The Coolidge examiner., 1934-09-28
HOW TON.
S HO Or
By Bob Mich OILS
: Shooting Editor. Fled and s,reami

lNNE OF the poorest guns In the
~ world for the beginner In wing
shooting TO use is the close shoot
ing full choke gun. In fact. for up
land work the close bored gun is a
poor gun for anyone TO use except
In open plains country where birds
frequently rise at 20 to 80 yards. in
which case you've got TO have a
gun that will reach out and get
them.
The choke In a shotgun barrel
means the degree 10 which It's bore
T Is CONSTRUCTED at the muzZle. The
shot charge travelling through
/ full-choke barrel is suddenly
squeezed together just before 1t
reaches the muzzle The effect Is
to cause the shot pellets TO hang
closer together. which results in a
pattern of small diameter and max
imum density. The construction.
or choke, is I'm the first two or three
/ Inches at the muzzle For this rea-
son never try TO make short bar
rel by saving of three or four
inches at the muzzle. You viii ruin
the gun. Thereafter your gun will
throw a wide, uneven pattern that
can't be relied on. 4 good gun
smith can frequently turn out n
good Job OF this kind providing the
metal In the barrel is not too thin
at the point where II Is sawed Off
His trick will be TO start back about
an inch or two from where he sawed
the barrel, and then bore the barrel
out slightly from there down toward
the breech. This method Is called
recess choking. or jug" choking.
The results are apt to be somewhat
OF a gamble.
Only the good wing shot Is capa-
BILE of doing good work with the full
choke gun. The small diameter shot
pattern IL throws takes close expert
holding. And In thicket and brush
shooting such a gun is a ''pestera-
ton" You can't let your game get
too far away or you lose sight of IL.
and II you shoot at close range you
mince the bird and ruin II for the
table.
Capt. Ed G. Crossman. the we'll
known rifle expert. tells the anus
ing story OF the man who went into
the hardware store and asked for
"close shooting" gun. Naturally
the clerk sold him full choke gun.
Several days later the irate custom
er barged into the store and de-
manded his money back-either
that or another gun. "Thls amt a
close shooting gum" he complained.
Il shoot at rabbits at 20 yards and
she blows him to pieces. She's
far shooting gun!"
The full choke gun Is a very spe-
cial weapon. Its use Is justified only
In a few kinds OF field sport. And
under no circumstances Is the full
choke the right gun for anyone but
an expert shot. Pass shooting on
ducks usually calls for all the range
one can get out Of his gun, and 1t
Is here that nothing but the full
choke should be considered. But
such shooting Is not for the novice.
In fact | do not believe there is
more than one shot In a hundred
who Is capable OF knowing how TO
lead fast flying ducks at 80 to co
yards. and even he will have To do
a lot Of guess work. For the speed
OF high flying ducks varies On a
calm still day 1t Is one speed. On
a windy day with the birds travel
Ing against the wind, it Is another
And when they are coming down
wind plus their normal fast flying
speed. then It's decidedly something
else again. Flying or running game
must always be "led" In order TO
score hits. This is, you've got 10
shoot ahead of II. Why this is so
will be explained In later article
The best gun for practically all
| bPA0hh cASOeAhb thC OtC WIN
barrel bored improved cylinder. If
a double-barrel gun. make the first
barrel improved cylinder and the
second modified choke. The gun
should be light enough TO handle
fast. from six to six and half
pounds. for the faster your gun
handles the better you will shoot
II. Without hurry or confused
haste, one should be able to let
Off his first shot within half sec
ond after the butt touches the
shoulder. When you take longer
time your muscles begin to freeze
into rigidlty-the result, you slow
up or stop your swing. With
fast handling gun you do not need
the longer range of the full choke
gun. Your improved cylinder win
do the work. and 1t will teach you
TO shoot a shotgun the way such a
gun should be shot-fast and in
stinctively.
@. Western Newspaper Union