How Much Do You Know About Shotgun Choke?

Think you understand shotgun choke? Take our 10-question quiz to find out. The answers are at the end, but don’t peek ahead. We’ll know!

1. Choke is the minute constriction built into the inside of a shotgun’s barrel, but where within the barrel is it located?
1. Immediately in front of the breech
2. Exactly midway down the barrel
3. In the few inches just before the muzzle
4. All of the above

2. Choke is so small that it’s measured in what fraction on an inch?
1. Tenths of an inch
2. Hundredths of an inch
3. Thousandths of an inch
4. Gazillionths of an inch

3. What purpose does choke serve in a shotgun barrel?
1. Choke controls the spread of the shot pellets
2. Choke helps suppress the sound of a shotgun 
3. Choke helps reduce recoil
4. All of the above

4. The development of shotgun choke is credited to two gunsmiths working simultaneously yet separately an ocean apart: W. R. Pape in England and Sylvester Roper in America.  In what year did that occur?
1. 1666
2. 1766
3. 1866
4. 1966

5. Before shotgun choke was developed, the effective range of a shotgun was limited to about what distance?
1. 20 yards
2. 30 yards
3. 40 yards
4. 50 yards

6. True or false? Older shotguns have what is known as “fixed” chokes, meaning the choke cannot be changed except by a gunsmith.
1. True
2. False

7. True or false? Modern shotguns have screw-in choke tubes of various constrictions that can be changed by the shooter to cover various shooting situations.
1. True
2. False

8. True or false? The four basic shotgun chokes are: improved-cylinder, modified, improved-modified, and full.
1. True
2. False

9. True or false? A full choke will place about 50 percent of the pellets from a shotshell inside a 30-inch circle at 40 yards.
1. True
2. False

10. Beginning shotgun shooters often use:
1. About the right amount of choke
2. Too much choke
3. Too little choke
4. Tend to choke during competition

Answers

1. c. In the few inches just before the muzzle
2. c. Thousandths of an inch
3. a. Choke controls the spread of the shot pellets
4. c. 1866
5. b. 30 yards
6. a. True
7. a. True
8. a. True
9. b. False (A full choke will place about 70 percent of the pellets from a shotshell inside a 30-inch circle at 40 yards.) 
10. b. Too much choke

Scorecard

Well, how did you do?

• 0 to 3 correct: Rookie
• 4 to 6 correct: Keep shooting
• 7 or 8 correct: Well done
• 9 or 10 correct: Top Gun!

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