Titanium Choke Tubes

I was at a major trap gun dealer not long ago. I was in need of a choke tube. I had dropped one and dinged it up. The owner said to buy the "Titanium Tubes". They were 3 times the cost. So I am wondering why would you need titanium choke tubes?

Just wondering.

 

Let me start by saying that I am not a choke tube or metal materials expert. It is my understanding that titanium tubes weigh less than standard steel tubes. Having less weight at the very end of your gun could help with balance and the swing dynamics of the gun. Hopefully some of the shooters on here with more knowledge about titanium tubes will chime in.

 

You probably don't...but the the people that make them like the extra money that comes with making you think that you do!

 

Titanium is a very exotic metal, weight similar to aluminum with the strength of steel. Very costly to produce and machine. You probably don't require titanium choke tubes but they will reduce the weight on the end of the barrel as stated above. If everything balanced good with your old tube, you should be fine with a new steel or stainless one. If you want a titanium tube, do a search on Extreme Titanium Choke Tubes. I have found them to be of very high quality for around $125.00 each. Price a piece of titanium stock and you will quickly see where the extra cost comes from!

 

I'm by no means an expert but I've always stuck with the stock tubes or equivalent material replacement. I think sometimes we as shooters get caught up on the little things that MAY make a difference but to each his own. Since I'm a big fisherman as well I'll share a common saying we have.... "Most fishing lures are meant to catch the fishermen, not the fish."

 

Titanium choke tubes:

They are nice, strong and light and approximately 50% higher priced than stainless. tubes.

By nice I mean they are spot on in measurement. If you use the same logic as the person who pays up to 12/14 thousand dollars for a shotgun why not put titanium chokes in the gun?

On the other side of the coin how many nice reliable long-lasting shotguns could a man buy with 14 grand? If Ti chokes fit your fancy and wallet~~get them!

By-the-way, well made stainless tubes throw just as good patterns.

Eddie

 

Titanium chokes have been a big deal in sporting for years. Lighter weight equals faster swing, and that's what sporters like, epecailly when a top ten dude is using them.

Like trap shooters, they want to buy a higher score if possible.

 

I asked a friend of mine who is a Master Tool and Die Maker (45 plus years) what his thoughts and ideas would be about Titanium choke tubes ... He simply stated that the weight difference would probably not be much of a factor based on the amount of metal used in the tubes in the first place and it being thin wall ... After I explained and showed him several diagrams of choke tubes and what they are supposed to do he responded that any good strong metal such as a high grade Stainless Steel would probably accomplish the same thing and be considerably less expensive ... I am not a fan of choke tubes which is why I asked a person who just might have some good input of the subject ... He asked about the total weight difference which I did not have an answer for him but he said he looked at a few vids on google and said the difference in money would be a waste ... I'll stick with my fixed chokes, no more problem ... WPT ... (YAC) ...

 

I got this off of Google :

Understanding Shotgun Chokes
A brief explanation by Briley
If you are new to shooting and do not understand shotgun chokes, do not be surprised. Seventy five percent of shotgun shooters that have shot for many years do not understand shotgun chokes either. Let us start at the beginning. Shotgun chokes were designed to control pattern diameters at different yards. What is a pattern? It is just the grouping of the pellets at a given yardage. This grouping is called a pattern and is measured by a circle diameter. This particular circle must have certain efficiency. In other words, it has to have a certain number of pellets in a given area (called distribution) for it to be labeled an efficient pattern. It is that easy! However the confusion starts when we label them and you try to figure out what to use and when.

Here is a quick reference chart:

Shotgun Choke Yardage Shotgun Choke Restriction
Diameter difference between bore and shotgun choke
Cylinder < 20 0
Skeet 22.5 .005 of an inch
Improved Cylinder 25 .010
Light Modified 30 .015
Modified 32.5 .020
Improved Modified 35 .025
Light Full 37.5 .030
Full 40 or More .035
Extra Full 40 or More .040
What is all that suppose to mean? It is confusing to most people. Before we answer this let us examine how a shotgun barrel is constructed. A shotgun is basically a big pipe, the hole in it we call the bore ( purple ); see figure below. At one end, where the shell goes in, we call this the chamber (yellow), the hole of the chamber is bigger than the bore and the transition area between the chamber and the bore is called the forcing cone (brown). The choke of the barrel, colored red, is located at the other end of the barrel. The transition area between the choke and the bore is called the tapered or the conical part (teal) of the choke; this area provides us with the transition geometry between the shotgun choke and the bore of the shotgun. Now you can visualize what it all looks like, so “within limits” the tighter or smaller you make the choke hole, the tighter the pattern at yardage.


Good Shotgun Chokes, Bad Shotgun Chokes. Why are some shotgun chokes so much better than other ones. There is undoubtedly a great deal of science in making the perfect shotgun choke and none of the knowledge keepers are too eager to share it. While the diameter difference between the bore and choke may be one of the shotgun chokes ingredients the science is in the macro details and factors such as material, length of barrel, shotgun choke geometry, and finishes as well ammunition are where the secrets are hidden. Simply put, “God did not create all chokes equal!”

Ok, so how does a shotgun choke actually work? Let us begin first with an easy metaphor, a child in out in the back yard playing with a garden hose. He discovers that if he puts his thumb on the end of the hose it goes further. That, kind of, is similar to what happens with a shotgun. Now for the scientific explanation by a nuclear engineer named Robert Hedrick. In a nutshell, his computer model and 35 years of research explains it in this way. There are two forces that tell the story; the mechanical properties while the shot column is in the barrel and the dynamic forces of nature that affect the shot column after it exits the barrel. When the shot column meets up with the choke it forces the column to squeeze tighter together; these forces are called radial forces. Once it is out of the barrel, wind resistance and gravity act on it. When the wind comes into contact with the outside pellets of the shot column it induces spinning and they start to flare off like a ping pong ball with english on it. The tighter the choke the heavier the radial forces, the tighter the pellets are squeezed together so the pattern holds tighter over a longer distance. Conversely, the less restriction you have in the shotgun choke the more loosely the pellets are held together and the faster the pattern opens up.

There you have it! You now know more about shotgun chokes than 98 percent of the shooters in the world.

Cliff Moller
Briley Mfg

 

More news from Google :


Choke Tube Selection:
With all the variables in shotshells today choke tube selection has become almost as an important issue as shotgun fit which is quite critical when trying to hit something with your shotgun. Having the right choke tube for the right situation is a critical part to shotgun shooting. Whether you are hunting waterfowl with steel shot or turkeys with lead shot, choke tube selection is very critical.


When you look at all the different materials that shot is made from it only stands to reason or common sense says that not all shot is going to react to the same choke tube the exact same way. Angle of choke is somewhat different and the lead or parallel section of the choke tube may need to be longer or shorter to accomplish a good pattern for the shotshell and shot material you're shooting.

For the average person who has purchased a new shotgun realizes that his or her new shotgun came with several choke tubes and they will work for almost all shotshell and shot combinations to a certain degree and they are happy with their purchase, however to someone who shoots their new shotgun a lot or starts to pattern test it, soon realizes that better performance from the choke tubes would be advantageous for their shooting skill.

Current Choke Tube Choices, Constrictions:
.000" Constriction = Cylinder Bore.
.005" Constriction = Skeet Choke.
.010" Constriction = Improved Cylinder Choke.
.015" Constriction = Light Modified Choke.
.020" Constriction = Modified Choke.
.025" Constriction = Improved Modified Choke.
.030" Constriction = Light Full Choke.
.035" Constriction = Full Choke.
.040" Constriction = Extra Full Choke.

Current Choke Tube Choices, Various Performance:
1. Standard Performance.
2. Improved Performance.
3. Special Purpose.
Now lets look at the line up of choke tubes from one of the best known choke tube manufacturers here in the U.S.A.

1. Standard Performance: Carlsons Factory-Style choke tubes; These factory-style flush mount replacement choke tubes feature corrosion-resistant, 17-4 hardened stainless steel.
Lead shot, Steel Shot, Copperplated Shot, Nickel Shot, Hevi-Shotshells™, and Buck Shot can be used in these Choke Tubes.
For use with lead shot in all constrictions.
Warning - Steel shot larger than #BB should not be used in any choke tighter than modified, BB and smaller size steel shot may be used through full choke constriction.

2. Improved Performance: Carlsons Extended sporting clays choke tubes; These Sporting Clays Choke Tubes are made from 17-4 hardened stainless steel and precision machined to produce a choke tube that patterns better than standard choke tubes.
These choke tubes feature a 25% larger parallel section in the choke thus throwing more consistent patterns than conventional choke tubes.
Each choke tube is knurled on the end to allow for quick and easy removal. Each choke tube has the constriction laser marked on the end for easy reference.
Lead shot, Steel Shot, Copperplated Shot, Nickel Shot, Hevi-Shotshells™, and Buck Shot can be used in these Sporting Clay Choke Tubes.
Actual Performance Improvement: These Sporting Clays Choke Tubes will throw tighter/denser patterns than Flush Mount Choke Tubes due to a longer parallel section in the choke tube.
Warning - Steel shot larger than BB should not be used in any Sporting Clays Choke Tube tighter than Full Constriction.

3. Special Purpose; Steel Shot: Carlsons Extended steel shot choke tubes; These choke tubes feature a longer parallel section allowing for less flyers, denser patterns and extend 3/4 " outside the shotgun barrel eliminating damage to your barrel caused by prolonged steel shot use. The longer parallel section allows for use of larger steel shot in tighter choke constrictions. They are made of 17-4 stainless with a knurled extension and a blue finish.
All steel shot sizes may be used in the close and mid-range choke tubes.
Close Range Extended Steel Shot Choke Tubes - for hunting over decoys, throws tightest pattern up to 35 yards.
Mid Range Extended Steel Shot Choke Tubes - for those situations where you are shoting 25 to 40 yards.
Extended Range Steel Shot Choke Tubes - for taking shots 40 yards and up.
Warning - Do not use steel faster than 1550 FPS or steel shot sizes larger than BBB through the Long Range choke tube.

3. Special Purpose; Lead Shot: Carlsons Ported turkey choke tubes; These super-full choke tubes have been specifically bored to deliver dense, full patterns at both short and long ranges.
Knurled for easy installation and removal.
These Extended Turkey Choke Tubes feature a long 1.050" parallel section to produce the optimum pattern with your shotgun.
These choke tubes are ported to let gases vent quickly, greatly reducing recoil and muzzle jump. Crafted of blued aircraft stainless steel.

3. Special Purpose; Hevi-Shot: Carlsons Hevi-Shot dead coyote choke tubes; For use with Hevi-Shot, Bismuth or lead, this high performance choke tube has been specifically designed for the coyote hunter to deliver devastating downrange patterns upwards of 70 yards when shooting larger shot sizes.
Produces very dense patterns when ultilizing T and Buckshot loads.
Great for waterfowl and predator hunting.
Warning - Not for use with steel shot!

3. Special Purpose; Flite Control Wad: Carlsons Black Cloud choke tubes; This Extended choke tube is constructed of a Titanium-coated steel, the titanium coating helps the uniquely designed FliteControl Wad in the Black CloudT ammunition perform downrange with less build-up in the choke and allows the Flitestopper shot to do its job.
While these choke tubes are specifically designed to get the most performance from Federal's new Black CloudT ammunition, they perform extremely well with other steel shotshells.
The Mid Range model can be used with all steel shot sizes, and with ammunition that exceeds 1500 fps.
Note: Black CloudT ammunition has been designed to be used with choke tubes that do not use porting or wad stopping devices.
Warning - The Long Range model can be used with all steel shot sizes, except T & F, and with ammunition performing at velocities below 1550 fps.


No need to thank me ... WPT ... (YAC) ...

 

Just bought my new trap gun, mf'g asked if I wanted Titanium Tubes or SS. Asked what the difference was.
He said if you use a magnetic barrel rest it won't stick to Titanium, other than that not a big difference.
I went with the SS