ported vs non ported?

[mtdeerslayer]

Hi, just wondering if anyone has any advice whether i should be getting a ported or non ported choke for turkey? shooting a supernova looking at a gobblin thunder. i dont understand why they have both. what is the difference. i dont care about muzzle jump nor reduced recoil. is there any difference in patterns is what i care about. any help?

[GTPSC]

Mtdeerslayer, I obviously have a bias about ports in chokes (http://www.blackborechokes.com). I came up with the idea to use a choke port to incorporate a "blade" in the port to slice pieces off the wad which will consistently slow the wad. This eliminates the chance that the wad will interfere with the shot column.

 

Having said that, I also believe that relieving some of the gases at the end of the barrel will help to reduce recoil and, somewhat less, muzzle rise (but any help is always appreciated). This is very subjective so I do not attach any percentage figures as a value to go by. As I am sure you know, rifles and pistols have incorporated "ported" devices to reduce the same almost as long as firearms have been with us.

 

Because the shotgun is considered a "low" pressure firearm in relation to rifles and handguns, there is less pressure to work with at the end of the barrel. The effectiveness of ports in a choke is therefore not as easy to evaluate. But, there are benefits and you will just have to decide if they are worth it or not.

GTPSC

BlackBore Chokes

[DDragon]

Will it change the shot column at all.

Say if a pattern is to long a string.

[GTPSC]

DDragon, that is a good question with no easy answer. All the high speed pictures I have seen, all the articles I have researched and my own extensive testing when shooting shot patterns indicates that a shot column tends to extend (or string out, so to speak) as the constriction gets tighter! In other words, a Cylinder choke will have a shot column that looks like a pancake while a Full choke will tend to have an extended column. I am speaking generally here (not sure you meant BlackBore Chokes specifically) and this includes any manufacturers choke out there, mine included.

 

It is also not common knowledge that just changing just the pellet size in a shotshell load will often times change the pattern! That's why I continue to say that it is so important to pattern your shotgun with various loads to find the best one for your shotgun/choke combination.

GTPSC

BlackBore Chokes

[mtdeerslayer]

Thanks there GTSPC.

[M1014]

[DDragon]

I never used a ported choke and I like they way you carefully answer the post.

I have a Vinci and it patterns great.

I hunt over decoys and my shots are 15 to 30 so I use the Imp. choke the came with the gun this season and I did good but was wounding if I should try to change or just stick with what i got.

[GTPSC]

DDragon, it looks to me that you are doing just fine with what you already have. Using IC for 15 to 30 yards is right where you want to be.

By the way, what load have you been using? Just curious.

GTPSC

BlackBore Chokes

[DDragon]

3" #3 Hevi-Metal From teal to Mallards and a Canvasback this season.

I did get a goose to with it but it was a 15 yard shot.

 

I been using Faststeel in 3" BB for geese.

 

Thanks for the help.

Edited January 11, 2011 by DDragon

[Spike100]

^^

DDragon, thanks for providing specifics on your loads. That helps me decide what I should shoot.

 

Just curious…. Was the Canvasback flying “full out,” or was the duck settling into your decoys? I ask because fast-flying Canvasbacks are easily missed when pass shooting.

 

--Spike

[DDragon]

A pair few 10 yards in front of us 3 feet off the water at a right to left swing a nice easy shot for me and my buddy.

[Spike100]

^^ You are too modest. A pass shot on a Canvasback is never easy. Unless they are settling down inside your decoys, they are always a difficult shot.

 

--Spike

[timb99]

mtdeerslayer,

 

There are indeed a lot of misconceptions about extended and ported chokes. Here's my opinion:

 

Extended chokes do not necessarily improve patterns over flush chokes. The do look cooler. And they're easier to unthread.

 

Ported chokes can, at the very best, reduce recoil by about 3%. Its easy to calculate if you look into the accepted recoil formulas out there.

 

Ported chokes, if the ports are all around the circumference of the choke tube extension, cannot, according to the laws of physics, reduce muzzle rise.

 

Many people think tight full chokes make your shot string long. Others believe tight chokes actually makes the shot string shorter. Bottom line, it doesn't matter even a little bit.

 

Slowing down the wad? I have heard this claim before, but I have my doubts as to any truth or benefit to that. The wad is usually completely separated from the shot within about the first 10 feet of the muzzle.

 

But I agree with GTPSC, it is important to pattern your chokes. But just looking at them tells you nothing. Check into the computer program "Shotgun Insight" by Dr. Andrew Jones. This will tell you what your patterns are doing. And that's the only important thing.

 

For what its worth...

[DDragon]

^^ You are too modest. A pass shot on a Canvasback is never easy. Unless they are settling down inside your decoys, they are always a difficult shot.

 

--Spike

 

Modest no it must have been luck.

It's Ringnecks with me 1 shot to drop them then a few more when they are swimming away.

[duckbustnbenelli]

All ported chokes do is piss your buddies off and hurt your ears aswell! I talked to Briley reps many times and they say that porting has no improvement in pattern

[duckbustnbenelli]

mtdeerslayer,

 

There are indeed a lot of misconceptions about extended and ported chokes. Here's my opinion:

 

Extended chokes do not necessarily improve patterns over flush chokes. The do look cooler. And they're easier to unthread.

 

Ported chokes can, at the very best, reduce recoil by about 3%. Its easy to calculate if you look into the accepted recoil formulas out there.

 

Ported chokes, if the ports are all around the circumference of the choke tube extension, cannot, according to the laws of physics, reduce muzzle rise.

 

Many people think tight full chokes make your shot string long. Others believe tight chokes actually makes the shot string shorter. Bottom line, it doesn't matter even a little bit.

 

Slowing down the wad? I have heard this claim before, but I have my doubts as to any truth or benefit to that. The wad is usually completely separated from the shot within about the first 10 feet of the muzzle.

 

But I agree with GTPSC, it is important to pattern your chokes. But just looking at them tells you nothing. Check into the computer program "Shotgun Insight" by Dr. Andrew Jones. This will tell you what your patterns are doing. And that's the only important thing.

 

For what its worth...

 

extended chokes, longer the barrel longer the range while not greatly improving range there is a noticibale difference Ive seen with my briley chokes.

[Tranz]

While wanting to use my M4 for turkey this Spring, I was not sure it was capable of the range/pattern needed with the short barrel. Had a ported Comp-N-Choke XXXFull installed and used 3" Fiochhi, Remington and Federal 4 & 5 turkey loads with dismal results, so decided to take it to Rob Roberts at Gobble Guns. Rob lengthened the forcing cone and took it to his pattern testing fixture. Using 1 3/4oz Hevi-Shot 13 #6's, it smoked the 10" circle with 230 pellets at 40 yards. Rob swapped to one of his non ported Final Strut chokes and it gained an additional 30 pellets.

 

I pick it up tomorrow morning and will be dropping off a new 20ga for modification.

 

I'm a Happy!!

 

Consider having your Nova tweaked to it's potential by someone that does the Performance Shop turkey gun mods for Benelli...it will be well worth the money.

 

jmho

Edited January 14, 2011 by Tranz