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Choke tubes are the same thing as a fixed choke in an older shotgun. Except you can change them to have different constrictions, where as with a fixed choke you are stuck with what you have.

The size of constriction you have effects the pattern of the shot as it travels down range. The tighter the constriction the tighter the pattern. For certain types of game and shooting sports you would want a different choke, or different constriction. For things farther away you would want a tighter choke so the pattern didn't get too large too fast. Like say turkey or water fowl. Turkey chokes are very restrictive so they give a very tight pattern. Now if you were shooting at rabbits or upland birds you would want a less constrictive choke for a more broad pattern up close. The game is often moving at a pretty good clip so you have a better chance of hitting it with a wider pattern, and they will usually be fairly close. If you tried to shoot rabbit with a full or extra full choke you probably wouldn't have much luck, and if you did connect it would do quite a bit of damage.

Same with shooting sports, for trap you want a tighter choke because the target gets farther out before you hit it. However for skeet you would want an open choke because they are close and fast from side to side.

A choke tube or screw in choke just makes your gun more versatile because you can change the constriction for different uses. You can also get a choke that varies as you twist it, a Poly Choke is a good example.

Paul