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Recently picked up a Browning Model 12 Grade I in 20ga. Gun is in excellent condition with very nice wood.

These come with fixed modified chokes, but would like to either open it up to I/C or get tubes. Need open choke for grouse and wood cock.

Any ideas/thoughts/suggestions/experiences would be appreciated. Thanks

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You might want to try spreader loads from Polywad or RST before you open up the gun's choke.

Say it cost you $75 bucks to open the choke, the upcharge for spreaders is roughly $3.00 a box so the delta's break even point is 25 boxes of shells. How long will it take you to burn through 625 shots at woodcock and Grouse? 15 years? I'd leave it alone at first but buy a couple of boxes of spreaders to see if you like the way they perform.


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Thanks

Originally Posted by ROMAC
You might want to try spreader loads from Polywad or RST before you open up the gun's choke.

Say it cost you $75 bucks to open the choke, the upcharge for spreaders is roughly $3.00 a box so the delta's break even point is 25 boxes of shells. How long will it take you to burn through 625 shots at woodcock and Grouse? 15 years? I'd leave it alone at first but buy a couple of boxes of spreaders to see if you like the way they perform.

Now there's a thought. I may check around and do some research on that.

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Browning really did a great job bringing back some spectacular firearms.

I don't care if you're a doubles man, over-under guy, or whatever..., nothing points and shoots as naturally as a Model 12. I especially liked their Model 42s. (Just wish they'd included a 28" barrel in addition to the 26 for the clay target games.)


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Another sneaky trick to opening patterns is to mix shot sizes, say 6's & 8 1/2's if you reload.


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Mike Orlen does top notch work, he does the work on my sxs's. I picked up a pair of Hungarian sxs's that I'm shipping off for tubes next week. At last check he gets $45 to thread a barrel and $29./tube plus shipping, $55 to open a fixed choke.


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Originally Posted by DMc
Browning really did a great job bringing back some spectacular firearms.

I don't care if you're a doubles man, over-under guy, or whatever..., nothing points and shoots as naturally as a Model 12. I especially liked their Model 42s. (Just wish they'd included a 28" barrel in addition to the 26 for the clay target games.)


DMc

You're right. They are a nice shotgun but the mod choke is a bite wierd. I always use an SKB M100 20ga for grouse but when I picked up this M12 and knew I wanted to try it out. The price was right enough not to lose my shirt if I changed my mind.

Those spreader loads might be problematic here in Canada. Need more google on that.

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Originally Posted by erich
Mike Orlen does top notch work, he does the work on my sxs's. I picked up a pair of Hungarian sxs's that I'm shipping off for tubes next week. At last check he gets $45 to thread a barrel and $29./tube plus shipping, $55 to open a fixed choke.

I would need to find a solution north of the border. Guns are getting to be too evil to ship across the line.

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You might check with Mike on shipping just the barrel from Canada for work. I just imported a set of barrels from Canada for an O/U. I just needed to get an import permit as an individual.

Mike might be set up to import barrels for work. You might check with Carlsons also, I think there prices are close to Mikes, their turn around time is longer.

Last edited by erich; 11/15/17.

After the first shot the rest are just noise.

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Not sure what s weird about the fixed modified choke but I have the twin to your gun and use it for everything from doves to quail , preserve pheasant and yes even grouse in the thickets of the Appalachians try it as is you might be surprised. Mine is pretty effective on all the above. I really don't worry much about choke anymore. As I said shoot it some before spending your $$ you might be pleasantly surprised.

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Bangeye is giving you great advice. Modified is the do it all choice of chokes.


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I have used the mod choke for most of my shooting .. It isn't perfect but does lots of things very well.


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there's a 3rd option....

[Linked Image]


DMc : )


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Originally Posted by bangeye
Not sure what s weird about the fixed modified choke but I have the twin to your gun and use it for everything from doves to quail , preserve pheasant and yes even grouse in the thickets of the Appalachians try it as is you might be surprised. Mine is pretty effective on all the above. I really don't worry much about choke anymore. As I said shoot it some before spending your $$ you might be pleasantly surprised.

We get grouse and woodcock pretty close here. Even IC can be a bit tight sometimes. I will try to find some spreader loads here in Canada before getting it reamed.

Originally Posted by DMc
there's a 3rd option....

[Linked Image]


DMc : )

Not! smile

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DMc, twelve years ago, I was wasting time at a Ft Worth gun show. I bought a minty model 42 modified choke. I bought a few boxes of ammo and patterned each. My most consistently impressive loads were 2.5" #8.5 clays loads. They patterned better and penetrated better than 3" HV loads in 7.5 shot. About that time, youngest daughter gave birth to a son. I had only patterned the 42, so I put it in storage for the grandson. Tragically, he died in an accident a few days before he was three. I never touched the 42 without tears welling up for several years.

They say time heals all wounds, but not really. Three years ago while packing the stuff for the dove opening, I bumped into the 42 and thought "why not?" I included it and a few boxes of #8.5 target loads along with a nice 20 for back-up. I did not quite limit out, but I have never had more fun at doves. It would have been perfect if a 9 yo grandson had been pulling the trigger. Did the same the following year. Percentage wise, I did about as well as with the twenty, but I don't think that I shot at anything over 25 yards. After the dove become more wary, a larger gauge is needed. I am seriously thinking of adding a 28 ga to my holdings.

Best,

Jack


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BTW, I have one of those dinguses (looks like a Lyman choke) and a Cutts on a Model 12. Once had a PolyChoke. I cannot recommend any of them. I used a spreader load. They were no longer readily available after the gunmakers started choking for plastic cup wads, so I first got a PolyChoke. Later had it replaced with a Lyman. The gunsmith (?) misread the order. I wrote" cut the barrel to 24" then install the choke." He misread and sent it back at 24" overall. This was on a Belgium Browning A-5. I eventually replaced the barrel with a Japaneese made barrel with screw chokes.

Jack


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Originally Posted by SuperCub
Originally Posted by DMc
there's a 3rd option....

[Linked Image]


DMc : )

Not! smile


Come on now...., you know that's a thing a beauty, and an engineering marvel!!!


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Originally Posted by jt402
DMc, twelve years ago, I was wasting time at a Ft Worth gun show. I bought a minty model 42 modified choke. I bought a few boxes of ammo and patterned each. My most consistently impressive loads were 2.5" #8.5 clays loads. They patterned better and penetrated better than 3" HV loads in 7.5 shot. About that time, youngest daughter gave birth to a son. I had only patterned the 42, so I put it in storage for the grandson. Tragically, he died in an accident a few days before he was three. I never touched the 42 without tears welling up for several years.

They say time heals all wounds, but not really. Three years ago while packing the stuff for the dove opening, I bumped into the 42 and thought "why not?" I included it and a few boxes of #8.5 target loads along with a nice 20 for back-up. I did not quite limit out, but I have never had more fun at doves. It would have been perfect if a 9 yo grandson had been pulling the trigger. Did the same the following year. Percentage wise, I did about as well as with the twenty, but I don't think that I shot at anything over 25 yards. After the dove become more wary, a larger gauge is needed. I am seriously thinking of adding a 28 ga to my holdings.

Best,

Jack

JT, I can't imagine losing a grandchild. I have 5 and hate to even think of such a tragedy befalling any of them! We have to trust in God's plan and take solace in the fact that His intentions were to draw us closer to Him. God had a need and a plan for your grandchild that exceeds our understanding. Prayers for you and your children.

Many years ago I was fortunate to have been invited to dove hunt in Mexico with a group of Doctors that hunted the San Fernando Valley every year. We'd fly to Harlingen, where we rented 12 person vans and would caravan the 2-hours, to a (luxurious by Mexico standards) hunting lodge.

I used to skeet shoot with (at Alpine BTW) with 2 friends that were regulars on the Mexico trip and was the reason I was invited. We always shot .410's on the skeet field and since I was serious about good scores I shot an over/under as most serious skeet shooters do.

My first trip to Mexico was an awe inspiring experience. Doves were problematic in Mexico, as they were so numerous, they could devastate grain fields causing crop yields to be decimated. You would find yourself shooting a case or even two of shotgun shells within a 3-hour period, (Usually 7-10am before it slowed down, then starting again from about 3 to 6pm.)

On my first morning of shooting I had to urgently relieve the morning coffee that was threatening to explode my bladder. I propped my O/U 410 against a tree and took care of business. Once done, I picked up my shotgun by the barrels and seriously burned my hand. I had no idea my barrels were hot. Not only were they hot, they were scalding hot! Thank God I was with a group of Doctors!

This was my first introduction to pump action shotguns and the Winchester Model 42. Using an over/under limits you from scoring triples, quadruples, and thereon, which drives up the fun factor to addiction levels! No plugs required in Mexico.

These Mexico trips lasted about 10 years or until it was no longer safe to travel to Mexico. Our annual pilgrimage moved to Argentina, which has even greater numbers of dove and tens of thousands of ducks! At this point in my life I was busy making babies with my wife and the increased cost of international travel succumbed to home based priorities.

I never went back to O/U's. Even though I've continued to shoot skeet, the 42 is still a favorite, but I mostly shoot automatics now. The autos were just too unreliable to be stuck with outside of the United States. I've been through a gambit of 410's. The 870 is too whippy to score well at clay target games but the 42 (and Model 12) is one of the best designed shotguns ever made! (IMHO)


DMc : )

PS: I'd gladly take an 870 on any "jump shooting" outings! Didn't mean to belittle the 870.


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Originally Posted by jt402
BTW, I have one of those dinguses (looks like a Lyman choke) and a Cutts on a Model 12. Once had a PolyChoke. I cannot recommend any of them. I used a spreader load. They were no longer readily available after the gunmakers started choking for plastic cup wads, so I first got a PolyChoke. Later had it replaced with a Lyman. The gunsmith (?) misread the order. I wrote" cut the barrel to 24" then install the choke." He misread and sent it back at 24" overall. This was on a Belgium Browning A-5. I eventually replaced the barrel with a Japaneese made barrel with screw chokes.

Jack


I guess I'm weird. I like adjustable chokes...

Too bad your gunsmith thought you wanted a self defense shotgun with an adjustable choke. I think I'd be looking for a new gunsmith.


DMc ; )

PS: Why buy spreader shotgun shells. Just mix shot sizes together at the reloading bench and you'll come out BIG $'s ahead.


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