pattern master/wad wizard

[musher]

Do these chokes do a better job than the original factory chokes?

[markymark]

Not from what I have found from countless patterns. Of course if I was sponsored I reply Yes. You look at any sponsored shooter and they will claim there the best thing since sliced bread.

I played a Hooke today and loaded some loads for duck season today. I patterned about 25 loads and used a PM choke and a factory Benelli choke I had better patterns with the factory choke that I had a friend open a hair to create a Lite mod. 45 yards yielded me about 95% of 4 shot with a 1 1/8oz load over an Ohealer chronograph 1607 average FPS.

[FWS]

I tried the Pattern master and wasn't impressed.

I get the best patterns with steel shot with the extended choke tubes out of my Beretta which are made by Beretta. IC, light mod, mod and improved mod, depending on shot size and weight and velocity.

1 oz of steel 4's at 1700 fps and a light modified is death on teal.

Marky is right about the 'pros' sponsoring things. I knew an Olympic shooter who had side deals with gunsmiths, dealers, etc. for a kickback when he promoted a product or service. If he showed up at a sporting clays shoot with his barrels ported by 'Mr. X' then 'Mr. X' would have 30 new porting jobs.

[musher]

I bought a Beretta Extrema2 a couple of weeks ago. The 10 is a little big on teal and the place we had opening day at last year was teal city. My son wants to go back! Kids are fun but you need a couple of everything. Since he uses my 12 I needed a new one. (That's the story and I'm stickinng to it.)

I've been reading, on a Quebec wildfowl forum, about these tubes. Yes, the Pro Staffers want to earn their badges. I'm not sold. Since I read your comments I'm REALLY not sold. It seems that a company like Beretta would sell their gun with the appropriate tubes ....

Thanks for the heads up.

[Schrader]

Just out of curiousity, what are the loads you guys are shooting to get 1600 and 1700 fps?

Schrader

[markymark]

The trick is if you want to shoot a payload up to 1 1/4oz use a 3" hull. Ballistic products wad, 1 felt wad on the bottom, payload then 2 felt wads on top. These wads you have to slit yourself. So I make three slits about a 1/2" long. The trick is to get the shot to never touch your barrel and choke. It creates a longer payload giving you the opportunity to get some tight or open loads. If I want a real open load I want it a little hotter with 2 felt wads on the bottom of the wad and 1 on top. Steel powder is about all you have to work with.

Stan Baker out of Cali did all the choke tests 50 years ago with studs and ported chokes. It's all BULLCHIT what these company's claim. How can a studded choke strip a wad and let the shot out if it the purpose is to protect the shot. Seems anyone with a lathe is making chokes.

If you know someone with a lathe you can get a full choke and slowly open it as you shoot patterns. I am lucky my friend has a machine shop. You look at all the high stake pigeon shooters and you'll never see a screw in choke. Ulm Krieghoff did all the work decades ago. I might only know a few things in this large world and making money shooting is one of them.

I am not talking about shooting sporting clays either. Live pigeon shooting is where all the guys end up that have shot all the straights in skeet, trap, and sporting clays. That is why you never see all these larger than life sporting clay shooters banging live birds. Why because they can not figure out how to shoot a target that presents an unpredictable flight.

All clay targets are slowing the second they are released a live target speeds up, flairs, dives, drives out. They are attacked in a different manner. There is a shooter I know out in PA Rig . He shoots barefoot, browning O/U travels in his conversion van and shoots about 26 weekends a year. Live pigeons, he couldn't even hit 30 sporting clay targets out of 100. But he can earn well over 200K a year shooting pigeons. Cash. For practice he shoots charcoal brickettes that kids shoot out of sling shots at there will stationed in different layouts. 7/8ths load very tight choked.

[lb]

That's just great, MM. I don't own a shotgun without a screw in choke!

I do think every choke claim should include specific data on gun, choke diameter and load used. LB

[markymark]

That is why I have a Stan Baker Barrel mic. Over the years this has saved me thousands of dollars buying guns. I am a sucker for Parkers there have been many people have screwed up over the years and that Mic earns it's keep.

It's a dream tool when looking at chokes, one choke that is nice from the factory are the Beretta choke "Opti"

[Ridgerunner]

Marky Mark does know his shotguns folks ... So when he is talking, "listen up".

Musher: The one usage of Patternmaster chokes that has worked well for me is when using the larger buckshots for predator calling/hunting. I get very tight patterns of buckshot with this choke tube.

For all other usage, (birdshot, waterfowl steel etc.) Marky Mark is right on ... Also, the Ballistic Products line of shotgun reloading components are in my opinion, at the forefront of technology. I have no ax to grind here with BP .. Just saying what I have found to be tested and true as far as components are concerned.

[KrustyKlimber]

"Stan Baker out of Cali..."

Marky Mark may know his shotguns...

But Stan Baker was a friend of my Dad's, and lived right here in Seattle. ; )

We have a Stan Baker built Mauser '98 in .256 Newton, we've named "Treasure", that he made for my Dad in 1957.
Stan also worked on the choke on my Ithaca 37, that I inherited from my Uncle, long before it was mine (or screw-in choke tubes were common).

My Uncle was a sponsored shotgunner (clay and wing) at the time of those tests, and may have participated.

The shop is still in business... it's listed here in the Midway USA directory.

Krusty

*Edit, to fix smilies