Interesting view points. I have more than a few shotguns that are older with fixed full chokes from the "full choke era" I still enjoy using them. Mostly in the field I choose modified on any gun with choke tubes. I find that using shells with no plastic shot protection for the first shot gives me a more open pattern and the follow up shots with shells that feature power piston / AA type wads for a tighter pattern. In other words change your load instead of the choke. Works for me, not everything falls stone cold dead that is why I have a dog. I have the luxury and ability to make any kind of load I think I'll need and to work with whatever choke that is in the gun I'm using. While that is important to me I fully realize not everybody thinks or values the same. I use 6's on upland birds early in the seasons before they are full plumaged ,full bodied ,and have put on the fat layer. Then I go to 5's, I clean enough birds to know when my shells are working like I want them too and when they aren't. When I find shot balled up in feathers and fat without chest cavity penetration, I move to larger shot. Where I hunt 11/1 is about that time, till season closes.
I've shot enough patterns to understand that at best they are still a 2 dimensional representation of a 3 dimensional event. So I shoot clay pigeons trap and skeet year round. A perfect time after time gun mount will kill more birds than the perfect choke selection will any day. Just my thoughts on it. MB
