Why do some choks say LEAD ONLY,and why do you need a special choke for the Heavy Shot Shells?

Hevi-Shot is more dense than lead. It will not deform like lead when shooting so it could mark, scratch or blow out leaving your lead only choke useless as far as putting out a good pattern. Supposedly the “lead only” chokes are made from weaker steel. Chokes made for Hevi-Shot are made from a more expensive steel that will with stand the harder shot from Hevi-Shot or Steel shot.

I’m not an expert on this but that’s what I’ve been told and read since the Hevi-Shot made it’s introduction to the turkey hunting world. They say you are running a big risk of damaging your gun and hurting yourself by trying to shoot Hevi-Shot through lead only choke. That last statement alone is enough for me to not try it.

Hopefully someone with more knowledge than me will chime in and either back my thoughts of correct me

Not sure why... Id rather be safe than sorry

I think the hevi-shot chokes are constricted slightly less than those designed for lead. I just looked at Undertaker tubes at the BassPro website, and they are a hunderth of an inch (.010) tighter for lead (Remington .665 vs. .675)

Chokes bored for hevi-shot and other heavier-than-lead (HTL) are not as tight as chokes intended for lead shot. The HTL alloys pattern tighter than lead.

Too much choke will leave large holes in a pattern, just like shooting a choke tube with insufficient constriction. And the HTL shot will be hard on the choke tube (or muzzle).

This is why waterfowlers avoid shooting steel shot through chokes tighter than modified or imp. mod.

Chokes for Hevi shot are made from higher quality steel then their lead choke sisters. This makes for more expence and harder to mill for constriction and tapper...

I think the hevi-shot chokes are constricted slightly less than those designed for lead.