# best quail choke tubes



## Hbarber (Nov 28, 2011)

I recently bought an older Rem 870 Express. I found I was missing a lot of quail with my fixed choke barrels on my old sxs. Any suggestions for a choke tube on my 870 for quail?


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## guner (Sep 25, 2007)

Modified is what I would go, I use that choke on my 870 for just about all species I hunt.


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## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

I'll bet your old double gun is choked Mod/full or may be Mod/IC??? That would explain why you're missing quail. Mod is about four constrictions tighter than you need on those little buggers. In my Benelli 20 ga I shoot a Kicks Smoke -.005 That's .0005 more OPEN than the bore on my gun! That choke absolutely saturates a 30 inch pattern with a 1 oz load of 8's at about 20-25 yards. Perfect for those close flushing little rockets. Early in the season I shoot this same choke at Pheasants and it absolutely rocks their world out to about 30 yards with a heavy load of 6's. At 20-25 yards a mod choke is going to pattern about the size of a basketball. Dont believe me, try it and see... WAY too tight for quail IMO. I would buy an after market skeet or at the tightest IC for quail. Especially out of a 12 ga. Any tighter than that and you'll be missing a lot more than you hit, and the ones you do hit you'll pulverize.


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## Hbarber (Nov 28, 2011)

I think I will look for a couple of new chokes. Maybe a Mod and one like your Kicks!


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## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

Hbarber said:


> I think I will look for a couple of new chokes. Maybe a Mod and one like your Kicks!


I'll help you out. Here's the link. 

http://www.kicks-ind.com/mm5/merchant.m ... Code=Smoke


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## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

Guner, I hope I didn't hurt your feelers about the whole Mod choke thing. I'm sure it works great for you but I'm willing to bet that most your birds are shot between 25-50 yards. I dont know about you, but most the quail I shoot at are squirting out from under my boots and gone after about a 30 yard sprint through the air. I have to spray pellets all over the place or I'd never kill one!


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## Theekillerbee (Jan 8, 2009)

Don't use a full!!! I had that in my gun the last time I chased them...talk about tough shooting! I connected on many birds, but some of them were hammered! They are so darned quick it's hard to get a 2nd shot, so make the 1st one count! I don't think I shot at birds more than 30 yards away, so it's not big deal to open that thing up.


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## TAK (Sep 9, 2007)

If quail is the game I suggest that you find the widest one you can. Most your shooting is in close range like Tex O Bob said, many times in areas with trees or some sort of cover that they duck in fast and now!

I have a few different ones for different guns. In all my double guns I have skeet, or Cyl. In my Phez gun I have a Mod. But a Phez can jump 40 yards out or even more and you need that type pattern.

Besides an open choke... What you shoot is much more important. Walmart has cheap shells that are just fine to play around with, but really you need to get a better shot shell if you are serious about bringing the bird to the bag. Not saying you can't kill with the walmart stuff, but I can tell ya I am that much more consistant with a good shell.


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## Hbarber (Nov 28, 2011)

Thans to all of you for the good info. This was, is, my first year hunting quail. I have a second session set up with my therapist next week! I have never seen a bird get up and move so fast...it drives me nuts. These are Gambel's I have been hunting and the Walmart shells have kept the cost of shells down at the current rate I am shooting them but maybe I will move up a notch. My sxs is long and heavy. It has fixed chokes and I have manged to kill a few birds. I am considering buying an IC or a skeet choke (as per Tex-O-Bob) for my 870. I have not decided which to buy so I may get both. There are a few more days left in the season and I would like to put a few more down. In the places I have found pheasant, they have been much easier to knock out.


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