Shot Gun Question

I got a 20 guage that has a modified choke screwed in the end of the barrel, what does this mean? Friend has a 20 guage that has no choke. When we shoot clay pigens neither of use can hit them with my gun but do with his. Anything I can do or did I buy a bad gun? Also it says use 2 3/4" or 3" shells, what does this mean? On the box of shells I have they say 2 1/2" and 2 3/4". I was also told you cannot use steel shot with a modified choke? Thanks for the help!

When I was a kid grandpa loaned me his Mossberg 20 gauge shotgun, it had a rear sight and I used as such. I never could hit a pheasant until after I shot at a milk jug and realized I had been shooting under everything. Maybe you are having a similar problem. If you read your friends gun barrel where it lists what gauge and which shells it may also say full choke,modified,skeet, or whatever. I believe if nothing is listed it is probably full choke, but that is just a guess.

this site will explain the modified choke for you. http://www.shotgunworks.com/content.aspx?ckey=Shotgun_Choke_Types

Odds are, if it has screw in chokes you will be ok using steel shot. Modified should be fine for clays, what size shot are you using? I suggest 7, it will make hits a little easier. As for not hitting them, I suggest practice. As for length of shells, 20 gauge comes in two main lengths today, 2 3/4, and 3 inch. The writing on your barrel means that you can shoot either length. Your friends barrel without screw in chokes is probably an older model, made before the screw in choke craze, that has the choke made into the en of the barrel. If that Is the case, it should have the choke size stamped into it somewhere.

What brand of shotgun is yours?

A modified choke is a mid-range constriction. The "tighter" the choke the farther distance the shot goes before it spreads.

Your friends gun has a "choke". It is a fixed choke, unlike yours which you can change. Look by the receiver on your friends gun it should be stamped in the barrel.

You can use steel in a modified choke. I have shot steel in a full choke. But typically, steel doesn't need as tight of a choke as lead to shoot the same pattern.

Only use the size shell that your gun calls for. 20 gauge is normally 2 3/4 and 3.

Here's sizes for bore constriction on a 20.


Cylinder bore = .617
Skeet I = .613
Improved Cyl. = .611
Skeet II = .608
Modified = .603
Improved Mod. = .598
Full = .592
Extra Full = .590

Rick

alright for you, you need to find out what model and brand gun it is then you can get almost anysize choke that is for the gun. for shooting clays with a 20ga i would use a full or extra full choke. and the 2 3/4 or 3 in. shells means you can shoot shells 2 3/4 or 3 in long. unless you buy a choke made for steel shot then you cant shoot steel shot. for your buddy he has an fixed choke gun so you can change chokes he can send it to Briley Co. and the can tread the barrel and fit it for their Thin-wall brand chokes. if you need any more info just ask ( i was the Indiana Class D Trap Shooting winner this past summer and Grand American Class D Trap Shooting 3rd Place winner two summers ago) just for tips: when you go to shoot clays they are a lot easier to hit with 7 1/2 8 or 9 shot in a 2 3/4 shell and full choke


God Bless,
Cort Lamey

Thanks guys, its a Winchester Ranger Model 120. I think i will try the milk jug

How did you manage to stay in class D after winning third at Vandalia?

well i moved to c but for somereason i was still listed as d at the state shoot so i didnt complain and took first and and shot as a C at the grand

There's no one easy answer for this. Your gun may have a very short choke and the forcing cone may be short too. If either of these is too short it compresses the shot column too quickly and the shot over deforms and can spread out quicker and in a poor pattern. Does your gun kick harder than your friends? If yes, the forcing cone may be too tight and too abrupt. Most off the rack guns of less cost have this issue. Could be the gun does not fit you and the sight line is not natural. Do you shoot better with your friends? Are you shooting discount store field loads? These always give poorer performance. Go see a gun smith that deals in shot gun repair and modifications. Or, trade the gun for something a little more upscale with improved features. There's always some shot gun gurus around a trap and skeet or sporting clay field. Drop by and ask for some help. The good ones will be willing. The smart asses will be the dumb ones. Once you've shot enough powder and lead to be hip deep in hulls, then you'll be good with a shot gun. Once it makes since and you can actully feel the shot before you pull the trigger and you seem to have more than enough time to make the shot, then you'll be getting real good!

The 2 1/2 probably mean thats the length of the shell -the amount of powder. I forget its exact name. But i had a buddy tell me thats what it meant. They don't make 2 1/2 inch shells for a 20 gauge. And your choke is an open choke. The choke is how much pressure they keep on the shell. the less pressure the wider the pattern. A full choke will keep the bb's tightly packed, modified is relatively loose.

These guys covered your choke question. Could it be that you are just trying too hard or just think your gun ain't good enough? Shoot at a spot on a big piece of paper or something to know where you are hitting and try again with an "I fixed it" attitude. You'll prolly be happy.

Dave

I have the same shotgun and used to shoot clay with it and did good . You need to pattern your gun and see where it is throwing that shot then shoot , shoot , shoot and shoot some more !!

Whiskey Bent: "choke" in a shotgun is a measure of the amount of constriction (narrowing) of the barrel near the muzzle end. Its function is to pack the shot pellets together somewhat. The tighter they are packed, the further they will fly before separating. For shooting at things close up (ruffled grouse, for instance) you want quick separation of the pellets so that you have a better chance of hitting due to a larger shot pattern (the name for the spread of the pellets). For shooting at things further away (geese, for instance) you need the pellets to stay together for a longer time, as otherwise when they get to the target the pattern will be so widely separated that the target can fly right through the holes in the pattern. Because of the compromise nature of any single choke, some shotguns are equipped with a method of changing the choke, such as different tubes that screw in the end of the barrel. Some of the most popular chokes from loosest (Least amount of choke) to tightest are:

Cylinder (no choke at all)
Improved Cylinder
Modified
Full
Extra Full

Try the milk jug routine, or (better yet) put up a big sheet of paper at whatever range you'll be shooting at, put a dot in the middle, aim at the dot and see where your gun shoots and how it patterns at that range.

Also it says use 2 3/4" or 3" shells, what does this mean? On the box of shells I have they say 2 1/2" and 2 3/4".

Click to expand...

That is the length of the shell.

However, I have never seen a box that contained two different lengths of shells (2-1/2" and 2-3/4"). Shells also cannot change length.

You must be misreading the box. Please go back and read it more carefully.

You have gotten some pretty good advice on here. If you want to tap another resource, here is a forum all about shotguns (including clay shooting) - http://www.shotgunworld.com/ They will certainly help you.

As for a substantive comment on the problem, I would guess there's nothing per se wrong with your gun. Probably, your buddy's gun fits you better and as a result shoots where you think you are pointing it.

If you are serious about this, I would higly recommend learning about gun fit, particularly having a gun with the proper "drop at the comb." Here is a book that teaches all of that pretty well - http://stockfitting.com/ Of course, you could just google "patterning" and/or "stock fitting" to get a better idea of all this.

Neil

Forgot to mention something. If you happen to find that your gun's "drop at the comb" is wrong for you, the "wrapid comb" at the following site offers a makeshift solution that I have found to work pretty well for not much money -
http://www.gunsolutions.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=28

I think the 2 & 1/2 is the dram equivelant & 2 3/4 is the shell length.