Just at the beginning of my shotgun hobby.. absolutely love this channel and the content. I feel that it has been a great help so far.

I have never met Ed, but I have a respect for his abilities and sensible approach to shooting, he is clear and concise, I would imagine a fantastic instructor, with the right mixture of wit and knowledge, as an instructor myself I learn a lot from him.

Great combo of personalities and some fine shooting. I agree that most people overestimate range. I use a range finder when shooting clays to educate myself and others on estimating range.

Ed and Jonny, probably one of the most informative videos yet. Ed, you are correct, I believe, after 50 years of studying shooting myself, in that most people are poor at judging distances. A friend took a pheasant, laid it on a big piece of cardboard, spread the wings and drew the outline. He then had 10 made out of plywood and painted like a pheasant. If you mount them on four 10 foot pieces of rod so they are 40 feet (13 yards) high and put them 10 yards behind each other at an angle so each shows fully, you have birds at 10 to 100 yards for an accurate view of what that looks like. Birds coming over against a clear sky with a black underbelly exposure are almost impossible to judge for distance, and that is why technique is so important in, especially, this kind of shooting. Towers for practicing high birds should be a minimum of 150 feet high, (50 yards) over sloping terrain so that heights of 50, 60, and 70 yards can be clearly marked. Clays can be hit,, and birds can be killed at these distances, but they are the exception, not the rule. Chokes, loads, ability, et al. go into one's ability to hit the target, whatever that is, and this video spoke volumes to that. WELL DONE!

I have come down to using 3/8 and 3/8 for sporting clays, using plastic wad 28gram 7.5s. They cope well with very close clays provided you are on target, and are very effective on the equivalent of trap targets - fast going away risers. For me, different chokes in each barrel just messes your head!

I've in my 45th year of shooting clay targets ... When I started nobody was talking about choke constrictions cause there were almost only fixed chokes. Most guns had IC/M or F/F. I have a 1963 F/N B25 A1 Broaadway Trap with 32" barrels in F/F that I started shooting with in 1977 and I shot everything with it successfully, skeet, trap ... sporting clays didn't exist back then. I think if people would spend as much time on their pre shot routine and focus on the target they would get more out of the sport. I have for years now shot M/M or M/IM in sporting clays and trap. For skeet I use IC. That is all the chokes I need and i came to this realization after a lot of patterning at 25 and 40 yards.If you're really wanting to finesse chokes you must, must, must pattern your gun/chokes with the shells you're using. This is the only way to really know what you got. I promise you will have some surprising findings when you do this. For some shotguns (those that came originally with very short choke tube systems like WinChoke, RemChoke, Beretta Mobil, and yes, Krieghoff K-80 chokes) it also makes a huge difference in pattern if you use the OEM chokes or much better aftermarket chokes with more extensions to more gradually constrict and have much longer parallel sections like those from Extreme or Muller!

Great video sir. Very informative. thank you!

If you're just a once a month Sunday local club sporting clays guy, out with your mates for a bit of fun, bacon sarnie and a mug of coffee type day then Skeet and Skeet with 28g 7 1/2's will reward you well, there is not much that you will not break as pretty much all targets are within breaking distance and the spread will make up for your lack of skill!

I'm an avid follower of your channel but, I especially enjoyed this video. Not just for the information you guys imparted but the attention of the cameraman to the guns you were using showing the engraving and the beautiful wood used for the stocks. A really nice touch. My first gun was an AYA Yeoman side by side with fixed ¼ & ½ chokes and I learnt to hit most things I pointed it at. After a break of twenty years, in 2019 I bought my brand new Browning O/U multichoke and then proceeded to buy a complete set of extended chokes and other flush chokes, in addition to the ones the gun came with. I was forever faffing about, changing chokes while on sporting clay shoots after referring to my choke size range guide. At the same time my lad with his MK38 with fixed chokes was consistently out shooting me. I was being a total plonker with choke fixation. I now stick to a combination of ¼, ⅜ & ½ chokes and they serve me fine. You guy's have just undoubtedly proved that, if you have the skill to point the gun in the right place at the right time you can still break clays well beyond the chokes advertised range. Thank you. 😊👍

Brilliant shooting by Ed, would not have expected anything else. Fair shout JC and good filming by Sash (I hope it's Sash) or I might have just made a tit of myself, which is quite easy being me. Well anyway guys great 17 mins from the humdrum of life. Looking forward to more action and words of wisdom. I have been watching the channel now for over two years and have learned quite a lot. Cheers!!!

I think what would be better, would be to go through a clays course load 1 gun with skeet tube and 1 with full and see how the choke changes your break percentage in a wide variety of target presentations. just stepping back at the same target is interesting It just doesnt completely tell you when you should choke down or choke up.

¼&¼ for me , does everything I need it to do at club/recreational clays.

American shooter here... Steel shot over decoys, improved cylinder(1/4??) has been my go to with carefully prepared handloads...of course with game, if it's too far just enjoy the view with a hot cup of coffee.. great shooting by the way.

Very interesting test and video. I was surprised that you could consistently still hit targets at 60 yards with a skeet choke! It looked like you had two extremes, skeet and full choke, so I wondered why you didn't consider and test improved and improved modified tubes as well! Thanks for sharing.

Just had my first sporting lesson and ever since I have been binge watching all of your content 😂

Fun video ! Thanks for the efforts .

Unreal shooting from Ed. Remember the old video of George Digweed at a show just seeing how far he cud step back from target & still make a kill. By any stretch of the imagination isn't easy to shoot from them distances. A lot of variables to consider & skill as Ed said. Jonny is a very good shot but got instructions to make the kill at the longer distances. Us mere mortals are not like them freaks of nature. Great content again gang👌🏼👏🏼

Interesting. In the ATA, a lot of folks believe in only using Full, Fuller, or Fullest. And the farthest you may get from the house in Regulation is 27 yards, and you should be hitting the target before it's leveled off on its 50 yard journey, so your longest shot should be about 50 yards... On the other hand, the targets are departing, which reduces the effective impact velocity, so it's best to have at least three pellets on target. And one lost target, and the rest of the shoot is usually just practice. So, the incentive is there to maximize the pattern density.

Give over Ed the weather's always like that in Lincolnshire 🤣

Interesting, really. Thx for the content. After getting my 694 the first thing I did was to shoot at paper that I put in front of a shotgun coverage testing thingy. I tested the various chokes with the three types of cartridges, skeet 2.2mm 24g, skeet 2.2mm 24g with spreader and trap 2.4mm 24g. Full choke with skeet spreader was interesting since it resulted in a huge diameter already on a very short distance of 12-15m, whereas with trap it was a very tight group. So, yes, choke matter!

I remember when I started shooting clays back in the mid 80s my old mate said 1/4 choke will be enough to hit everything on a sporting shoot. And I stand by that today

Great concept video. I agree a proper test is needed. Being from the US I had to do some conversions to get the full picture but found it understandable. I personally use modified or half in both barrels from 10 to 50 yards. If it’s a really close or rabbit then skeet or just threads (no choke). Look forward to another test. Oh yeah, nice shooting Ed.

Great demo. I always question the amount of choke when shooting FITASC

Thank you

Bloody interesting video!!👌👏

huh... really interesting. Maybe I need a bit less choke than I used to think. Great vid... always interesting when Ed shows up... thanks for posting

Wow,,that man can shoot. Awesome ! I’ve only see a couple people who could pass shoot ducks at 75+ yards, and they use hand loads, large shot, and are very experienced. Did you notice how long it took the shot to get to that distance...wow. Thank you for all the info. That’s really interesting.

Awesome video !!

70 yrs old, shot improved cylinder, for decoying pigeons, and sporting. Remington model 1100. Same gun since the 70s, Trap and high pigeon flighting, I use my 30 inch Remington 1100, full choke. Does exactly what it says on the tin.

Improved modified on top, full on bottom is my go to for trap, occasionally, IM on both barrels. I know some that go modified and full but I do well enough with my setup. Occasionally for fun I'll try the different chokes (like cylinder and turkey) and see my hit average drop. I may pick up a skeet and give it a go.

Great content ask Ed if he has ever tried a 100 yard left to right battue at RBSS

Perfect lunch break pass time.

Love your videos, GJ! Do you shoot steelshots with full choke?

I'm a quarter man I love it 60 yrd shot iner circle

It all depends on how close/far/fast the clays being thrown are and if you’re putting the pattern around the clay every time. For normal mortals who don’t get the clay into the centre of the pattern every time, a bit of choke to improve pattern density isn’t a bad idea.

I used to shoot an all out Olympic trap gun (Russian made but not Baikal). The chokes were ridiculously tight. On the really close driven, it just knocked chunks out, like they had been hit with a slug. It was the best fitting gun I ever owned and really wish I had kept it.

Skeet Cylinder for me on the OSK range. Remember a video way back of George Diggers on the rifle ranges at Bisley shooting a clay from a bloody long range

Is there any truth to the concept that, irrespective of choke (within reason) there's a 'core' that remains cogent that's perhaps 9 inches in diameter? Does that explain the occasional long range shot even with open chokes? Just wondering....

Great video my good blokes😅. Ihunt chukars pheasants and quail with good/great English pointers almost consistently and I am relatively old and slow Birds cleanly killed at 20 or 30 yd the clean swing on the 30 yd bird put the smile on my face with a 20 gauge montefeltro with improved cylinder flush choke. With my skill-set I don't think I could do better with anything else🙂 I enjoyed your shooting best of everything to you guys! By the way I'm not English now but my family was in the early 1700s yours truly and good shooting, Rick of Orange

Skeet/ cyl is great for someone starting out, close slower stuff while learning consistency and gain some confidence, it can be used well when experienced just doesn't have the kill power on fast long crossers/edge on targets for me, 3/4 and half is a great medium to long setup, top video lads, vintage makeover jonny? Bringing a nikko 5000/101 into the modern era would be an epic series

those last cartdridges ed used were rc4s. i would recognize them anywhere anytime! best ammunition for shooting sports Imo!

Thank you much. I suppose its time for me to sign up for your patreon or support page. What gun is Solomons shooting and yours as wellplease?

Agree that a lot of folks judgement of distance is poor, but it's not easy to judge 40, 50 or 60 yards against a zero reference point, i.e. the sky! Think I'll stick to the method of "bugger that's a long way up - I'll not waste a cartridge on that".

In your opinion with a beretta 682gold e which chokes compination would be better to go general hunting (perdridge-wood pigeons) for medium to long range shots?Thank you!!

👍👍💯💯 More of that 🙂

i literally use 3/8 for everything unless you go to barbury and josh puts on 5 extreme singles, then ill use 2 5/8 or if there is a rabbit or something you could throw your gun at ill use super cylinder

The ProFibres come in both 65mm and 70mm cases, I'd love to see a comparison of the two on a pattern plate through a 70mm chamber gun.

Love these videos. I've recently got back into Air rifles (HW97k) after about 30 years ! I'm now looking at getting my very first Shotgun, would Full & 3/4 be good for a first gun shooting some clay and some game ? Keep the videos coming they are brilliant.

God, that's impressive.

One time I went to my local club wanting to shoot skeet with my gun choked with a SKEET I choke. Unfortunately due to a snow storm combined with an Icey rain storm two days before the weekend, a big tree fell on the low skeet tower and was out of commission that weekend, so I ended up shooting American trap at the 16 yard line with a skeet choked gun. I was surprised to break clays moderately decent up to 40 yards approximately. This video is a confirmation of my observations

Skeet/cyl for me out to about 40yds more if showing a good face, may go to 1/2 for longer targets. Clays a break is a break, you don't have to destroy it. For me, the bigger the pattern the better.

I like 1/2 chokes U/O some days in bad weather I like 3/4 3/4 U/O. With 32"barrels

Buenas, tengo una browning b525 sport one, que choke me recomiendas arriba y cual abajo. Un saludo

What choke brand you are you using in your Longthorne?

Enlightening excellent reality check chaps.Concludes the fibre wad/plastic wad and good cartridge debate.Steel tests will be interesting.Some years back now we noticed a marked difference on the same high bird shoot when fibre wads became mandatory.Nobel Speed 32grm 5's were king of the hill.With the fibre it has been a journey but upping the shot size and the load/grams was the formula with Teagie 7/8 on the archangels.On the average ''shootable''birds 30grm 4's and 3/8 worked well.

hello what choke tubes you use the brand

1/4 1/4 works for me on clays and game. Obviously, game cartridges are much higher load and larger lead.

I like sporting clays. 12g O/U M/IC .410 O/U F/M UPDATE Now my 12g is LM in both and my .410 M in both. 👍🏻 I don’t shoot good enough to make any difference by changing them.

Hi Johnny, great video. I have a question for your krieghoff buddy - the champ. Will the k80 parcours x come out with a 30 inch barrel?

Jonny... why did you roll in mud... if I may ask... 😄 Great demonstration!, BTW Couldn't illustrate the point(s) you're making in a better way! I changed my kit of chokes after watching (several times) a couple of your older videos with Ed Solomons.

I don't shoot clays but my first gun was 1/2 and full with double triggers and i've used the exact same choke albeit with a much nicer gun for all that time

This was well worth watching. It validated ideas from years of shooting and went beyond. Thank you. If possible, can you reveal the bore diameters of the guns being used and the constriction of the chokes involved? I’m not sure what 1/2 or 3/4 choke etc, actually means. In the US labels like full or modified are regularly used, but those terms have wide definitions. I’ve come to understand more about chokes in terms of measured constriction. I’d appreciate it if you can.

What guns you using?

I usually shoot 3/8 and a 1/2. On short courses I’ll move to a 1/4 and 3/8.

So when you moved up to the shot size 6 1/2, and increased speed by 100 FPS. what (lead ) shot speed are we talking about ? not sure I’m clear on the speed the 61/2 was travelling. #6 shot is the common lead hunting size shot, Ive never seen 61/2 lead shot in Canada, is it common in Europe ?

At least Ed’s better at shooting than he is Shaggy impressions 🤣🤣

me hitting a clay at 35 to 40 yard i thought i was doing good this make me feel like i got alot a practice to do

Is 1/2 and 1/2 ok for general clays? Only I've only had mixed success with O/U guns (which admittedly, I'm fairly new to) and wondered if it's ok to bust clays with a SxS with fixed halves

Just do shots on ‘paper’ for different distances in that way we can really see what happens !

Prob going through the pattern.

Read High Pheasants in Theory and Practice by Payne Galloway , chokes , distances etc etc on Duck and Pheasant Penetration with different shot sizes ! Conclusion 7 shot , max Half Choke ? ?

Johnny did you crawl through the hedges to the clay grounds or something? 😂😊

Thank God for closed captioning.

As a newcomer into Sporting clays.... What would you recommend, Choke wise? My first gun is a ATA SuperSport.. Running 1/2 and 1/4 chokes..

3/4 in both

Good stuff , one thing which gets my goat is the differences Countries have in shot diameter diameter verses size number , eg : here in New Zealand a 7½ is 2.40 mm , In Britain 2.4 mm is a 7 . I would really like to see an international standardisation of shot sizes , maybe in metric diameter , the way load weights are standardised . As for chokes I have been using Light Modified or 3/8 or 0.15" or the metric equivalent ,for about 30 years now , I never change my chokes in sporting clays just my loads . Shot size , hardness, wad type & velocity make a considerable difference to pattern and range in the same choke .

I have shot European Hares in January at -20°C using #6 copper plated 3 inch 1 5/8 magnum at 60+ yards with my Beretta A302 with a 28 inch full fixed choke .I have seen people take out a rabbit with BB over 70 yards away .It's amazing what can be done and how much of a fluke that 2 or 3 pellets out of 150 can hit a rabbit and take it out .I know someone who shot the same rabbit 11 times before taking it out .Always beyond the 50 yard mark factory rounds .When we field dressed the the rabbit pellets were falling out of the fur and the most were just sitting in the skin .Some shot shells are far too slow and over loaded with lead .There is nor reason why you can't get 1.0z travelling at 1500fps out of a 12 gauge 3 inch gun .

I only shoot clays and very few grounds put on anything bigger than 50-60 yards these days. 1/4 & 3/8 chokes in my CG with 28g 7.5/8s for everything other than really long or really close. I'll then use 1/2 or 3.4 for long range and Cylinder or Skeet for really close. Hull Parcour Extended Range will kill mostly anything if you put the gun in the right place. Changing your choke every other stand is an additional distraction I don't need!

Hi Guys, Does the choke effect velocity, if the full choke does it reduce or increase velocity?

Choke has little affect on distance if using the same shot size. Shot size is what dictates how far you can break a target. For example, a load with 7.5 shot using a skeet choke will be extremely effective until 40 yards. Number 9 shot with a skeet choke will either chip a target or a miss a target at 40 yards. To me, the real test is using a full choke using 7.5 shot on a regulation skeet field. You will go from a 25” pattern on your 12 gauge to a 19” pattern. Now two things will need to happen. Not only will your leads need to be precise, but the elevation of the shot becomes equally important. I use cylinder choke in both barrels when shooting skeet competitively. When I’m fortunate enough to run a hundred I get 25 smokes, 60 nice breaks, 10 weak breaks and 5 (boy I got lucky) chips. If I were to use a full choke using the data above I would probably break between 78 - 86. There is only one station that has a 21 yard shot in skeet. Stations 1, 2, 6, 7 and 8 are all inside of 10 yards. What does a full choke pattern look like at 10 yards, 12”?? On the flip side, I shot 16 yard trap using a improved modified choke and #9’s, I ended up breaking a 17 and probably because a #9 loses a great deal of inertia after 20 yards. You can shoot whatever you want for fun, but when you need to be perfect you use the recipe that gives you the greatest advantage. Right?

I wonder if a sub 12ftlb air rifle pellet would have more energy at 100yrds than those no6 pellets?

Would you or Ed ever consider using a choke as tight as extra full? If yes at what situation-distance?

Nearly got through all 50 targets the other weekend, shooting no worse than usual, before realising I’d forgotten to put chokes in

Ed, what number of shots used

I thought Solomons was going to need his passport there .... 😳 Won't mention Johnny's shoes 🙄 Excellent stuff as always chaps !

Mr. Solomon's! That was absolutley disgusting! stop defying the laws of physics and accomplishing the highly improbable! Insane shooting skill sir, I walked away from my computer twice in disbelief, with some of those hits.

So what was your conclusion to this video Johnny

Shoes?

Always use full choke,a tighter pattern at distance but up close it ain't much different to a skeet pattern,,

I have

No but it’s very important for an early Mini.

need a 3.5 inch magnum with ounce and 3/4 of shot

28ga skeet skeet fixed had shocking range

It’s the shot CLOUD that allows breaks, not the “pattern”, which is a two dimensional representation of the three dimensional cloud. Don’t believe me? Hang a clay on a string at 100 yards and shoot a box of any shell you want with any choke you choose and tell me how many times a clay breaks!

Flores from r6

you have to consider shot drop at that distance.

It's all about probabilities and statistics. The pattern density is so thin with a skeet choke your probability of a single pellet strike is so low, even if you are spot on, that it's more about luck than ability. You _can_ break targets at 50 yards with a skeet choke, but if you want to reliably break targets, why would you handicap yourself this way? A skeet choke gains you nothing. Patterns are measured in inches. Misses are measured in meters.

Tungsten #10

This goes to show that there's no reason an experiment can't be fun.

Having the point of aim would have been very interesting on this video.