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Best aftermarket Chokes

18K views 10 replies 8 participants last post by  FireMedic2303 
#1 ·
Hello all,
I am new to the clay shooting sports and am trying to find out what the best aftermarket choke tubes are. I have looked at Briley, Browning, Carlson's, Tru-lock and Kicks.
I have a Browning 625 with invector plus choke tubes. I don't want to spend a ton of money trying to fiqure out what will work best without getting some opinions on the subject. I realize to get the best results I will have to pattern my shotgun with the chokes and shot I intend to use, but I can't afford to try them all.
I was also wondering if ported choke tubes are any better then extended tubes, and worth the expense. My 625 is a field model and does not have ported barrels.
Right now I am trying all of the different disiplines and am having a blast!
I appreciate any imput I can get.

Thanks
 
#2 ·
Its my understanding that your Invector Plus chokes are made by Briley.
 
#5 ·
cosonet,
I was not aware that Briley made the Invector Plus chokes, I'll have to look into that. I wonder if there is any difference between the two. Are the Briley chokes of better quality? If not, there is no need to spend the extra money to have Briley chokes as opposed to the Browning chokes.

blackout,
I have the factory, flush invector plus chokes now and they do work pretty well. I used to have a Cynergy with Browning extended chokes and they appeared to work better than the flush chokes. I patterned with the extended and the flush, and the exteneded chokes patterned better. I also like the extended chokes because they are easy to change quickly during Sporting Clays. I am planning on getting extended chokes for my 625, but wanted the opinion on the different brands of chokes so I can make a more informed purchase.

NHrural,
I wasn't sure about the ported chokes. I have seen some of the more competitive shooters at my club use ported chokes and didn't know if they made a difference or not. Of course all the adds say great things, but they are just trying to sell product. That's why I joined the forum, to get the opinion of real shooters. I just can't afford to blow money on things that are gimmicks or sound good in an advertisment.

Thanks for the info. so far. This is the very first time I have ever joined a forum. It's been a good experience so far.
 
#6 ·
I have read elsewhere on this forum that Briley manufactgured the Invector Plus chokes. That's why I said that "I understand....". Regarding one brand vs. another. I am not a good enough shooter to tell the difference in a Carlson vs. a Briley or a Teague for that matter. In my opinion it would take a lot of work at the pattern board to detect any differences, if any. For any given constriction, one may pattern a little differenctly than another and given the fact that brands of ammunition and even different loads within a brand will pattern differently, you are presented with an almost hopeless situation of making and general statemens about whether one brand is better than another. It is best, perhaps to find a load and a gun and a choke that gives the desired result and stick with it.
 
#7 ·
Ported chokes are only a gimmick in my opinion and are a pain in the *** to clean. I don't believe you'll find any measurable difference between the brands you are looking at. The differences will be more about shell, load, shot size, choke size, and the other variables rather than brand.
 
#9 ·
wb said:
:idea: So what advantage will you get with after market choke tubes that the factory ones won't give?? :roll:
I pretty much agree with that. There are a few things that you can special order, such as specific constrictions (you can send your barrels in & get chokes custom made to fit the bore on one end and your desired constriction on the other), things like Light Mod and extended chokes that aren't factory available. You will pay dearly for them, though.

IMO, most if not all of these things are "nice to have", and not necessary for good shooting. In general, though, I get by just fine with factory chokes, especially for hunting.
 
#10 ·
FireMedic 2303 -- Don't know which ones are "best" but Briley, Carlson's and the factory tubes are the ones I have used.

When you say you got "better" patterns with the extended tubes over the factory flush tubes, that could be due to a difference in constriction for the same labeled choke designation. Also, I am assuming that by "better" you mean tighter patterns. Sometimes that is "better" and sometimes not, depends on the distance you are shooting your shots.

In general, the factory flush Invector-Plus chokes have a little less constriction for the same designated choke than some of the aftermarket chokes. This can account for more open patterns with the factory tubes. Not a bad thing, and something your can compensate for if you know how the chokes are really patterning.

My 12ga factory Invector-Plus chokes measure the below true constrictions with a bore gauge checking bore and choke:
SK / .000"
IC / .004"
Mod / .012"
IM / .018"
F / .031"

As a comparison, My Briley flush mount tubes measure the below true constrictions with a bore gauge checking bore and choke:
SK / .006
IC / .011
Mod / .021
IM / .025
F / .036
These are within .001" constriction of Brileys published constrictions.

Porting -- Not worth one penny more to me!

Extended -- If you want them then go ahead and get them. I don't think they are necessarily "better" than flush tubes but they do have some advantages. Some pros and cons of extended choke tubes include:
1) extended tubes are usually easier/faster to change (no wrench needed),
2) most extended tubes identify the choke/constriction on the exposed portion so you can see it while some flush tubes don't have notches to indicate choke constrictions,
3) extended tubes provide muzzle protection from possible muzzle damage (dint) that could make choke removal or instillation difficult,
4) extended tubes provide additional length which allows for the possibility of different choke geometry and design (ramp angle and length, choke angle and length, parallel section length, porting and endless marketing gimmicks) which may or may not provide improved performance,
5) extended tubes usually weigh more than flush tubes which may or may not be a good thing for your gun's balance,
6) some shooters think the extended tubes look cool and some like the traditional uncluttered look of flush tubes, and
7) extended tubes are generally more expensive (the choke makers like that).
None of this means extended choke tubes work/perform "better" (whatever that means) than flush chokes. It really depends on what kind of performance you are needing/wanting from your chokes and loads for your type of hunting/shooting. However, if you aren't going to pattern them to find out how they really perform then it doesn't really matter, just use what you like.

You might want to check out some patterning I did with Briley flusk chokes to give you an idea of what constrictions you might want to get for your type of shooting. Here's the link.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=222032&p=1849350#p1849350

Good luck.
 
#11 ·
I'm back.

I bought some of the Muller chokes. A U2, U3, and U4.

I was very pleased with them. They have held up well.

They do seem to build up residue pretty quickly, but aren't that difficult to clean, (not a deal breaker).

I would recommend them.

I have not tried any ported chokes and don't plan too. I haven't seen any benefit with them with other shooters I have seen who use them.
 
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