Accessories

Interchangeable choke tubes have been a feature for smokepole enthusiasts since Winchester Firearms created the system in 1959. The first experiment ended in 1965 because of functioning problems, but the Winchoke system introduced in 1970 took hold and is considered the grandfather of choke development. Today, it is hard to find a shotgun that does not feature some kind of interchangeable choke system.

Perhaps a little trip back to the physics classroom is necessary at this time. For those who still remember the days of Shotgun Chokes and Ballistics 101, we request a little indulgence.

When the powder charge sends the shot column down the barrel, it reaches the choke and is forced to squeeze together before exiting the muzzle. That constriction is called radial force. As the shot column leaves the barrel, gravity and wind resistance immediately take over and attempt to force the pellets inside the column to spin and flare off. The tighter the pellets are squeezed together by radial force inside the choke, the more the pellets hold together over a longer distance and produce a tighter pattern.

Constriction of the chokes is measured in thousandths of an inch and, in general, breaks down to the following measurements that are subtracted from the bore diameter of the barrel: Cylinder, .000; Skeet, .005; Improved Cylinder, .010; Modified, .020; Improved Modified, .030; Full, .040.

For example, in our patterning and handling tests, we selected a Browning Model XS Citori 12-gauge over and under with 32-inch barrels that was reviewed in previous editions of Gun Tests. The interchangeable chokes from the various manufacturers were all designed to fit the Browning. We checked the bore measurement of the XS with a bore gauge and the reading was .740. The constriction of all the choke tubes was subtracted from that figure to determine their bore diameter.

One more part of the classroom review states that in most cases the improvement in the pattern on a target at 30 yards over the widest pellet spread with a cylinder choke is about 10-13 percent with skeet; 15-17 percent with improved cylinder; 25-27 percent with modified; 30-33 percent with improved modified; and about 35 percent with a full choke. Students can now close their books.

It should be noted in reading through our test that performance results will vary depending upon individual shotguns and some shooters make their choke selection based on tube qualities other than patterning, such as ease of use; weight; and even appearance.

All of these individual factors are a matter of personal preference and help drive the quest to find the right combination of choke tube length and constriction that produces the optimum pattern performance. As one smoke-pole veteran said: "Whatever works for you, works for you — Don't mess with something that works."

In our test, we examined the results using both an improved cylinder and modified choke. The ammunition used was Winchester AA Xtra-Lite 2.75 inch Target Loads with one ounce of No. 71/2 shot and 2.75 dram equivalent of powder producing an average 1180 fps muzzle velocity.

All of the chokes in the test were fired at a 30-inch circle on a paper target placed 30 yards downrange. We noted that there was very little deviation in the overall pattern of pellet strikes on the paper, with all the chokes tending to produce slightly more strikes on the left side of the circle rather than on the right. This result probably is a factor of gun fit for the shooters, rather than choke fit in the barrel.

We also tested all the chokes on clay target presentations on a couple of different sporting clays ranges. While target breaks can vary according to the skills of the shooter more than because of the effectiveness of the chokes, we also used the "feel-good" factor to judge how well the tubes worked on clays in our evaluation.

Also, the collective information as to the internal dimensions of revolvers, i.e., their dynamics, has been expanded to areas not many shooters have investigated, either because they didnt know about them, or they just didnt care. As long as most of the shots hit where they were supposed to things were left alone. But what if they could be improved? What if a somewhat faulty set of dimensions or a rough bore of a revolver or auto pistol could be altered by the shooter to improve accuracy?[IMGCAP(1)]To that end we acquired a kit from Beartooth Bullets, P.O. Box 491, Dover, Idaho 83825, (208) 437-1865 (or at beartoothbullets.com, $49 plus shipping & handling). The kit included a box of 100 lapping bullets in your choice of caliber, two steel plates, a four-ounce can of lapping compound, a huge bolt that fits into your loading press where the dies screw in, and a technical manual (mailed separately). The manual was called Technical Guide, and was written by Beartooth headman J. Marshall Stanton in clear, unambiguous English, which was a revelation after having struggled through the somewhat foggy NECO manual. The subtitle for this manual is, A Comprehensive Guide For Attaining Unsurpassed Performance Using Cast Bullets. Sold separately for $15, the manual goes into great detail on how to do just that.We had been working with several revolvers that shared the same problem. The barrel was too tight where it was screwed into the receiver. This area often gets compressed from normal assembly, resulting in a choke that pinches or resizes the bullet. The gun cant shoot its best because the bullet is now too small for optimum contact with the rifling during the rest of its passage through the barrel. While this can happen to both cast and jacketed bullets, and holds true for rifles as well as handguns, we will concern ourselves in this report with cast bullets fired from one revolver and one 1911 pistol, both of 45 caliber. The revolver was a Cabelas (Uberti) 4.6-inch barrel in 45 LC, and the 45 auto was the recently tested Taurus PT-1911, which had a strong tendency to collect lead.

Gun Tests adviser and trainer Brian Hoffner, a 30-year veteran of the Houston Police Department, has gotten into the fashion business with his new American Tactical Apparel line of clothing.

Welding often presents a dilemma for the gunsmith. A torch that utilizes big enough tips for fairly heavy work, such as welding on bolt handles, is usually large, heavy and cumbersome. But if the unit is small and handy in size, the largest tip that it will take is usually too small for the bolt-handle type of work. I recently ran across a product that may be a good answer to this dilemma. Called the Dillon Type III, this unit is put out by Henrob Corp. The torch unit is a compact outfit built into a pistol grip that is very easy to handle.

A. Uberti has introduced its Desperado line of branded gun leather, including a holster and cartridge belt. Desperado holsters are specifically designed for the 1873 Cattleman Single-Action revolvers and the cartridge belts are made to hold either .357/.38 or .45 LC cartridges.

With apologies to Chet Atkins, a guitar string makes a fine substitute when you need a replacement spring in a hurry.

Crimson Trace's Iain Harrison previews the company’s upcoming green pistol laser sights from NRA Annual Meetings in St Louis.

The Econo-Can is a patent-pending legal and registered silencer by American Specialty Ammo. It actually is an adapter that uses a removable expansion chamber — aka a car oil filter — to suppress the firearm. The video below shows that this device is as quiet as any 22 LR silencer we have tested. But it’s not a toy or novelty. It’s a registered silencer and must be treated as such. The adapter is threaded 1/2-28. This is a NFA item and all NFA rules and regulations apply. Price: $55.

FPS Russia has a lot of fun with a fully-automatic Glock 17 and a 100-round drum magazine. There’s also some incendiary ammo that goes hot too soon.

Manufacturers like S&W, Ruger, Charter Arms, and Taurus all think combining a late 19th century design — a revolver — with a relatively modern laser sight is a great idea. We think it can be a good pairing, too. Last year we tested the S&W Bodyguard, which comes from the factory with an Insight laser sight installed, and gave the combo a high grade. For those of us who already carry 38 Special revolvers, we wanted to compare options to retrofit our snubnose five-shooters with a laser sight. Knowing many CCW permit holders drop their J-frames in a pants or coat pocket unholstered or carry them in a holster, we wanted to see how the Crimson Trace (CTC) and LaserMax (LM) would perform in a variety of day-to-day carry scenarios as well as at the range.

The CTC and LM laser sights, like all laser sights, are regulated by the FDA as Class IIIa devices. They are not toys. Laser-sight manufacturers instruct buyers to attach a tiny warning label on their firearm after installing the laser sight unit, since laser light can damage the retina of the eyes. You will note that ordinary laser pointers also carry a tiny warning label, too.

Our retrofit candidate was a Model 637 Chief's Special Airweight, which has been in production off and on since 1991. It has an exposed hammer and is chambered in .38 Special +P. The 637 is light weight and has a soft rubber grip.

Our testing consisted of five phases: ease of installation, a drop test from a height of 36 inches onto a piece of plywood on a concrete floor, freezing the lasers to -4F, fitting with different holster types, and finally live-fire testing. We dispensed with our usual water-immersion test since the lasers are labeled only to be water resistant. Drop the laser sight in water or get caught in a rain shower, and you will need to resort to Plan B and use the revolver's iron sights.

Suffice to say all three laser sights passed the drop test without losing zero. The cold has a way of negatively impacting mechanisms, but buttons on all three laser units functioned even after being placed in freezer. We also tested the lasers with an unloaded revolver in dark and brightly lit environments. Users should also be aware that we are surrounded by reflective surfaces outside and inside our homes — glass, vehicle bodies, TV and computer screens, mirrors — that will reflect a laser back and could disorient you. There is also no visible beam per se, unless the beam has something to reflect off, such as smoke or fog. Across a bedroom in the darkness, all three lasers projected a red spot on a potential target. In the dark, the aiming spot is easy to see unless aimed on a reflective surface when one dot can look like many dots. In bright sunlight the aiming dots were much harder to see, and at times our shooters needed to resort to using iron sights to find the dot. Holding the 637 in a two-handed grip at belt buckle height, we were able to easily hit the center circle of an IDPA-style target at 12 yards with all three laser sights. Here's what else our retrofit test determined.

A shopping trip to the mall inspired this gunsmith to make a better finishing set up in his shop. Here’s how he did it.

Checkering a stock is an art unto itself, and it requires hands-on experience to learn it. But we can show you some tools to use.