[Lost Creek]

Full Choke and Steel Shot
Question:
You know how it says (No Steel) on most FULL choke tubes. So what happens when you forget to take your full choke out before duck season and you have been shooting steel shot through it for more than a month? Oh about one case of shells. :smack:

 

[browning_gold_12]

you probably didnt hit as many ducks as usual.:biggrin: thats how my first felsenthal trip went. couldnt hit sand if i fell off a camel.:smack: figgered out the full was in, switched to a modified and it was GAME ON!!! BG12

 

[Lost Creek]

Now I cant get it out, I think it is lodged in there. I wonder if thats why it says no steel shot on the choke tube?

 

[sprtsmn001]

So if you can't hit as many ducks with the full choke in, does that mean we need to shoot better???:biggrin: Kind of like hitting a football with a baseball moving at 30 mph....lol

 

[ArkArcher]

I decided to put the full in on my last hunt and take the mod out. I was 2/4 on shooting so I think I'll leave it in. 2 ducks in 4 shots. I should have been better than that too. I missed both the ducks I killed with my first shot. :smack: Guess I need to make sure I'm on the bird good before I shoot next time.

 

[browning_gold_12]

the funniest part of it was, i couldnt hit backpeddaling mallards, at point blank. it was pathetic. then, as we were picking up the dekes, a blackjack came by at mach 8, about 6 foot off the water, i swung and shot without thinking, and rolled him like nobodys business. i have cut my duck hunting teeth the past 5 years, pass shooting squealers in the river bottoms. i have trouble hitting them big slow ducks:smack: BG12

 

[snydedawg]

Dude I swear I have the exact same problem..... if I have time to think I might as well shoot straight up in the air!!!

 

[Gford]

Now I cant get it out, I think it is lodged in there. I wonder if thats why it says no steel shot on the choke tube?

Yep ! Steel does not compress like lead does and will swell the choke and or barrel of your shotgun. Have seen it happen several times.....Good luck!

 

[Ike Brown]

I 2nd what Gford said, not good for the gun.

 

[.270Win]

Now I cant get it out, I think it is lodged in there. I wonder if thats why it says no steel shot on the choke tube?

Yep, I'm sure that's why it says that Lost Creek. :biggrin:

Does anyone know how to get the choke out after something like this?

.270Win

 

[Lost Creek]

Yep ! Steel does not compress like lead does and will swell the choke and or barrel of your shotgun. Have seen it happen several times.....Good luck!

Just what I was afraid of. Hope I dont have to get a new barrell.:frown:

 

[wildgameassassin]

take your barrel off and put it in your deep freeze for a couple of days, then try and pull your choke as soon as you take the gun out of the freezer

 

[flintknapper]

take your barrel off and put it in your deep freeze for a couple of days, then try and pull your choke as soon as you take the gun out of the freezer

Back when freon was .89 cents a can, we used to put things like that in the oven for a while, then squirt freon on the part you want loose. Idea would be to try to expand the barrel, and contract the choke tube, or at least get them headed in opposite directions. Dunno what to substitute for the freon nowadays, it's $40.00 a can now!!

 

[quax]

That's what they call a "frozen choke."

Got this off Trulock Chokes website. Hope it helps.

Frozen Chokes
We have pulled frozen chokes in our shop of almost every brand. Normally by the time we get the barrel one or more people have attempted to remove the choke. Did you ever wonder where the saying “Fixed Guns Repaired” came from? This is a problem that can be prevented 99% of the time by simply cleaning the choke/barrel on a regular basis. The number one problem is RUST in the threaded area of the choke/barrel. If you keep this from forming, you generally will not experience any problems. The second problem is choke creep [expansion]. This fortunately is much less of a problem than rust. This is caused normally by using large steel shot in tight chokes [full or tighter]. Follow the manufacturer’s suggestions when using steel shot and the odds are very much in your favor that you will have no problems. If choke creep happens you will notice the choke becoming harder to remove and install and if you continue shooting it will eventually lock itself in the barrel.

If you find yourself with a frozen choke my first suggestion is to take it to a competent gunsmith. Make sure the smith has some experience in this line of work.


WARNING
The below is not intended to be all inclusive instructions If you are not responsible for your own actions do not attempt to use any of the suggestions.

Unload the gun, remove the barrel from the action and soak the muzzle in a can of penetrating oil for several days. Make sure the container has a sufficient amount of oil to completely cover the barrel as deep as the choke is recessed. Use a proper fitting choke wrench and try to work the choke back and forth in small increments. If this does not work try letting it soak several more days. Heat applied to the choke area can be of help. Never get the barrel so hot that you cannot touch it with your hand for several seconds. Do not use a hammer of any kind to try and “tap” it. Soaking and low heat will get most frozen chokes out. Take your time, we have seen a number of barrels ruined because of impatience.

 

[quax]

the funniest part of it was, i couldnt hit backpeddaling mallards, at point blank. it was pathetic. then, as we were picking up the dekes, a blackjack came by at mach 8, about 6 foot off the water, i swung and shot without thinking, and rolled him like nobodys business. i have cut my duck hunting teeth the past 5 years, pass shooting squealers in the river bottoms. i have trouble hitting them big slow ducks:smack: BG12

BG12, you were probably shooting right over their heads - aim lower on a mallard that's lighting.:thumb:

 

[ArkArcher]

BG12, you were probably shooting right over their heads - aim lower on a mallard that's lighting.:thumb:

Would you suggest aiming right between their legs (when they are coming in to light)? Is that about how low you think?

 

[Lost Creek]

Thanks for the info guys :thumb:

 

[quax]

Would you suggest aiming right between their legs (when they are coming in to light)? Is that about how low you think?

dang, don't have to worry about me coming into your hole:biggrin:

yep, somewhere between midline and there - a lot of misses occur by shooting at the upper portion of a duck when it's lighting - goes right over their heads.