chokes???

[JohnnyK]

I love to use my Saiga-12 to shoot clays and was told to use a choke for this... I haven't had any issues but how would a choke effect the pattern coming out of the barrell? would it make a bigger or smaller pattern?

 

[12gaugeTim]

A saiga for clays... You're a pioneer. I'm not sure if any of the stock barrels from saiga are threaded for chokes. That being said I know nothing about their shotguns. Choke tubes are used to adjust your shot pattern. What I'd guess you have right now is just nothing at all - a plain .730" diameter all the way through, possibly with no female threads inside your barrel that would allow for chokes. This would be referred to as a cylinder choke if you installed one with the same specs. After that comes improved cylinder, light modified, modified, improved modified, full, and turkey. Cylinder does nothing for your pattern and turkey chokes are typically the tightest patterning chokes you'll find.
For skeet, most people don't go very tight at all because the open pattern allows a little room for error. You might would want to tighten up if you started doing trap.

 

[rcmodel]

http://www.briley.com/understandingshotgunchokesabriefexplanationbybriley.aspx

rc

 

[JohnnyK]

I've heard of a good amount of people who shoot clays with Saigas... it's super fun... except when the range nazis really enforce the 2 shots loaded max rule... nothing is funner than having a 10 round mag or 20 round drum when you miss the first shot... Saigas do have threaded ends and they do make chokes for them... I just wasn't sure how they effected the pattern... I usually do "self pull" with some friends to test out new mags and make sure they are 3-gun competition ready by putting a few hundred rounds thru them...

 

[oneounceload]

I've heard of a good amount of people who shoot clays with Saigas... it's super fun... except when the range nazis really enforce the 2 shots loaded max rule... nothing is funner than having a 10 round mag or 20 round drum when you miss the first shot

There has never been someone shooting a Saiga winning any trap, skeet, or sporting clays match. More than two rounds is prohibited for a number of reasons - safety being paramount.

Shooting 10 and 20 round magazines in your cow pasture - do whatever makes you happy. Shooting at a public clays club - shoot what the rules allow. Many will not allow a Saiga or similar for the reasons above.

Shooting a gun that is threaded for chokes and not having one in there is not a very good move to do. Not knowing what a choke is or how it works, is also not a very good move. it seems you need a little more education in that regard. RC's link to Briley is but one of many good ones you should read

 

[12gaugeTim]

You say Saigas have threaded "ends" and I'm thinking that you might be looking at the male threads for a muzzle break. Know that choke tubes are inserts that screw into the female threads on the inside of the barrel. Just clarifying, as you seem to be working your way up from a very basic knowledge of chokes. There's nothing wrong with that of course, nobody is born with such knowledge and you have to learn it somewhere.
After a quick skim through the in-tar-nets it seems like most (or at least many) Saigas have fixed, full chokes. Look at the tip of your barrel (make sure it's unloaded like 3 times) and see if there is a ridge on the crown about 0.8mm thick, as if there is an insert in the barrel. This would be your choke. If you have a muzzle break installed, you may need to remove it to check.
The picture is of what I am referring to in the above paragraph.

 

[Mike1234567]

^^^ Thread-adapted chokes are available for the S-12.