# choke tube



## huntinglakia (Nov 5, 2007)

My father-in-law is wanting a turkey choke tube for his Remington 870 express magnum. What is everyone's recommendation for which one to get?

I have the super express magnum in the full camo and shoot 3 1/2" shells and use the mad super max. It shoots great patterns but its meant for the 3 1/2" shell. The other mad max choke tube says it is only for lead shot. I would rather him use steel. 

Please help!!!


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## DEDGOOSE (Jan 19, 2007)

Steel? Are you sure? Steel has no where near the energy and knockdown of lead, and would be extremely difficult to find a choke to produce dense patterns.

I think what you are reffering to is the "heavier than lead" non toxs, hevi, extended range, wingmaster HD etc. etc. The mad max tube that you currently own is a great tube. The tube you have is produced by a company called indian creek. In recent years Indian Creek has held the world record for the NWTF grand national shooting contest. If you want your father in law to shoot non tox, I would recommend the Indian Creek tubes or a Pure Gold. These two chokes are designed to produce optimum pattern with non toxic loads. Both these companies also guarantee their products, they allow you to shoot the choke and if you are not happy you can return them for a refund or a different constriction, Kinda neat. 

www.gameacc.net Pure Gold

www.indiancreekss.com Indian Creek


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## huntinglakia (Nov 5, 2007)

It must be the non-tox that I shoot. What is your opinion on lead vs non-tox? What would be preferred rounds? I have not turkey hunted in 2-3 years due to limited time off from work. Usually hunt the U.P. but my father-in-law wants to get into turkey hunting so I will start back up and hunt southern Indiana with him. I would hunt with 3 1/2" and he would hunt with the 3". What would you recommend?


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## Sib (Jan 8, 2003)

I don't know anyone that uses steel on turkey and I've never heard of anyone. Lead is preferred by everyone I've talked to during my 20+ years of turkey hunting. If you insist on nontox you would be far better with bismuth, heavy shot or some other heavier shot than steel. Is nontox a local law, or is it just your preference?

www.choketube.com checkout their extra-full turkey chokes, I have the ported and like it.

Edit:
Also, don't get too hung up on the 3.5" shell thing, it's a bit overkill and a 3" shell will be plenty. Many still hunt with 2 3/4" shells and do just fine. Because a gun has a maximum rating does not mean it is the ideal size shell for the situation. The situation and hunting determine what shell is best, not the guns max shell rating.


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## huntinglakia (Nov 5, 2007)

non-tox is just a preference. I have been reading a lot about this "hevi-shot". It seems pretty expensive but is it worth it or would something else fair better? What would be an advantage of doing a non-tox vs lead? When i hunted 3 years ago, i used the remington copper loads. About $13 for a box of 10. I am going to get him ammunition along with calls, etc to get him started. He has been having fun with some of the videos i gave him earlier in the year for learning how to call with the diaphragms. I have been out of the loop with everything and when I hunted i was young and nieve. Just picked something and went with it haha. now I want to make sure its the right one.
Thanks guys


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## GuT_PiLe (Aug 2, 2006)

I use a Primo's JellyHead for my Benelli Nova in a 
.655 Dia. using #5 Hevi-shot.

GREAT patterns out to 50yds.


Tried the undertaker and a few others...but the JellyHead was night and day pattern wise for MY shotty.

All guns are different tho.


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## woodie slayer (Feb 25, 2006)

buy a terror tube. i got a .640 for my benneli..you won't find one that tight unless you special order


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## Sib (Jan 8, 2003)

huntinglakia said:


> ...When i hunted 3 years ago, i used the remington copper loads...


I believe those are actually lead pellets that are only jacketed in copper. The advantage of using Hevi-shot or bismuth (sp) and similar compounds is because they have more weight for the same size pellet when compared to steel and sometimes lead. Steel is pretty light and with a bird like a turkey you may lack knock down power at times.

The reason lead was banned for waterfowl hunting is because puddlers tend to be seed eaters and often forage for seeds on the bottom of ponds and lakes. The lead shot settled to the bottom where it could be digested by puddlers. Switching to nontox removed the potential of puddlers digesting the lead. 

For general hunting lead isn't that big of an issue and it offers significant advantages. The newer lead substitutes are pretty good, but their one disadvantage is cost. I'm a consciencious hunter that serves on a couple committees for DU and am enrolled in a sponsor program conserving wetlands and I have no problem using lead for turkey hunting while supporting the use of nontox for waterfowl, because the issue with lead has to do with ingestion and not contamination concerns with the lead. Do I want lead dumped into my fields, of course not, but the amount dispensed from a shotgun is so small that I don't worry about it. If I were shooting clays out back all the time I would be concerned, but I shoot clay at a club, because they all have lead abatement programs.

It's your choice to use nontox and if you do I would not recommend steel, I would recommend something like Hevi-shot, I know some people that really like it.


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## omega58 (Sep 3, 2003)

I found an Undertaker for the Mossberg 935 last year at Dick's marked for $4.97, it rang up $2.97. . .that, along with 3 1/2 Hevi 13 #6s does the job for me. . . .I would use 3", but the 3 1/2" actually gave me a better pattern. I have used lead before and that works just fine too. . .you don't need to spend a $$$$ on a choke tube, you can if you want, but don't need to.


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## DEDGOOSE (Jan 19, 2007)

Huntinglakia, 

Lead or non tox are both great for turkeys. The general advantage of the non tox variety is the fact that you can decrease your shot size while having in most cases more energy at longer ranges. Most non tox loads are between 12-and 13cc and allow you to drop two sizes and have the same energy as lead. Decrease in size equals more shot to fill up pattern. 

As for do you need non tox? This is a great argument that surfaces on every turkey hunting forum. No you do not need non tox. In most cases you can generally get a gun shooting non tox to perform much better than what lead does. 

You might want to try a great website on turkey guns from Clark Bush www.allaboutshooting.com Clark, performs independent testing of pretty much every choke and load and gun combination under the sun and publishes no bull crap opinions. You might also want to browse through the nwtf forum at http://www.nwtf.org/message_board . Many choke manufactures hang out on here as well as current and past still target world champions that are always willing to help.


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## huntinglakia (Nov 5, 2007)

wow. I appreciate all the comments and feed back. It appears as if what I thought before was completely wrong. Of course I never looked this far into it. Thanks everyone. I am always looking for an excuse to buy another gun so which does everyone prefer..pump or semi-auto, over under, etc.?


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## Sib (Jan 8, 2003)

huntinglakia said:


> wow. I appreciate all the comments and feed back. It appears as if what I thought before was completely wrong. Of course I never looked this far into it. Thanks everyone. I am always looking for an excuse to buy another gun so which does everyone prefer..pump or semi-auto, over under, etc.?


As far as what type of action on the gun, it's personal preference, as it's pretty rare to get a second shot at a turkey. Your equipment is more than adequate for turkey hunting, your gun will shoot 2 3/4" 3" and 3.5" shells. Experiment with a few different shells and sizes with your choke/gun and see how they pattern. It's all about finding what flies best out of your set-up. It's possible to find two identical set-ups and each may pattern different. Find what's best for yours and you'll be ready for when Mr. long Beard shows up.


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## jjc155 (Oct 16, 2005)

My 870 patterns really good shooting: 3" Hevi13 1 5/8oz #6shot through a Rhino .660 Turkey choke tube. 

Not really a cheap combo (shells were 28.99 last year and choke tube was $100) but at 40yards its patterns very well with more than enough lethal hits.

Hope this helps

J-


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## Ramhunter (Jan 22, 2003)

I wouldn't really worry too much about the cost of Hevi-shot or other non-toxic options if they pattern well in your gun. Once you settle on a load, the cost of one or two shells per year for turkey hunting pales into insignificance when compared to the other turkey hunting costs. (Gas, motels, meals, decoys, license, camo, vests, blinds, etc.)


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## dougdad (Nov 11, 2007)

If dadinlaws 870 has a pattern anything like my 870 does, (mod. choke) He may not even have to worry about a special turk. choke. My 870 has such a tight pattern that I hunt birds and rabbits with a imp. cyl. choke, therefore just the standard full is all I will need. I suggest doing a pat. check on his gun before spending the $$$$$$$ for a special choke. They can be quite pricey, and why buy it if he doesn't need it. My 20ga. with 4 shot 3in. mag has about a 12 to 14 inch pat. (mod. choke) at 50 yrds. I think this is plenty tight for turkeys.


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