Really like your straight forward approach in instructing sporting clays. No BS, no excuses just the facts. Any student can learn quite a bit from this approach.
Thanks Ben, I walked from the 5 stand range after shooting to the Trap range yesterday, realized as I walked on the line my modified choke was back in my vehicle. So I shot Trap with I.C., did just fine. Enjoy your videos, thanks and keep it up!
brilliant ben,such a taboo subject.when I started clay shooting 2 years ago,i asked the guys what chokes they were using,they skirted round the subject and never actually told me.thank you very much,best vid on here about chokes.look after yourself and stay safe.👍👍👍
Love how you say it the way it is. Fair play. I’ve just treated myself to browning 725 sporter I’m having it fitted I’m going to look at getting 2 3/8 chokes. Thanks.
Hi Ben, really finding the videos useful lm continuely watching them thank you for taking the time. The one subject I would like more information on is glasses. I wear prescription lenses so there not cheap, an explanation on the advantages of different colour lenses would be of great interest to me. Thank you again and I'm really looking forward to the next lesson Regards John Hemmings
When my son and I started shooting sporting clays in 2007, we show up at the club one day and he had forgot to load up the choke tubes for our guns. I had a cylinder choke in my Browning BPS and was pretty upset. By the end of the course I had one of my best scores up to that point. Haha. I forgave him. But I'm still a dedicated choke tube changer. My son doesn't care. He often shoots full and full. He says if you center the target it will break, no matter which choke. Easy for him to say. LOL.
Your son is kinda true. Heck you could practice with an extra full Turkey choke, your brain will calibrate on that choke, and assume you use the exact same shells e.g. 1200 ft/sec cheap shells but the same brand. Your brain will calibrate that eventually. So actually using a tighter choke will make you a more accurate shooter, but then let’s say you decide it’s a competition so you put in a looser choke, and faster shells now 1350 ft/sec once you practice a little your brain recalibrate that now go shoot 100:rounds and see what happens
Converted to this line of thinking about 20 years ago along with just one load and one shot size in cartridges also, I find it easier mentally then and do the same when game shooting. ps nice series currently, short n sharp
Just started shooting and I've been getting loads of advice on chokes, all different, so thanks for that, I'll just concentrate on my positions now and stop worrying about bloody chokes
Light Mod (3/8th) has been my goto standard for years. I had a Perazzi built (fitted) and chose that choke in both barrels and any misses are assuredly (assuredly!) down to the loose nut behind the stock.
Completely reinforces the advice you gave concerning pattern plates and is again very helpful. I look forward taking this all further with a lesson after lockdown, however long it takes to get one arranged. I find 3/8 effective on game too.
Hi ben loving these isolation/quarantine videos!! Could you please do a little video on shooting glasses? I know it’s not a very exciting topic but choosing the right lenses could be the difference in hitting and missing a target?
Shooting a round of practice at San Antonio with some friends Jon Kruger was with us . We were missing a few 40 yard crossers and thinking we didn’t have enough choke Jon said no and took the choke tubes out of his krieghoff and promptly broke 4or5 in a row! So much for needing lots of choke!
I shoot a Browning 725 Sporting Browning 725 -32 inch barrels The Sporting barrel I/D measures: The lower barrel.739 inch Choke used: Muller Ü2 Featherlite = Light Modified/Modified The upper barrel.738 inch Choke used: Muller Ü3 Featherlite = Modified/Improved Modified These work real good for me. And they stay clean. I never tried to go more open. Great video. Thanks
Hi Ben . I have an MK38 32" trap gun long Teague ,I have just ordered two half super extended ported chokes recon they will be the dogs deodar's using S&B super trap 28g 7s. I loved your view on chokes.👍🏻
Wow. Awesome advice. I'm just starting to get into the world of shotguns when I learned about the choke tube. I dove down a rabbit hole and couldn't find my way out. Learning that choke tubes perform different with different barrels and manufacturers blew my mind and confused me even more lol. It's good to hear someone say, "Don't over think it."
I've pretty much settled on boring old I.C. choke for most every target from 5 about 35 yards. Mod or I.M. for the longer shots. After patterning a few different chokes at a few different distances, in my gun the I.C. did a pretty good job for all around constriction. For the really close targets you'd think a cylinder choke would be way better. Only thing is on the really close shots, even cyl. doesn't have enough time to fully open much more than an I.C. or Mod. But it's fun swapping em out. LOL.
@@gadgethunter5732 thanks for the advice! I ended up buying Carlson's Cremator close, medium and long range tubes. I found medium works for most applications for my uses... It is fun to change tubes! Haha
Thanks for the assurance Ben. I’ve started shooting sporting clays with two U3 muller chokes and then recently changed to two U2 chokes and never looked back. What a game changer!!! Now I’m beating the guys I usually shoot with and they’re state champions trap shooters. These guys are not big fans of using two of the same chokes and they argue with me pretty often. I reload my own shells and have the perfect recipe for my gun any U2 chokes. I can shoot sporting clays all day every day! Lots of fun. Thanks again for the video. 😉👉🏼👉🏼
I like your take on the same amount of constriction in both barrels Ben. I shoot at club level these days and hardly ever come across a sim pair for instance where one is a 15 yard looper followed by a 40 yard crosser. I shoot a semi auto anyway so i leave the 1/2 choke in and when i miss it's me that's failed not the pattern.
I hear what you say Ben, it's all mental. I shot in the same squad as Damo Birgan at Warrnambool, I think it was 2009 FITASC Worlds. Damo took his chokes out on stand 2 the first day, shooting a DT10 if I recall correctly, and didn't replace them for the rest of the competition - which he won from George D. He did change cartridges depending on the targets - but he basically shot cylinder and cylinder and won. Unfortunately I am not that confident and change choke between skeet, sporting and trap 😉
I couldnt agree more, I shoot LM & LM in my K80, and I dont change them, even when I shoot Skeet. I see so many people getting in a panick over what choke to use for each target its crazy. Apart from the Sport trap open at High Lodge this year where I failed miserably, I have hit just about any target thrown and when I miss its nothing to do with chokes. Regards Andy
I have used 1/4-1/4 and 8's for as long as I can remember, I have lost the 'picture' and my confidence, so am shooting absolutely crap at the moment, but I know its me and not the tools. Really liking your video's mate.
I shoot skeet choke in bottom barrel and 1/4 choke in top for everything and all I change is the cartridge, 9 for up to 30 yards and 7 1/2 for everything else, and I seem to win most of the time at my home clubs.
I know, I have shot targets with them about 50-60 yards away, but just to be safe I like to use a 7 1/2 for anything over 30 yards its more of a mental thing than anything else, cheers mallard
I was obsessed with chokes when I started my journey, but then I realized that constantly thinking about switching barrels and constrictions started creating too much disturbance. Since then, I kept my two Mods for both sporting compak and then sporting/super sporting once moved to the US. I am honored to be trained by Brian Ash, and I have made a ton of progress since I started working with him. Although he keeps telling me that I am restricting myself by shooting fixed mod/mod, especially for close birds, I don't feel handicapped, but much more focused on my birds. No regrets so far. On a side note, I tend to use #9 shot on close (
Ben, what are your thoughts on DryFire and "Swing" (the latter is apparently a new entry level product from the same company) and shooting simulators in general? Thank you for taking the time to post your videos - the best shooting content on youtube by far!
Do I hear and "AMEN" here! Jeez, 6:50 of absolute truth in my opinion. I bought a Perazzi MX-8 in 2006 and immediately took it to Briley for their thin wall chokes. I would love to run the clock back and not have done that! In fact, those thin wall chokes almost cost me my barrel. The choke case fell out of my shooting bag and a few spilled onto some rocks. The last station in the tournament had a 45 yard crosser so I screwed in one of the modified chokes. When I got home and went to clean the barrels, I noticed something in the top barrel. It turned out to be the curled up choke! Although imperceptible, the modified choke had dented a tiny bit when it fell on a rock. The shot caught the lip and it bulged the barrel! Thank goodness it was the last station and I only shot five rounds. Briley was able to remove the damaged choke and they, working their magic, got the barrel back in perfect condition without having to re-blue. Thousands of rounds since that faux pas and all is still well!
I'm pretty much a C class shooter, but Ben basically confirms what I decided early on. Light Modified (3/8) choke is the best all around for Sporting Clays. I'm also not changing chokes. I leave in the LM for the entire course. People over think chokes. I've shot good scores (for me) work a fixed modified choke gun.
Funnily enough I just bought a 2nd 1/2 choke to level them out, was annoyed shooting different chokes on my SV10 and as long as both barrels are shooting the same you should be consistent on both, me thinking 1/2 and 1/2 the best all round for not changing on every stand. Greenfields top pitch eludes me and I used to change everything and now I don't and shoot 1/2 both and 7 1/2s on everything. If I miss its me not the gun!
You're right it's all confidence I was shooting one weekend with a 1/2 choke 4 rounds in a row I hit 24 out of 25 I was mad why was I missing 1 shot I looked at my top barrel saw quarter choke I thought I need just an edge just a bigger pattern I then shot 25 straight I got home to switch the choke to my bottom barrel and lo and behold it was a 3/4 choke it's all confidence I hit 25 with a tighter pattern
Great video and insights thanks Ben. I'm new to clay (background in match rifles at a good level) going to try to shoot my locals without changing chokes for the next year. Strikes me that the more we mess and change things the harder we make it to learn because we have too many variables.
Used full choked single shots all my life. Recently ive been having a hard time hitting close . I bought a 18_1/2 barrel shotgun with mod choke in 20 gauge and ill be trying that out next. I think ill get those pigeons now.
I shoot Skeet and 1/2 usually. A few weeks back whist at a sporting setup we had 4 pairs of high incomers at a fair distance (30+ yds id guess) I had a group of about 6 people behind me that were chatting amongst themselves about how they should choke up etc. I knew it didnt matter but popped a 7 1/2 shot into my bottom barrel. I didnt miss one of the birds and they both broke nicely.
Good evening Ben. Great videos I have too say. Thanks for putting something back into the clay shooting community. Would you shoot a tighter choke if shooting fibre cartridges?
Ben’s almost buried comment about standard choke diameters and barrel diameters is very important. For example, almost all chokes marked as ‘1/2’ choke are made to 0.720” diameter. This assumes a nominal barrel diameter of 0.740” - very few are made to that diameter. My own ‘overbored’ barrels are marked 18.7mm (0.736”), so my ‘1/2’ choke at 0.720” is much nearer a true 3/8 choke in my barrels, my 3/8 choke nearer a true 1/4, etc.. My advice? Try chokes marked 1/4 and 1/2, do two identical rounds changing between which choked barrel you shoot first, see which choke constriction you break more clays with overall - then put two of those in and forget changing them (unless you go from sporting to trap, then do it all again).
...I shot sporting to AA Club level with my first gun, and ABT to regular 24/25 first barrel then someone told me it was a skeet gun, fixed chokes. I lost all my confidence and had to change the gun to a multi-choke in the end. I only shoot 3/8 now in both barrels and it's plenty!
i used to shoot 34" K fixed choke gun. I was always more focused. However on close birds you know you are at a disadvantage. Now i put in 25, 20 thou and only change if there is damn close fast bird
Ben just shot my first sporting clays shoot and had LM in both barrels used #8 for most shots and #7.5s for the further and cross presentation just as u suggested and i scored 70 of 100 in the morning and 71 of 100 in the afternoon. Best day of shooting ive ever enjoyed and i appreciate that your methods rang true. Thanks for the videos some people cant explain thing but thats not you. Squad mates were surprised after the shoot that i never changed chokes and that i had good breaks on the longer clays. Thanks.
I allays shoot 3/8 bottom and 5/8 top and can change barrels on different report pairs etc, R U saying fit 2 chokes the same and use 2 different shot size cartridges maybe 7 shot and 8 shot ??
Amazing...Last year or so Have never changed from 1/4 1/4..just ammo 7:1/2,s n 8`s...think cartridges have come on so much in last 10 years-ish...They all break the clays...some break them bit better than others!!....Even 24gms produce amazing kills!?!?
Everything you said is right on the money. I was at a club with 3 practice stations. Each had 4 traps. Most were set long (50 yards), and many had some real speed on them. I have a K80 pro sport and thought about using Krieghoff M and IM for chokes. But I started with the LM's. Useing a 1 ounce load of 8's at 1240 fps there was not one target that could not be smacked, if I did my part. Just because it says LM on the tube means less to me now that I've heard Bens comments that the choke tubes are not really tailor made to the barrels, it's how they perform. I'll probably wimp out and use a Skeet or IC for silly close ones, but I've found my go to chokes! THANKS!
Ben, you always shoot 28 grams cartridges, is it so? Or even more? Did you try shooting 24 grams? Chokes would make more difference in the long shots in that case, due to the significant lower number of pellets.. Just to know.. TIA, Maurizio
As far as hitting the target, yes. But some game is bigger or smaller, or just built tougher and require more or less pellet strikes to kill cleanly without destroying it. So it adds a little more to it I think
We were hole changers until last year when my sone shot nationals and he had a bad round. That night i talked with a coach from another team and he explained that he gives the kids one set of chokes for their guns and they are allowed to change. He explained its takes the mental side out of the game. The next day my son got one choke and destroyed the course. That changed my opinion on chokes. Just set it and forgot it. This year my daughter had a cylinder choke in her gun and forgot the rest. She said she couldn't break the target with it so i picked up her gun and ran the station. Her opinion changed immediately.
Really enjoyed that, thanks for the info, I personally seem to shoot best with 3/4 and I think as you say it is primarily mentality it's more down to, but I like to tell myself I like a longer shot string instead of a wider pattern 🤷
About to purchase my first trap gun. Didn’t know what choke tube sizes to get till I watched your video. Are vented worth the extra, or are they really for show ? Thanks Ben and I’ll be binge watching more of your videos now. There’s never anything on TV anyways right.?.
I think personally shooting clays trap,skeet, sporting clays year around made me a better shooter doves, waterfowl, upland birds etc. I truly believe one must shoot every week at least 50-100 rounds
Great video Ben, I’m not starting out in shooting, but vowed this year to get better, would you still recommend 2 3/8 chokes for game as well?, I’m keen to keep the same set up for clays and game, was always told you need 1/2 and 1/4 for game?
