Duck hunting newbie question

[jkeeley1]

This will be my first season duck hunting so I bought a 28 inch barrel for my mossberg 500. This barrel came w/ a full choke, would this be safe to use w/ 3inch #2 steel shot (federal black cloud)? or should I use an IC or Modified choke?

I also picked up a used modified choke for the gun but am not sure it is actually modified. It has no markings but the clerk at the kittery trading post put it onto some brass guage (similar to a jewlers ring guage) and said it was a modified. anyone have experience with those guages? are they accurate? anyone know any other way to identify a mossberg accu-choke that doesnt have markings? My calipers arnt accurate enough to show such small differences. I know I may sound anal, but I don't like to leave anything up to chance, even the small details . Thanks.

 

[pj150]

If you are using steel, it generally patterns one up from lead. So if you want a full choke spread, use modified.

It also depends on the types of shooting you expect to do and the distances. If shooting over decoys, I would go with the modified. For pass shooting, go with the IC.

Good Luck. The hunting this year looks to be good form what I have seen.

 

[hunter46spring]

If you are using steel, it generally patterns one up from lead. So if you want a full choke spread, use modified.

It also depends on the types of shooting you expect to do and the distances. If shooting over decoys, I would go with the modified. For pass shooting, go with the IC.

Good Luck. The hunting this year looks to be good form what I have seen.

PJ, I think you got that backwards. You want a tighter choke the further the distance away so pass shooting (futher) would be a Mod and over dekes (closer) would be an IC. Even with this point I would suggest a full for pass and a mod over dekes. Waterfowl are very tough and need to be hit hard. the more open the choke the more holes and spread out your pattern is. That equals less pellets in the bird and more lames or flying wounded. Not a very ethical way to hunt. to the OP if it is a new Mossberg it should be fine for steel if it is older make sure the tube says safe for steel shot or words to that effect. and finally those ring guages you speak of are fairly accurate. I wouldnt trust it to the 1000th of an inch on my trap gun, but if it says mod for a hunting choke you can trust that

 

[pj150]

Whoops. Thanks for the correction. I was thinking one thing and wrote the other.

 

[boilermaker]

I would not shoot steel out of a full choked barrel. I would use the MOD or IC chokes, depending on how you are set up. Also, you might want to double check the barrel is set up for shooting 3" shells. It should say what is set up for, whether "2 3/4" or "3 and 2 3/4". Some of the older barrels are set up for 2 3/4" only so it is best to double check.

Good luck with the ducks

 

[hunter46spring]

I would not shoot steel out of a full choked barrel

As long as its marked that it is steel safe shooting steel out of a full is fine.....extra full or turkey chokes I agree you should not shoot steel

 

[boilermaker]

Sorry, I was not clear. I was under the impression that a full choke in a steel-safe barrel blows out the pattern and you do not get the tight pattern as you would expect. I tried to copy and paste the steel shot section of a Beretta Urika manual as back-up for this idea, but it wouldn't let me copy from the PDF file. I have not actually tried it myself on a patterning board but had read it various places.

I didn't mean that the barrel would blow-up or be unsafe, just that your pattern would not be what you expected out of a full choke.

 

[Mike-Mike]

This used to be a bigger issue before the ammunition manufactures started heavily buffering the steel and hevi-shot. To quote my dad "If you put it on em, he'll go down" I always seem to have the wrong ammo / choke combination. Expecting to jump a group of teals and geese come over. JUST PUT IT ON EM.

 

[jkeeley1]

Thanks guys, choke just says full, nothing about steel safe, so I think I'll be ordering a mod or ic and hang on to the full for turkey season. Barrel is marked for 3 & 2-3/4 btw.

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[Sprocket]

Get both if you can swing it