Before taking any course, check out what reference material is available from that instructor, then study it before the course. When concepts are repeated on the range, it all comes together.
an additional barrel or choke to provide options with the same shotgun. Today, hunting with a shotgun is a
science, which is why when I started to gather information for this segment on chokes I asked a few questions of Scott Carlson of Carlson’s Choke Tubes. The fi rst question I asked Scott concerned fl ush versus extended choke tubes. Are there any advantages to either? Scott said nearly all extended chokes will out- pattern their fl ush mount counterparts. The better performance of the extended choke tube results from the longer paral- lel, or choke section, of the longer tube
length. We fi nd tighter, denser patterns with these choke tubes, which translate into a more uniform pattern downrange. This is why clay shooters use them and why hunters can also realize the same advantages in the fi eld. When shoot- ing any steel loads, extended tubes are always going to produce better patterns. Another consideration is that an extended choke tube gets most of the choke (parallel section) outside the barrel, which means less stress on the barrel, choke, and threads. Regarding chokes for predators, such as coyotes, Scott said they have
done a lot of patterning with buckshot, Federal’s Heavyweight Coyote, and Hevi-Shot’s Dead Coyote Loads. With buckshot, their Extended Extra Full Choke patterns the best. They also found 3-inch shells to be far better than 2¾-inch shells. Their new Carlson’s Coyote Choke can be used with Hevi- Shot, bismuth, or lead for varmint and predator hunting. It’s tighter than an extra full choke and although it does not pattern buckshot all that well, it does a great job with Heavy Shot Dead Coyote 3 #T and Federal’s Heavyweight Coyote 3 #BB loads (100% patterns are common with both of these in the Coyote Choke Tube). What hurts the performance of the buckshot loads is that they have very few pellets and they do not group nearly as tight as the T and BB loads. Anything larger than 4 buck does not pattern well through the Coyote Choke Tube because the construction of this choke is too tight, producing blown patterns. Also, lead buckshot does not penetrate as well as the other two. This is very important when shooting predators such as coyotes and fox with a shotgun and at longer distances. With the T and BB loads and the Coyote Choke Tube, you can consistently get clean kills on coyotes, bobcats, and fox out there at 60-70 yards because of the excellent penetration of these shells. Although I have not used this choke, I found that their other ported chokes (available for single barrel shotguns only), such as the Turkey Choke, does reduce recoil and muzzle jump. REDUCING RECOIL AND MUZZLE JUMP Pro-Porting one’s barrel or barrels
PeeWee—Terrific high frequencies for red fox, coyotes, and bobcats.
Simple, reliable, long or short range.
Price: $13 + $4 for postage Crit'R•Call
PO Box 999 • LaPorte, CO 80535 877-484-2768
Page 116 Winter 2012
Fax: 970-484-0807
critrcalln@larinet.net critrcall.com
of a shotgun is another option to consid- er, and is why I sent my Ruger O/U for updating. For information and work to be done, I consulted my old friend Ken Kelly at Mag-na-port International. To drastically reduce the recoil on shotguns like mine, they cut eleven compound ellipsoidal ports into each side of the barrel. To that they added their Pigeon Port design, which is an enhancement to the original. This consists of adding fi ve additional ports that extend from the top row of the Pro-Port pattern. Just be aware that the extra Pigeon Porting is not recommended for gas or recoil operated shotguns and is not available on barrels under 24 inches. To reduce recoil more after porting (also from Mag-na-port International),
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