# Side by Sides



## Hbarber (Nov 28, 2011)

I have an old Western Field SxS. It belonged to my dad and lately I have been using it on chukar, pheasant, and quail. I hope to shoot a turkey with it next year. My problem is I don't know what the barrels are choked to. The barrels are fixed and I assume one is full and the other is.....? How can I tell what they are? The front trigger shoots the right barrel and that is the barrel I use for clay pigeons. I shoot clay pigeons well but am having a hard time hitting many quail.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

Have you looked on the underside of the barrels when the action is open? On my side by side the chokes are marked on each barrel and you can see it when the action is open. 
Other than that you might need to take it to a gunsmith and have it check out.


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## Speedbump (Mar 7, 2011)

Set up some targets at different ranges, shoot em, check the spread.


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## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

It's probably M/F, and the barrels flats should be marked. Take the barrels off and check. Customarily, the front trigger fires the right barrel, which is typically more open than the left. I have 4 SxSs, and they're all that way.


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## Hbarber (Nov 28, 2011)

Thanks for the help. A dime will pass through the end of the right barrel but can't pass through the end of the left barrel. By the way I misspoke. This sxs is a SpringfieldSavage Arms model 5100.


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## Hbarber (Nov 28, 2011)

I took the barrels off and did not find any marks that would indicate what they are choked to.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Savage/Stevens didn't mark the chokes on many of the shotguns they produced. Instead they standardized the chokes for their SxS by barrel length:

26" bbls = IC/MOD
28" bbls = MOD/FULL
30" bbls = FULL/FULL


I'm moving this post to firearms.


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## Hbarber (Nov 28, 2011)

Thanks. The barrels measure 30 inches but my dime test tells me the left barrel is tighter. Maybe I have a goofy dime! I will have to set up some paper targets to see the spread.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

My research says Full and Full...maybe I'm Full of it!  

Uh...anyway, maybe someone ran a deer slug thru one of the barrels.


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## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

If you want to know the choke, you need to mic the bore of each barrel and the choke. There are tables to tell you the nominal choke. For 12 gauge, IC is .010", Mod is .020", Full is .030". The old saying is that if a dime won't pass, it's Full choke. But all it really proves is that you have a barrel and you have a dime. You need to measure it.


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## Hbarber (Nov 28, 2011)

Thanks. The dime belongs to my eight year old so I gave it back! Wyogoob is onto something. My dad can't, or will not, tell me why the right barrel has a slight bulge in it about 1 inch from the top. This is the more open barrel, now, and is the one I shoot clays best with. However, my son can completely smash clays while I just bust them in half. He is a better shot than me. I seem to miss more quail than I hit. Now I have something else to blame beside my poor skills. Full x Full! I am going to have the barrels measured anyway. I appreciate all the comments.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Hbarber said:


> Thanks. The dime belongs to my eight year old so I gave it back! Wyogoob is onto something. My dad can't, or will not, tell me why the right barrel has a slight bulge in it about 1 inch from the top. This is the more open barrel, now, and is the one I shoot clays best with. However, my son can completely smash clays while I just bust them in half. He is a better shot than me. I seem to miss more quail than I hit. Now I have something else to blame beside my poor skills. Full x Full! I am going to have the barrels measured anyway. I appreciate all the comments.


The barrel is what they call "ringed". It's probably had some large shot size steel magnum shell or a deer slug shot thru it.

It's fine, probably a modified now. Measure the difference between the two and use Paddler's measurements.

Don't shoot slugs, naturally, or large steel shot thru the gun.


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## Hbarber (Nov 28, 2011)

Not sure what happened to my last post. Wyogoob is onto something. There is a slight bulge on my right barrel that my dad canT or will not explain. I shoot clay pigeons great with this barrel. However I just brake most of them inhale whistle my son demolishes pigeons with his Rem. Express using a Improved choke. May be the Full x Full keeps me from hitting more quail. Could be I'm just a poor shot. I should have the barrels measured. Thanks for all of the input!


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## Hbarber (Nov 28, 2011)

Thanks for the advice Wyogoob. I tried to shoot quail this morning with the sxs. Too cold, snowy, windy,etc. After some honeydos around the house I think I'll head back out.


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## redleg (Dec 5, 2007)

If your shotgun is a true 12 GA (.73 of an inch), a dime will not pass through a full choke muzzle (.69) but will pass through an IC muzzle (.72). But there is no guarantee your bore is really .73".
The true definition of the choke is the pattern not the diameter of the constriction but manufacturers can't test fire various loads to set the choke, they just use the reduction in the diameter.


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