Chokes, to port or not to port - that is the question
 

My personal experience with turkey chokes is limited... involving stock extended offerings from Winchester, Remington, as well as Hastings and Truglo. The ammo combinations are large however, with a mixed bag of results. All the chokes I've tried have worked well, but none of the models were ported. Worth mentioning is that my best found results came from Hastings, their .655 screwed into a Mossberg 12 gauge with a 28" barrel. Not my shotgun, but particularly one I would like to have. We fired that next to an 870, a 1300 and a 1187. The latter all had turkey barrels, combined with a large number of shot sizes & manufactures. They all were fair to good. I can only wonder if a ported choke tube would have improved the patterns. Some of the stock chokes matched or even edged out Truglo's tube, but nothing came close that 28" Mossberg / Hastings combo. If the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow was a turkey, that gun / choke combo would have been responsible for it. So, I ask those who know, how do you find your ported tubes vs. non ported offerings? I'm looking at two right now, one from Trulock and the other from Kicks, the Gobblin' Thunder. Any hands on / knowledgeable posts are appreciated.

RE: Chokes, to port or not to port - that is the question
 

oooh, tough question. The weather hasn't cooperated enough here to really get into serious patterning. Of course the claims are that the porting inhibits the wad and thus helps to tighten the pattern by keeping it from "slamming" into the shot string in addition to stopping spin. I have three different manufacturers aftermarket ported chokes and one (different from the other three) aftermarket non-ported choke. So far I would have to say the restriction of the choke plays a bigger role than the porting.

Another thing that makes this a tough question to answer accurately is the fact that each gun is an entity unto itself. That is a shotgun can pattern differently with a particular load even though it may be from the same manufacturer and model.

RE: Chokes, to port or not to port - that is the question
 

A E is right. One gun may pattern better with ported tubes than another, but the same can be said for any gun/choke combintation. Call Trulock's if you want the breakdown on porting.

RE: Chokes, to port or not to port - that is the question
 

Yes, I agree that each shotgun is quite unique. This patterning game is not at all unlike handloading... which I do a ton of. Working a load that shoots sub 1" MOA consistently in one rifle is no clear indication it will work as well in rifles of like caliber. The combinations of guns / ammo are staggering, as are chokes / "Turkey Brand X" shells. I made mention of wishing to own that particular Mossberg from my original post, knowing full well that all Mossbergs with 28" barrels and a matching Hastings choke will not shoot the same - or as well as that one did. We all could buy identical sports cars on the same day, made at the same factory on the same day, break them in on the same day and they would all be different on a quarter mile run.

What I was hoping for with this post was a generalized answer among serious pattern hunters that ported chokes were prefered or not prefered over unported models. Sorry to have misled you, comparison is what I sought... not which ported choke did what with what ammo in comparison to its solid counterpart.

RE: Chokes, to port or not to port - that is the question
 

I follow you. I've found that porting makes no difference 95% of the time. I don't think the higher cost of ported tubes is justified.

RE: Chokes, to port or not to port - that is the question
 

I use a Kick's GT choke tube and have for several years. It patterns great out of my 870 w/ 21" barrel. I don't know of the real significance of the ported choke vs. non ported, all I know is it works for me. Plus, that ported Kick's GT just looks cool![8D]:D