I will shoot it sometime with my factory choke first to see what I got. I haven't shot this gun much yet but I like it a lot. I found this gun used in mint condition with only 100 rounds down the tube. I bought it for the same price I sold my Winchester X2!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
NEW Shotgun Pattern Test Results - Detail & Pic' heavy...
- Thread starter GC
- Start date
Dultimatpredator
Well-known member
Anyone try the new Indian Creek predator choke tube yet? I see it has .710 constriction which seems a little too large for throwing BB shot in my A390 Beretta.
GC
Well-known member
I just bought an Indian Creek Black Diamond Strike in .665" that I am going to begin wringing out when I get some decent weather. I’ll be shooting some turkey loads through it for gobbler hunting this spring to compare with my favorite Kick’s Gobblin’ Thunder. And I’ll shoot my favorite predator loads of Remington Wingmaster HD-BB and my old standby Federal Premium No. Four Buck. We‘ll see how she wrings out on the bench. If it doesn‘t shoot as well as I think it should I‘ll contact Indian Creek and do some swapping with some other constrictions and give it a fair chance.
It is beautifully made, very long; it adds another 2" to barrel length. The Integrated Wad Catch Technology is interesting on the interior of the choke. That is a different approach to slowing the wad from the shot. It will be interesting to see how it shoots. It is a thick walled choke and heavy built.
A couple of things I wonder about just from looking at the choke is how hard it is going to be to clean all those long, closely spaced vents when they get clogged with powder residue and plastic wad build up. Probably a good complete soaking in some strong solvent, a bronze brush, and some dental picking the slots? Another possible thing I wonder about is the entire outer surface is finely machine knurled and I can't help but wonder what will happen when all those little sharp edges get dinged up from packing, leaning the gun against trees, ect. When the little tops get the blue knocked off, are they going to become shiny and buggered up? The last thing is this choke can only be hand tightened; there is no place for a wrench or hole for a pin to go through to tweak it snug.
As for constriction of their “Predator” model choke, I’d bet they have the old school mindset of using 00 Buck on coyotes. The Black Diamond Strike is available in any constriction you want, so I don’t see that as much of a problem. I know right now they are slightly backed up for the upcoming turkey season, but if I really like the choke I may contact them after turkey season and bend their ear about predator hunting with shotguns. One ole’ Missouri boy to another and see what experience they have and what their mindset is on the subject.
It is beautifully made, very long; it adds another 2" to barrel length. The Integrated Wad Catch Technology is interesting on the interior of the choke. That is a different approach to slowing the wad from the shot. It will be interesting to see how it shoots. It is a thick walled choke and heavy built.
A couple of things I wonder about just from looking at the choke is how hard it is going to be to clean all those long, closely spaced vents when they get clogged with powder residue and plastic wad build up. Probably a good complete soaking in some strong solvent, a bronze brush, and some dental picking the slots? Another possible thing I wonder about is the entire outer surface is finely machine knurled and I can't help but wonder what will happen when all those little sharp edges get dinged up from packing, leaning the gun against trees, ect. When the little tops get the blue knocked off, are they going to become shiny and buggered up? The last thing is this choke can only be hand tightened; there is no place for a wrench or hole for a pin to go through to tweak it snug.
As for constriction of their “Predator” model choke, I’d bet they have the old school mindset of using 00 Buck on coyotes. The Black Diamond Strike is available in any constriction you want, so I don’t see that as much of a problem. I know right now they are slightly backed up for the upcoming turkey season, but if I really like the choke I may contact them after turkey season and bend their ear about predator hunting with shotguns. One ole’ Missouri boy to another and see what experience they have and what their mindset is on the subject.
Dultimatpredator
Well-known member
Quote:
I have an older Beretta A390 and have been using Carlson's dead Coyote choke tube with 1 7/8" copper plated BB shot. I havent been impressed with the patterning but have shot 2 coyotes with the combo. Both dropped where they stood at 50 and 60 yards. Is there a better choice of choke tube constriction I can try improve my patterns at long range? I just picked up a Primos Dead dog and havent given it a try yet along with a mad max turkey choke. I have tried 2 of the original pattern masters out of my 10 gauge Browning in the past and have had better patterning out of my factory chokes and the best being a discontinued Herters extended range tube that I picked up from Cabelas bargin bin for eight bucks. Pattern master replaced the old ones with an extended tube but I havent had a chance to try it and after the less than stellar perfomance I dont feel opt to purchase a $100 paper weight again. I have been reading that around .680 is the best overall? Is this good for my diameter barrel and if so who also makes that diameter to try? Eventualy I am going to step up to the plate and pull the trigger once the New Benelli is unvailed, providing its 3.5" and camoed. For some reason most of the 3.5" patterns I have seen seem to have blown patterns at longer ranges versus the 3" ammo offerings...just me or have manufactures been improving ammunition and choke tubes yet. It just seems like the 3.5" shells have been a gimmic so far but of course I am drawn to make a purchase anyways.
I picked up a .680 Kicks tube from one of the posters here and went out today to try some 50 yard shot patterns. I used 9" paper plates. First test was with 3" Federal 1 7/8oz copper plated BB's. I tried a Mad Max .665 tube and hit the plate with 5 shots. The Kicks .680 hit the plate 4 and 5 times, had to try it 2ce. Tried the Undertaker .675 and hit the plate with one single BB. Randy Andersons .675 dead dog produced 4 hits. After spending money on the above chokes my best came with the tube I already had and have been using, Carlson's dead coyote producing 6 hits. I tried one last shot of Federal's 3" #4 buck out of the .680 Kicks and hit the plate 6 times with 2 of the pellets striking dead center, missing each other by a quarter inch. I must say my 10 gauge will prduce around 8-12 strikes at this distance on average. Well, I'm still on a mission to find the "ultimate" choke for the 390. I am shocked that I dropped a yote at 60 yards, and I can tell you it had to be closer to 65 now that I took my range finder out today with me. I must have had one lucky pellet hit it in the mellon. I can tell you at 50 yards the one I shot bloodied it up with this round(you can see it in my past posts) I'm going to try to run into a .670 kicks and also try some dead coyote and report back. Anyone have any other suggestions as far as what other chokes I can try?
I have an older Beretta A390 and have been using Carlson's dead Coyote choke tube with 1 7/8" copper plated BB shot. I havent been impressed with the patterning but have shot 2 coyotes with the combo. Both dropped where they stood at 50 and 60 yards. Is there a better choice of choke tube constriction I can try improve my patterns at long range? I just picked up a Primos Dead dog and havent given it a try yet along with a mad max turkey choke. I have tried 2 of the original pattern masters out of my 10 gauge Browning in the past and have had better patterning out of my factory chokes and the best being a discontinued Herters extended range tube that I picked up from Cabelas bargin bin for eight bucks. Pattern master replaced the old ones with an extended tube but I havent had a chance to try it and after the less than stellar perfomance I dont feel opt to purchase a $100 paper weight again. I have been reading that around .680 is the best overall? Is this good for my diameter barrel and if so who also makes that diameter to try? Eventualy I am going to step up to the plate and pull the trigger once the New Benelli is unvailed, providing its 3.5" and camoed. For some reason most of the 3.5" patterns I have seen seem to have blown patterns at longer ranges versus the 3" ammo offerings...just me or have manufactures been improving ammunition and choke tubes yet. It just seems like the 3.5" shells have been a gimmic so far but of course I am drawn to make a purchase anyways.
I picked up a .680 Kicks tube from one of the posters here and went out today to try some 50 yard shot patterns. I used 9" paper plates. First test was with 3" Federal 1 7/8oz copper plated BB's. I tried a Mad Max .665 tube and hit the plate with 5 shots. The Kicks .680 hit the plate 4 and 5 times, had to try it 2ce. Tried the Undertaker .675 and hit the plate with one single BB. Randy Andersons .675 dead dog produced 4 hits. After spending money on the above chokes my best came with the tube I already had and have been using, Carlson's dead coyote producing 6 hits. I tried one last shot of Federal's 3" #4 buck out of the .680 Kicks and hit the plate 6 times with 2 of the pellets striking dead center, missing each other by a quarter inch. I must say my 10 gauge will prduce around 8-12 strikes at this distance on average. Well, I'm still on a mission to find the "ultimate" choke for the 390. I am shocked that I dropped a yote at 60 yards, and I can tell you it had to be closer to 65 now that I took my range finder out today with me. I must have had one lucky pellet hit it in the mellon. I can tell you at 50 yards the one I shot bloodied it up with this round(you can see it in my past posts) I'm going to try to run into a .670 kicks and also try some dead coyote and report back. Anyone have any other suggestions as far as what other chokes I can try?
derbyacresbob
Well-known member
Dultimatpredator, check out page 5 of this thread and look at the pictures of the patterns I shot with the Federal Premium 1-7/8 oz of copper coated lead BB's and the Remington Wingmaster HD 3" BB load. The Rem HD load had 25 less pellets in it than the Federal 3" lead BB load had and the Rem HD load put over twice as many pellets in a 12" circle at 40 yards than the Federal 3" BB load did. The Rem HD BB load put 32 pellets in a 12" circle at 40 yards and the Federal lead BB's with 25 more pellets in the shell only put 15 pellets in a 12" circle at 40 yards. The Rem HD pellets also penetrated into the catalogs 3 to 4 times deeper than the copper coated lead BB's did.
Dultimatpredator
Well-known member
Quote:
Dultimatpredator, check out page 5 of this thread and look at the pictures of the patterns I shot with the Federal Premium 1-7/8 oz of copper coated lead BB's and the Remington Wingmaster HD 3" BB load. The Rem HD load had 25 less pellets in it than the Federal 3" lead BB load had and the Rem HD load put over twice as many pellets in a 12" circle at 40 yards than the Federal 3" BB load did. The Rem HD BB load put 32 pellets in a 12" circle at 40 yards and the Federal lead BB's with 25 more pellets in the shell only put 15 pellets in a 12" circle at 40 yards. The Rem HD pellets also penetrated into the catalogs 3 to 4 times deeper than the copper coated lead BB's did.
10-4, I'll pickup a box of these to try. I have just tried not to give into paying $3 per shell. My best 10 gauge groups came from the old discontinued Toungsten Iron BBB 1 7/8 oz loads that were around $33 a box. Knocked the [beeep] out anything in its path but killed the pocketbook. At a dozen hits on a paper plate I couldn't afford not to purchase them . At 40 yards I would get 40 to 50 hits with a Herters extended range choke tube I picked up used at Cabelas bargin bin for $8! After crushing a couple of Yotes and Cats with BBs I am sold on it being the right size for the job. I'll see if I can get the Rems to Pattern and if not I'll try the 3" bb heavy shot Goose loads. I just dont feel the need for anything larger and loosing pellet count.
Dultimatpredator, check out page 5 of this thread and look at the pictures of the patterns I shot with the Federal Premium 1-7/8 oz of copper coated lead BB's and the Remington Wingmaster HD 3" BB load. The Rem HD load had 25 less pellets in it than the Federal 3" lead BB load had and the Rem HD load put over twice as many pellets in a 12" circle at 40 yards than the Federal 3" BB load did. The Rem HD BB load put 32 pellets in a 12" circle at 40 yards and the Federal lead BB's with 25 more pellets in the shell only put 15 pellets in a 12" circle at 40 yards. The Rem HD pellets also penetrated into the catalogs 3 to 4 times deeper than the copper coated lead BB's did.
10-4, I'll pickup a box of these to try. I have just tried not to give into paying $3 per shell. My best 10 gauge groups came from the old discontinued Toungsten Iron BBB 1 7/8 oz loads that were around $33 a box. Knocked the [beeep] out anything in its path but killed the pocketbook. At a dozen hits on a paper plate I couldn't afford not to purchase them . At 40 yards I would get 40 to 50 hits with a Herters extended range choke tube I picked up used at Cabelas bargin bin for $8! After crushing a couple of Yotes and Cats with BBs I am sold on it being the right size for the job. I'll see if I can get the Rems to Pattern and if not I'll try the 3" bb heavy shot Goose loads. I just dont feel the need for anything larger and loosing pellet count.
derbyacresbob
Well-known member
I really like the pellet count of 73 pellets in the Rem HD BB load over the Dead Coyote load with 50 pellets in it. Remington has a rebate of $15.00 for one box of 10 HD loads. Check the Remington web-site I think the rebate is good through April.
Dultimatpredator
Well-known member
Has anyone tried Remington's new Predator T loads yet?
Joel Hughes
New member
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GC
Well-known member
Never seen Choke Shine before. I may give that a try, thanks for bring that to the thread. Regarding hand tight, I know that is the recommended way. But slick sided chokes sometimes are a little hard to snug up by hand alone, especially if they are short. I won't crank down on them with a wrench, but just a tiny little tweak has been good for me. I actually had a choke come very loose on me in a Remington barrel. It was probably a 1/4" out when I noticed it. Since then I've been in the habit of just giving them a little tiny bump past hand tight. The Indian Creek is 2” long out of the barrel and knurled so it probably will be easy enough to snug down. Indian Creek has won the NWTF shoots for the last three years and I think they have set a new record. They have a great reputation and I’m going to give them a whirl and we’ll see how they shake out. You're right on the anti-seize tube lube - don't ask me how I know how important that stuff is!
rk_az
New member
I emailed Chuck at Kicks to ask for a choke recommendation. I am shooting a Rem 870 Express, 21" ribbed RemChoke barrel and 3" DC T's. His recommendation (the light full BK, .700) surprised me a bit. Since T shot falls between #4 bird and #4 buck, I expected (based on Kicks selection chart) that he would suggest either the .670 GT, or the .690 BK.
I replied to his email asking for some insight into that recommendation, and he did not respond. Maybe someone here has an idea? I am far from an expert on shotguns...
I replied to his email asking for some insight into that recommendation, and he did not respond. Maybe someone here has an idea? I am far from an expert on shotguns...
GC
Well-known member
Kick's is very conservative in their recommendations when it concerns Hevi Shot. They will normally recommend a really open constriction for Hevi Shot, more so than other makers do. Best I can tell Kick's uses quality steel and heat treatment, they just play it very safe. I would not shoot Hevi Shot through their sister company Comp-n-Choke products because of the construction design of that particular product. The long circular vents around the C-n-C chokes seem to weaken them and they aren't as strong as other designs to include the Kick's chokes. Let us know what Chuck has to say in his reply. One of the reasons the stuff like the Wingmaster HD and Winchester XR is slowly gaining ground on Hevi Shot is because they are softer and easier on barrels and chokes than the harder more brittle Hevi Shot.
kymailman98
New member
I put an Indian Creek Black Diamond on my Benelli SBE2, and can't believe how tight a pattern it shoots with Winchester HV 3 1/2's number 5 shot. It's like shooting a rifle at close ranges.
MAUMAU
New member
I am shooting a Benelli SBE II with 3 1/2" Dead Coyote.
Has anyone tried using a Polychoke instead of purchasing individual chokes that may, or may not, work well?
It seems like a great concept and may order one and give it a try.
Here is a link: http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templa...rset=ISO-8859-1
Has anyone tried using a Polychoke instead of purchasing individual chokes that may, or may not, work well?
It seems like a great concept and may order one and give it a try.
Here is a link: http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templa...rset=ISO-8859-1
Tim Neitzke
New member
Where are you guys getting your Indian Creek chokes from?
GC
Well-known member
They are made only about two hours from where I live. A local gunshop stocks them here. You can also get them through Midwest Turkey Call Supply.com. Before coyote calling season I am going to call and see if I can tour the shop and talk a little predator hunting with them. If it isn't too windy I am going to pattern my Indian Creek this coming week one day when I can sneak outta work early. I'll take some pictures and post the results.
Tim Neitzke
New member
Thanks
ontario_caller
New member
I patterned 3 inch rem hd through an indian creek black diamond strike with great results out of both 21 inch barreled 870 and a 21 inch barreled 11-87.
I also had great results with the same choke and 3.5 inch dead coyote out of a 24 inch barreled 870.
Sorry guys no picks and i didnt record the hits but i will say any coyote inside 50 yards will be in serious trouble.
50 yards was as far as i shot.
The choke constriction was .665.
I originally purchased these chokes for turkey hunting and must say they are the best patterning turkey chokes i have ever used,so i was more than pleased to find out that they will also be great double duty chokes for yotes as well.
I have been so impressed by these chokes that yesterday i ordered two more for my rem sp10.
I ordered one in .690 that i think should work real good with #5 or 6 for turkeys and one in .710 that should work real good with the rem hd BB or some #4 buck.
When i end up patterning the 10 guage ill try and be a little detailed with pics and counts and such.
I also had great results with the same choke and 3.5 inch dead coyote out of a 24 inch barreled 870.
Sorry guys no picks and i didnt record the hits but i will say any coyote inside 50 yards will be in serious trouble.
50 yards was as far as i shot.
The choke constriction was .665.
I originally purchased these chokes for turkey hunting and must say they are the best patterning turkey chokes i have ever used,so i was more than pleased to find out that they will also be great double duty chokes for yotes as well.
I have been so impressed by these chokes that yesterday i ordered two more for my rem sp10.
I ordered one in .690 that i think should work real good with #5 or 6 for turkeys and one in .710 that should work real good with the rem hd BB or some #4 buck.
When i end up patterning the 10 guage ill try and be a little detailed with pics and counts and such.
Dultimatpredator
Well-known member
Heres a load of Winchester 2 oz., #5's from my 10 gauge from two days ago(actually 2 shots, 1 to to finish it off).
