Shotgun Chokes Explained

Continuing from our previous blog on shotgun cartridges we now explore shotgun chokes. Choking can be quite tricky to understand but a very useful tool to help you get the most out of your shotgun and cartridges. 

Chokes

 Choking is dictated by the thickness of the barrel at the muzzle. This constriction affects the pellets when they are leaving the muzzle and changes the way they spread once they start moving through the air. Some guns have “fixed chokes” – these are not removable and are decided by the manufacturer. The choke measurement is usually stamped on the gun, but any good gunsmith would be able to check this for you if you are unsure.

Most new guns nowadays come with “multi chokes”. These are threaded tubes that screw into the end of the barrel which enables the user to change the constriction to suit what he or she is shooting. You can have different chokes in each barrel if required.

There are lots of different types of choke size, length and style. The two most common types are flush or extended. Flush chokes sit flush to the end of the barrel. These are usually the type used in game guns and are not obvious or flashy. Game shooters decide their choking and don’t tend to change them during the day.

You can also get extended chokes which stand proud of the end of the barrel. These can often be removed easier, and can have different colours on the end so you can quickly tell which ones are in. This is usually preferred by clay shooters who often change their choking depending on the target type.

Chokes are marked in different ways depending on the manufacturer. Some have notches in the end which means you can identify them without taking them out the barrel. Some have the choking stamped on the side or different number of rings around them.  American manufactures use different names to European ones which can be confusing! We have put a simplified version below to give a rough guide but please check your make and model of gun for specific names and choking restrictions. But they basically run from open (wide spread) to full (tight spread) with increments in between.

Selection of Browning chokes

What do Chokes do?

Choking doesn’t alter the distance that the pellets will go but will change the density of the “pattern” – i.e. will decide whether the pellets stay closer together in a small area or spread out over a bigger area.

In clay shooting you can change your choking to address different clay targets. If you had a clay that is edge on and far away you can use tighter choke for a tighter pattern. By constricting the pellets as they leave the barrel, they will stay closer together for longer, useful when it would probably take several of them to break the clay well. However, in the other barrel, you could have a more open choke for a quick closer face on clay. This would allow the pellets to spread wider quicker, allowing more chance of some hitting the clay.

If you were to swap the chokes in this instance, then using the open choke on the far target means that by the time the pellets get to the clay, there could be spaces in the pattern bigger than the clay itself and you won’t break it, even if you have been accurate. If you use a tight choke on the very fast close clay, then the pattern would be in such a small area at close range, you will have to be far more accurate to hit it.

For game we obviously have an ethical responsibility to kill any quarry humanely, at the same time leaving the carcass in a state that it can be eaten. Pellets need to go through feather flesh and bone so you would generally shoot a tighter choke at game. The height of the birds you are shooting also comes into play, tall Yorkshire pheasants would need a tighter choke then a Norfolk partridge

A visual guide to chokes. These cardboard Pattern Plates have been shot with one cartridge each at 30yrds. You can see the spread of the pattern from the holes left by the shot. Each group has been circled to show its size.

With a combination of changing choking and cartridges you can vary what a shotgun does a huge amount. Everyone gets a preference for the cartridge brand, the load and the choking that they will use for different situations but it takes time with your gun to try out different combinations to see what suits you.

We are always happy to advise on choking and cartridges to those who are unsure. For more information about Shotgun Cartridges please see our previous blog