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.