Choke / Shot Gauge Proportionality Question

[Pumper]

Hello smart shotgun people. I am new to shotguns and have a question regarding which choke to use, versus which shot gauge ammo. With the various different shot gauges (sorry if this is not the correct terminology), is there a guideline regarding which chokes should be used in relation to the shot gauge?

I am sure I am not wording this correctly.

So, if I have 8 shot ammo, should I use a particular choke? If I have 4 shot ammo, should I use a different choke?

Do certain wads not perform as well in particular chokes?

I know this is probably very low level info for the experienced shotgunners here, but just now learning this stuff. I appreciate any valuable input.

[Scorpion8]

Hello --

The quick and easy answer to your question is "no". A shotgun choke is a constriction on the barrel at the end to keep the shot from spreading to a degree. A plain old barrel can be thought of as a "pipe", which is what's termed CYLINDER choke. As you start to narrow the constriction IMPROVED CYLINDER -> MODIFIED -> IMPROVED MODIFIED -> FULL the amount of constriction narrows. This will affect any shot coming thru the barrel. For example, in clay target sports like trap, most folks use MODIFIED to FULL regardless of if they're using #7.5, #8 or #9 shot. The reason for the constriction is to keep the pattern together farther out away from the shooter, e.g. a CYLINDER choke would allow the pattern to spread too much at longer distances.

So you usually select a choke based on intended use. I would not use a FULL choke when using 00-Buckshot because at short distances, there's the possibility of the pattern missing the target entirely. You want that pattern to spread more.

Hope this makes sense. Keep asking questions!

[Scorpion8]

Here's a good article for you:

https://www.chuckhawks.com/shot_info.htm

[Pumper]

Thank you Scorp! Great info. Also thanks for the link to the article. All definitely good info for newbs.

[Scorpion8]

Thank you Scorp! Great info. Also thanks for the link to the article. All definitely good info for newbs.

That's what we do here! Enjoy.