# CHOKE TUBES IM NEW TO WATERFOWL



## sponkey14 (Mar 1, 2008)

hey i was thinking about getting a pattermaster, is this a smart move? what is the best choke tube out there


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## rmh (Mar 22, 2008)

Have you patterned with the factory chokes yet? You may not need anything else.


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## limitsbynoon (Aug 25, 2008)

Patternmaster are very deadly but also very tight pattern, but when you hit them they fold like a paper airplane, I also have the cabelas pure gold tube and do not recommend it to anyone. If I am duck hunting I use the factory tubes and if I am goose hunting I use the PM. Good luck, but there is only one way to find out if you like them, you have to shoot them, good luck.


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## bandman (Feb 13, 2006)

limitsbynoon said:


> they fold like a paper airplane


You're not making yours right. :lol:


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## Large munsterlander1 (Feb 11, 2008)

bandman said:


> limitsbynoon said:
> 
> 
> > they fold like a paper airplane
> ...


 :rollin: :rollin: :rollin:


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## fubar (Mar 10, 2008)

i love it


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## just ducky (Apr 27, 2005)

First step is to pattern your gun as is with factory tubes AND using the ammo you plan to shoot in the field. But trust me here...different ammo shoots differently, so using some lightweight target load will likely not pattern the same as a waterfowl load. Also, different ammo will pattern differently with different tubes. In other words, just because for example you shoot Kent Faststeel 3" #2's with a full choke tube, don't expect the same from 3" Black Cloud. I've found that you need to experiment with each load of ammo you intend to shoot. Then what I do is put a note right on my ammo box...Kent - full choke; Black Cloud - Mod choke, or whatever the case may be. That way I can change up when I'm in the field if necessary. The other variable is different guns shoot differently. If you use more than one gun during the season, you'll want to do this for each gun. Don't assume that Kent load shoots the same pattern in the Remington as it does in the Browning.

Yes, I know it's expensive to do this, and Yes, I know you hate to waste it on a paper target. I do too. But it's the only way to get it right. And the results were eye-opening to me.


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## limitsbynoon (Aug 25, 2008)

The way I make my paper airplanes is first I pull out my Union Aerospace Manual to follow and throw out any common sense, and then proceed, isn't that how everybody does it??


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## Milla Tha Killa (Dec 11, 2006)

i wouldnt recamend the Patternmaster blackcloud choke. didnt perform as good as a cheap berily


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## Methuselah (Sep 5, 2008)

I purchased a Pattern Master for my Benelli last fall and I wouldn't shoot without one. It is EXTREMELY deadly on both ducks and geese. It does take a bit to get used to the tighter pattern and at first it seemed like I missed more shots, but once I figured it out the results were amazing! My crippling rates went down dramatically as did the number of divers I lost. 
IMO you can't get more bang for your buck when it comes to hard hitting accuracy.


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## NDTerminator (Aug 20, 2003)

I've tried the Pattern Master and it's a great tube, particularly for shots of 40 yards +. Too tight for my style of hunting though, as I hold my shots to 20-40 yards.

You really need to run some test patterns of the loads & shot sizes you use, as steel is a lot more finicky than lead ever used to be. Even different makes of the same steel load & shot size can pattern differently from the same tube & shotgun.

As has been pointed out, start with your factory tubes and see how they do. If you can't get the patterns you want with your factory tubes, there are lots of good dedicated steel tubes available. My personal favorites are the Haydels DPX (Decoy, Passing, Extreme Range) tubes and the Carlson's Extended Steel Tubes in a similar three range system.

Carlson's Extended Steel chokes are a nice alternative to the higher priced chokes out there. You can buy two Carlson's for the price of one Pattern Master, Kick's, or Haydel's.

I have all the DPX tubes for my BPS but use the "P" choke 90% of the time. It patterns real well with 2's & BB's, which I use for all my waterfowling, from 20-40 yards. The "D" choke is good to maybe 30 yards, and the "X" choke, like the Pattermaster, is best beyond 40 yards.

The factory IC tube from my backbored Browning BPS patterns the steel loads I use nearly as well as my Haydels "P" choke. The extended wad stripping design of the Haydel's choke allows it to edge the factory choke a bit, but I would do just fine with the factory IC if that was all I had.

On the other hand, the much shorter Rem-Chokes that came with my non-backbored 870's do not pattern steel or lead near as well as dedicated external steel chokes do. With these shotguns and most 2-BB loads, I use Carlson's Mid-Range Extended Steel Chokes. I have all three of the Carlson's chokes for my 870s, but as with the Haydel's & my BPS, I use the Mid-Range for the vast majority of my waterfowling.


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