Vang comp or thread for choke ?

[southernwarrior187]

Which would be the better choice for increasing accuracy in a Mossberg 590a1 18.5" cylinder bore.

Non-ported Vang Comp

or

Having the barrel threaded for chokes.


All useful info appreciated.

 

[pauli]

depends on what you mean by "accuracy." slug groups? shot pattern size? shot pattern density? shot pattern... umm... evenness?

what do you want to do with it that it's not doing now?

 

[Preacherman]

Neither option you mentioned will do anything to "increase the accuracy" of a shotgun. The Vang Comp modifications to the barrel will affect pattern size at longer range (by modifying the barrel's internal profile through backboring, overboring, etc.), while screw-in chokes will accomplish the same thing through a greater or lesser constriction as the shot leaves the barrel. The Vang Comp modifications can also reduce recoil by reducing pressure in the barrel, and/or by venting some of the gasses through ports in the barrel before the round leaves the muzzle.

To improve accuracy, you'd have to tighten barrel-to-frame fit (which is normally plenty tight enough), improve the sighting system (e.g. by going from a bead to a set of rifle or ghost-ring sights, or fitting a telescopic or red-dot sight), or change to ammunition which is more accurate in your particular shotgun.

You might find an overall improvement in recoil control, accuracy, etc. by having your shotgun properly fitted to your body. Changes in length-of-pull, comb height, etc. can go a long way towards making the shotgun more "user-friendly", and that tends to have a big impact on how well you shoot it.

Hope this helps.

 

[southernwarrior187]

"depends on what you mean by "accuracy." slug groups? shot pattern size? shot pattern density? shot pattern... umm... evenness?

what do you want to do with it that it's not doing now?"


i would like to decrease pattern size at range.



"Neither option you mentioned will do anything to "increase the accuracy" of a shotgun. The Vang Comp modifications to the barrel will affect pattern size at longer range"


To my logic, a modification to decrease pattern size is equivilent to increasing a weapons accuracy. Smaller shotgroups(rifled weapons / smaller shot patterns(shotguns)


This shotguns purpose will be home defense and eventually competitions(non-race shotgun).


I'm trying to weigh the cost benefits of these two options in order to "decrease pattern size at longer distances"

If i select vang comp, it will be non-ported.


That aside I'd like to hear the pros and cons of both options please.

 

[Preacherman]

Look into the Patternmaster choke system. If you can have your barrel threaded for one of these, it should cut your shot spread in half all by itself. Very impressive product.

 

[Fred Fuller]

As far as cost versus effect is concerned, it's about six of one and a half dozen of the other as near as I can tell. Hans Vang does good work. Getting your barrel's forcing cone extended and adding choke tubes will likely produce about the same result for about the same overall cost.

With a Vang barrel, you get what you've got, there's nothing else to do with it but shoot it. You find a load or several loads that shoot well out of that barrel and stick to it/them. With threading for choke tubes in place, you can vary chokes to experiment with a given load and see if you can make it pattern better. With a Vang barrel there are no loose parts (extra choke tubes, wrenches etc) to keep up with, and you can't mess up and ding a choke tube skirt, get a stuck tube or blow a tube downrange (not at all likely to happen but possible). In short there are advantages and disadvantages both ways.

Leaving off the porting is IMHO a good idea.

No matter which option you choose you will still have to experiment with various loads to see what the gun likes best.

Nothing says you can't do both, you can (or could) buy separate finished barrels from Vang. And hey, if you are a REAL shotgun scientist, what other choice do you have?

hth,

lpl/nc

 

[sm]

Threads for Chokes

I'm not bashful.

Ammo changes , mfgs change loadings, mfgs go out of business. The abilty to tailor loads to one's chokes is great! Most folks would do better with Qualified Gunsmith doing a forcing cone job and learning from a Qualified Gunsmith or Shooter how to pattern a gun. Best kept secret is the forcing cone and .015 -.020 constriction can and will offer better patterns for Buckshot and slugs than proprietary gunsmithing.

Makes no nevermind what a barrel or choke is marked - what does the pattern board reveal?

If I were rich, I would have 21" bbls with fixed chokes of the about constrictions made.

I learned about shotguns and patterns with fixed choked barrels. Reloading allowed me to tailor loadings for various tasks.

There is a reason why I prefer the old 1oz lead slug from a 12 ga, and plain vanilla slugs for 20 ga guns. Been around for a long time, no real changes per se' over the years, will be around for a long time, they work from "right here" to "out yonder a bit". Find which one works best for groups in a particular barrel/ choke, I do not have to change loadings if conditions change.

Favorite loading changed for a fellow with a proprietary gunsmithing shotgun, shotgun was not what it once was, and he had spent a lot of monies on that gun. I took his older plain jane bone stock 1300 and put in a $8 factory Winchoke. Federal 2 3/4" 9 pellet buckshot loads and this patterned - awesome tight pattern.

Fellow sold the proprietary shotgun to someone that 'just had to have it'.
Fellow bought 3 cases of that Federal load, and 3 cases Fed 1oz slugs of the same lot numbers...which this 1300 with Win-Choke liked.

Later he bought a 1300 21" turkey bbl, amazing this bbl with its Mod Win-Choke replicated the other bbl. So he bought a used 1300 from a guy going thru a divorce. This became his serious situation shotgun.

Monies well spent, time well spent at a pattern board. Only downside the extra Mod Win-Choke he had to pay $10 for.

Plain 28" fixed Mod 870 bbls[ no vent ribs] of old - had the amazing ability to pattern buckshot, slugs extremely well. I mean scary! Also had the ability to pattern Steel shot better than those guns owners who spent more money on gun work, chokes, and whatever else to shoot steel out of than the Old 870s were worth.

Yep, a fixed choke 21" with .015 - .020 ( thereabouts) would be a fine thing indeed.