Home Forums Birds & Dogs Waterfowl Aftermarket choke tubes

I will be hunting ducks and geese this year with a Benelli M2. My question is, are the aftermarket chokes worth the $$ or has ammo gotten good enough to just go with better ammo and the factory choke tubes?

Thanks

I seem to do best with the Patternmaster tubes for long shooting on geese and cranes. I use the steel shot loads at 1550 fps.

I'm sorry, but I've never really seen the need for an aftermarket tube. I shoot an 870 Express and use the Rem-chokes that came with the gun. I've shot test patterns using steel, bismuth, lead, Tunsten matrix, and hevishot. The birds still fall to the standard tube, and dead is dead.
Good luck in your quest.....

Remember that steel patterns tighter than lead; improved cylinder (and modified if shooting a double) will do the job. Open tubes seem to make folks better shooters on waterfowl. . I guess few of us shoot well enuf to hit with full choke.

I've used the factory Crio tubes with steel, works well at ImpCyl.

The extended Carlson tubes will get you a tighter pattern if needed, and work really well for the money even with "cheap" steel ammo.

I run a Patternmaster Extended Range with my SBEII. Patterns very well with Kent Faststeel 3" #2s. If I have birds in my face I switch back to factory Crio IC.

Just remember, with those extended range tubes you'll have a much smaller pattern at short range, so you have less room for error.

I only use them for goose hunting. If I'm duck hunting over decoys, I just use the factory modified choke that came with my benelli.

Thanks for the different insights.

Patternmasters work pretty darn good!

I use a very similar set-up for pass shooting - Patternmaster Long Range, 12 ga. Benelli M-2, Kent Fasteel 3" #3 or #4. Works great for me - I've knocked them down with this combo from 25 to 45 yards. When I'm in the swamps and the birds are real close I switch to a couple of ancient extended Colonial tubes (IC or MOD choke) in WINCHOKE guns.

I too like the pattern master but probably for different reasons as many. I use them because you can more easily change your pattern with the shell. When I creek hunt I use 4s or 6s if I'm jump shooting ponds or hunting over decoys I shoot #3s. If I'm forced to pass shoot the river I shoot 2s. The bigger the shot size the tighter the pattern. the smaller the shot size the more open the pattern is. I use 1 tube all season long. I use the original long range tube. Love it.

Your the only one that can answer that question i.e. pattern your shotgun with the factory chokes and shells you use....If the results are unsatisfactory start looking for aftermarket chokes. I use an imp mod Trulock choke and a full those 2 cover my waterfowl needs...I have used pattern master and carlson the only one disliked is the pattern master.
Hope that helps

The Longer After Market Chokes Tend to Even out the Patterns. You really can not go wrong by having one of the 3 packs of Waterfowl Chokes. Steel shot Patterns Like Steel shot. It is not tighter or looser than many other shot types. You have to shoot patterns with your loads and chokes to find out how they Pattern. You may get nice even patterns in the Modified Range when you screw in a modified choke with Steel #3 and #2 Then try a Load Of BB and the pattern is blown out from Over Choke Or the BB load gives you a Super Full pattern That is very Clustered. No way to know with out Shooting Patterns. PIA but If You care about being effective in the field, It needs doing.