Optima-choke
Stephen
Have just bought a new Beretta 682 Gold E sporter which comes with
optima-chokes.
I have checked the Beretta web site to find out what size each colour
code refers too and cant make head nor tail of it.
Can anyone advise me what the 5 colour codes refer too and which is
the best set up to use for DTL and sporting.
Am new to shooting and dont yet fully understand the choke set ups.
JJ
following should work.
For DTL, the serious competitors will use 3/4 and full or full and full. As
a beginner, 1/2 and 3/4 should do fine. Use the more open choke on the
bottom barrel and shoot bottom barrel first. It'll cause less muzzle flip
than the top barrel, allowing for a quicker second shot.
For sporting, you'll see plenty of people changing chokes for every stand.
Don't bother! Not unless you're an A Class shot anyway. 1/4 and 1/2 will do
just fine for most targets, and you can always toggle the barrel selector if
one target will be significantly farther out.
Lest you haven't had a proper explanation of choke, it's a slight
constriction of the bore just before the muzzle. Even within the barrel, the
shot from the cartridge is spreading out into a column. In a "true cylinder"
barrel, i.e. no choke, the column will start spreading out laterally as soon
as it leaves the barrel. From a full choke barrel, it will also start
spreading out but not as much. Also, getting through the constriction of
full choke will make the column of shot longer. The true measure of choke is
not the amount of constriction (measured in thousandths of an inch,
incidentally) but the effect on the shot. In theory, full choke will keep
all the pellets within a 40 inch circle at 40 yards, whereas no choke will
allow a spread of 58 inches at 40 yards. As you can see from that, it's not
as great an effect as you'd think from the amount of time and effort people
put into changing chokes! A secondary effect, as I mentioned, is that the
shot pattern is longer with a tighter choke, and this is usually called shot
stringing. It follows that on some crossing targets, as long as you're able
to be consistently on the right line, the longer string from a tight choke
might help you more than the greater spread from an open choke. Regardless
of the choke, I think of the shot pattern as a 3-dimensional cloud of shot,
in roughly a teardrop shape with the fat end leading. My aim is to put my
"cloud of shot" where the clay will pass through it.
In case the Beretta website offers American choke info, all you need to know
is that Modified (US) = 1/2 (UK), and Improved means tightened. So, Improved
Modified would equate to 3/4. Improved cylinder is roughly 1/8.
Incidentally, I used to shoot with a guy who had a couple of Briley chokes
in his Browning. For EVERY sporting stand, he used 3/8 in both barrels and
was usually one of the guys to beat. I did occasionally beat him, and that
was with 1/4 and 1/2 virtually welded in.
HTH
JJ
"Stephen" <stephen...@virgin.net> wrote in message
news:9e1bea4c.05031...@posting.google.com...
David Christensen
wrote:
> *From:* "JJ" <jg...@BLOODYshaSPAMw.ca>
> *Date:* Sat, 19 Mar 2005 20:58:05 GMT
>
> Can't help you with the colour codes, but as for general choke set-up,
> the following should work.
>
> For DTL, the serious competitors will use 3/4 and full or full and
> full. As a beginner, 1/2 and 3/4 should do fine. Use the more open
> choke on the bottom barrel and shoot bottom barrel first. It'll cause
> less muzzle flip than the top barrel, allowing for a quicker second
> shot.
> For sporting, you'll see plenty of people changing chokes for every
> stand. Don't bother! Not unless you're an A Class shot anyway. 1/4 and
> 1/2 will do just fine for most targets, and you can always toggle the
> barrel selector if one target will be significantly farther out.
Having done a fair bit of experimentation in my admittedly few years'
shooting, I actually find the following help me [and before anyone jumps
down my neck, this is what helps *me* - if anyone with more skill and or
experience wants to offer their advice, feel free, I'd love to learn. If
anyone just wants to slag me off, don't bother. Take this advice on the
proviso that I only have 2 years experience at shooting, and only 18
months with a multichoke gun]
1) If you have different chokes in different barrels, you may spend more
time thinking about barrel selection, and less about the clay. The latter
is more important. Consider using the same choke in both barrels.
2) Small choke changes are just that; small. Go to a pattern plate and
try some - you may find more difference between the pattern of two
different cartridge types (or even two different cartridges of the same
type) than you will between two adjacent choke sizes. 1/4 and 1/2 is a
commonly used setting, but actually you might be better off with Skeet and
1/2. But see 1).
3) The only advantage of a tight choke is that clays won't go through the
holes in your pattern (or at long range more pellets will hit the target
in order to impart enough energy to break it). You have to weigh up your
probability of putting your pattern in the right place against the
probability of there being a hole in it.
4) If you can't find a target, a really loose choke might hit it. However
a stray pellet somewhere in the pattern won't give you any feedback.
Tight chokes will make you hit fewer targets if you're not putting the
pattern in the right place, but if you put the pattern *almost* in the
right place at least you'll get feedback by seeing which side of the clay
is hit
My advice would therefore be
a) Start off with loose chokes. At least you'll hit enough to enjoy
things. That is after all why most of us shoot...
b) Once you get a bit better, start tightening up the chokes in practice
so that you learn where your errors are and how to correct your aim
c) Loosen your chokes for competitions; there might be a 10 or 20% chance
of clays going through holes in the pattern, but until you're shooting 80
or 90% it doesn't really matter. In combination with b) the added
confidence boost of hitting targets you would have missed with tight
chokes can really help
d) Put medium chokes (1/4&1/4 say, or as you get better 1/2&1/2) in both
barrels and forget about it unless there is something so close you thing
you can touch it or so far away you're not sure you can see it.
My final word of advice, as an amateur, would be:
Listen to amateurs with a pinch of salt but believe professionals; get
some professional coaching early and regularly thereafter. £50 will get
you an hour of someone who really knows their stuff (normally with clays
included) and can make a real difference. I would also strongly recommend
that you don't share a lesson with anyone. YMMV but shared lessons are a
false economy in my book.
Hope that helps.
Happy shooting.
DC
Zed
Black - 3/4 (Improved Modified)
Green - 1/2 (modified)
Yellow - 1/4 (Improved Cylinder)
Cyan - Cylinder
Red - Skeet
On 19 Mar 2005 11:25:32 -0800, stephen...@virgin.net (Stephen)
wrote:
Graham Gowland
Extended. Imp Cylinder (yellow)
Cylinder (light blue) S
Skeet (red) VZ
Light Modified (orange)
Modified (green) 1/2
Light Full (grey)
Imp Modified (black) 3/4
Full (white) 1/1
Points** Inches American European % of Pattern in 30" circle @ 40
yards***
0 .000 Cylinder S 40%
5 .005 Skeet VZ 45%
10 .010 Improved Cylinder 1/4 50%
15 .015 Skeet #2 - 55%
20 .020 Modified 1/2 60%
30 .030 Improved Modified 3/4 65%
35 .035 Full 1/1 70%
40 .040 Extra-Full - 75%
Stephen Sweeten
175 points. Couple of weeks ago on my first outing had 42 kills and 111
points. Early days yet but the first two times out have been very enjoyable
and improving my score was a boost. Shooting in high 90's seems a long way
off but at the moment im happy with a few extra kills here and there.
Thanks again
Stephen
"Stephen" <stephen...@virgin.net> wrote in message
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