Predator Chokes for my Maxus

T

Tx Shooter

New member
All,

I'm new to this site, but have been a voracious reader of various thread topics.

My shotgun set-up is a Browning Maxus, 12 gauge, 28" bbl, 3.5" chamber.

I've read the excellent shotgun pattern picture thread, and i'm almost afraid to ask for my recommendation.

I'm looking for an excellent buckshot Choke (or chokes) that will pattern everything from #4 buck to 000 buck consistently (consistently being defined as enough pellets to ensure a kill against Coyotes, Bears, Deer, Hogs, etc at 50yds).

From reading that sticky on shotgun patterns/chokes, I have reached the following conclusions;

1. Kick's BuckKicker x-full choke + #4 Buckshot produces the best Buckshot patterns
2. Higher end chokes such as Rhino, Patternmaster, and Wad wizard chokes are noticably absent.
3. Not many ppl run 3.5" shells through their guns...even when shooting 3.5" guns.
4. 00 or 000 buckshot is not in favor for Coyote/Fox hunting on this thread. Is it because Probability of hit is lower due to pattern performance & reduced pellet count? though one doesn't need many pellets to ensure a kill.) 00 buck is also difficult to pattern it seems.

so to re-iterate, i'm looking for
1. Choke recommendation(s) (manf & constriction) for #4buck to 000buck
2. Choke recommendation for large non buckshot (BBB-T).
3. Opinions (informed from experience would b nice) as to Dixie Triball buckshot...the penetration and patterns seem amazing. i'm worried about only having three pellets, but i think even 1 pellet would ensure a kill at 50yds on above mentioned animals.

Thanks in advance for your recommendations. I really dont want to buy a choke, shoot it, send it back, have it re-sized etc...but i know i'm asking for too much.

Reagrds,
 
Welcome Tx Shooter,if you go to pages 36 in the shotgun thread you will find some testing that i did on my 3.5 inch maxus.
During that time i tested an indian creek bds tube in .665
A carlson deadcoyote tube in .665 and a puregold tube in .670.
The loads were 3.5 inch deadcoyote,3 inch rem HD BB and 3 inch federal #4 buck.
The puregold .670 easily won that round and i succesfully harvested 9 coyotes the following season using rem hd bb and 3.5 inch dead coyote at ranges from 10 to 45 yards.

Like many of us here i am always looking for a better mouse trap.
With that being said i will be heading back to the patterning board this summer for some more testing.
This time around i will be testing four pure gold chokes a .670 a .680 a .696 and an extended waterfowl modified tube.I plan to give the carlsons deadcoyote tube another go as well.
Loads this time around will be winchester superx 3.5 and 2.75 inch #4 buck as well a winchesters new 3 inch heavyweight b coyote load.
Hevishot 3 and 3.5 inch deadcoyote T.
Remington 3.5 inch HD BB.

If you are going to get a choke for the maxus right now i would suggest something in the .670 to .680 range to start.
From personal experence a puregold .670 would serve you well.Thats the only one i have tested in that choke range
so i mention that brand but there are many other good choke manufacturers that would be worth a look as well such as kicks,carlsons,briely,indian creek etc. just to name a few.
I am a little partial to puregold chokes as they have always performed well for me in several different shotguns used for a variety of applications.For me its a super high quality choke i trust to spend my hard earned money on.

So in ending i will have some new feedback on the maxus coming within the next few months so if you can wait i will have more info to base a choke purchase on but if you cant,again a quality choke in the .670 to .680 constriction should be a good starting point for you if not the end of your search.
For me the search will be on going as new loads are brought to market,i dont think that i will be purchasing any more chokes as i should have more than enough constrictions at hand to give any load that comes out a fair test.
I really enjoy testing shotguns,all makes and shotsizes for various applications.For me its the shotgun testing and hunting that gives me the most satisfaction when it comes to firearms.
Some guys prefere to play with mostly rifles which i enjoy as well but my real enjoyment comes in the form of a shotgun.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
 
Thanks for your recommendation Ontario Caller,

I went back and re-read the shotgun patterning thread and paid closer attention to your testing with the Maxus.

I do notice that your most center-dense pattern is achieved with the Pure Gold Choke tube and Rem HD BB loads.

I also notice that the IC BDS choke + #4 Buck did score a few hits on the 6-inch cirlce and did much better with the Maxus than with the 11-87.

I can't wait for you to perform your test, so i can cut down on $$$ spent on choke tubes.

Currently, i have a few chokes i'll be testing this weekend...they are
1. Kicks High Flyer (Modified, Full & X-Full)
2. Indian Creek Black Diamond Strike
3. Factory chokes (IC, Mod & Full).

I will head down to the local outdoor store to pick up some more ammo in order to see which chokes pattern which shotshell the best and try to converge on a solution that way.

In keeping with the mantra of testing one's own shotgun with the load(s) one intends to shoot, i'll try to duplicate some of the combos you'e posted to see how close i can come to replicating your results.

Many thanks for your recommendation of the puregold. I'll know after the next couple of weekends what choke diameter i'll be purchasing.

Regards,
 
I have a Primos Dead Dead Dog that I think is a .675 restriction that patters wonderfully with 3" Rem. Wingmaster HD BB (the biggest thing we can use in KY) out of my Beretta 390. Wing Supply has them on closeout right now for $19.95, which is just over half of what I paid for mine. So it represents a fairly low cost option at the moment.
 
Thanks Roger London.

I just came back from Bass Pro. I picked up another choke tube, a Kicks Gobblin Thunder in a .680in bore.

I did check out the Dead Deer Choke Tube, but its a .700in choke tube for Browning Invector plus.

so to summarize, i'll be testing the following chokes;
1. Kick's High Flyer (X-full, Full, Mod)
2. Kick's Gobbling Thunder (.680in bore)
3. Factory chokes (Mod, Full)
I have also bought a number of buckshot, from 000 to #4 buck, and some Turkey loads in #4, 5 & 6 shot. I'll try to pick up some dead coyote loads and HD shot to round out the test.

Since this involves quite a bit of shooting, I think this test might span a couple of weeks.

I'm not sure of the bore diameter of the Kicks High Flyer chokes. I've seen conflicting information on the net indicating that the tubes might be as tight as .670in. If so, i might have chokes in the desriable range of .670in to .680in.

I hope to know more about how the chokes i have pattern the various brand of ammo i've bought.
 
Regarding the Kick's High Flyer, send Chuck an e-mail at Kick's regarding constrictions of those chokes. He is usually very prompt in returning e-mails, though right now is turkey season and he might be gone hunting somewhere.

Here is a guess, the High Flyer chokes are designed for steel shot and even though they carry the designation of "modified" "full" and "x-full" think in terms of steel shot. The modified one probably has about .015" of actual constriction for .728" inside diameter. The full might have .025" constriction and be a .718", and the x-full could have as much as .030" - .035" constriction from your actual bore size to make it a .708". I'll make a bet the Gobblin' Thunder at a true .680" is the tightest of the Kick's chokes by quite a bit. The GT at .680" would give .063" constriction which is a lot - probably way too much for anything over No. Four Buck. I wouldn't shoot the 00 or 000 Buck through that much constriction. But for coyote hunting you really stop at lead No. Four Buck anyway, along with the tungsten loads of shot no larger than T's or BB.
 
None of you guys have tried any of Nitro Ammunition Co. Predator loads? Nitro Ray tests all his turkey loads through specific chokes and guns and shows the results you can expect. I don't know if he does the same tests for his predator loads but his turkey loads are the bomb.
 
At $7.00 per shot each individual shell I would expect a bit more honesty than you sometimes get. Cut a shell open and you may find about as many #8 or #9's as you do anything else in there and they make a lot of holes in the paper. Holes boost reported numbers...
frown.gif
 
All right,

I was able to get only a little patterning done over the weekend. I live in a Houston, Tx, and surprisingly, no gun ranges around here are set up to allow one to pattern a shot gun past 25yds if at all. I found a place in Tx city (~ 1hr away) and was only abl to fire a round every 20mins... sigh.
I'm a bit surprised at the look i get when i explain that i want to pattern my shotgun. Its as if people dont this at all.
I'll be uploading pictures soon. I wasn't terribly impressed with the patterns i got, albeit with cheap remingotn express buckshot and Winchester Super X shells. I did find a sweet spot for Dead coyote though.

Regards,
 
Additionally,

I have ordered a Rhino choke tube in .670" Bore and can't wait to test it out. I'm a little concerned that it might be overchoked, but I'm told by their Customer service personnel that the choke is optimized for Turkey shooting as well as Buckshot patterning. I was also informed that 000Buck and #4 buck pattern especially well out to 70-80yds...we shall see.

I may also buy an extended range patternmaster choke tube if the Rhino choke doesnt work as advertised. Rhino i believe offers a free one-time constriction adjustment, but not a money back guarantee.

I have decided that its better to spend >$100 on one super choke such as the Rhino, rather than $40-$60 at a time on "affordable chokes" that might not get the job done. Accordingly, i returned my Kikcs GT choke in .680.

Ultimately, what i want is to have just one (1) choke tube that does the job with regular lead Buckshot of all sizes. I want to avoid having multiple choke tubes, each for a given size shot or loads. Ultimately, this route should be more economical, if it can be achieved.

Thoughts?
 
If you copy and paste each photo from each photos direct link than you can showcase all your phots directly here so they dont have to be viewed from photobuckets site which is a PITA.
This is likely your reason for lack of responses.

However i did have a look at your results and i have to say the best looking pattern to me was the 3.5 deadcoyote from the kicks high flyer full,nice 40 yd pattern.
Several of your chokes printed deadly 00 buck patterns at 25 yards but fell apart at longer ranges.
I was surprised by the dismal performance of the GT .680.
Your shotgun obviously dosent like that choke at all,i would have assumed it would have done much better,of the chokes you tested i would have thought it would have been the winner of the bunch,not true.
Once again this goes to show you the importance of patterning your choke and loads.
Without patterning you just never no what your gun likes and how its shooting.
Those out there assuming you have whats right without testing your gear is plain and simple ignorance and a lack of respect for the game you pursue.
Thanks for taking the time to due the test and submitting your results.
If someone knows how to transfer his results to the shotgun thread,could you help him out(i dont know how or i would do it myself)it really belongs there.

Cliff
 
OntarioCaller,

Thanks for your input. I was very disappointed in the Kicks Gobblin Thunder, and i had no qualms returning it.

How did u post actual pictures on here? I have tried copy/paste, but it just doesn't work.

I just recieved my Rhino Choke in .670" ID. I wont be able to go and pattern the choke tube till next week, just b4 my Pig/Coyote hunt. The choke tube seems to have some rust on its exterior, but the inside is very highly polished. I'll apply some solvent to it to see if the rust comes out. I paid $113 for the tube, and it should have been delivered free of rust/scaling IMHO...sigh.

Compared to the Kicks chokes, the Rhino is longer, and a bit heavier. The main difference is in the design of the porting. The ports on the Kicks are bigger and close to the end of the choke tube, whereas the Rhino choke has smaller ports located about 1/2 inch below the end of the choke tube. The Rhino choke has a metal finish where the Kicks Choke is matte finish....interesting.

Tx Shooter
 
How about a .680 'Precision Hunter' from Tru-Lock chokes for that 'back bored' Browning. Order from their website. I use it in my Gold & BPS but am usually at #4 Buck & below in shot size.
 
Muskrat30,

What sort of patterns are you getting with the Trulock chokes? Have you patterned 00Buck, #4 Buck? 000Buck? if not, what have u patterned & at what range?

also, do u know how to post pics directly here?

Thanks.
 


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