington post wads loaded to a bit higher pressure. The higher pressure seemed to help. I'm not talking very high pressure but in the 10,000 range.

[Kevin McCormack]

Hey Tom, where ya been? Haven't seen you in about a hundred years! Are you still in MD? If not, where?

[Jeff Higgins]

On a high condition unmolested gun I would not open the chokes. But if the gun is not original in some other way why not. There are a awful lot of straight gripped guns floating around that did not leave the factory that way. What difference would it make to open the chokes on that gun. Is it ok to bend a stock to more modern dimensions? Or is that raping it?