How do you know when a shotgun choke is expanded?

Question

i shoot slugs trough a Rem 870 mod choke. how do i know if the choke has been expaned by the slugs?

Answer 1

They don't expand, KG.

If you fired slugs through the barrel all the time for a lot of years, you might eventually erode the choke (it's theoretically possible, anyway) but nothing more. if your barrel isn't open like a funnel on the outside and the choke tube still screws in and out (if it's removable) then don't bother worrying.

Addendum to the unnamed fellow above: The original poster stated that he used a barrel with a modified choke....and you then asked him if he used a smooth bore or rifled barrel? What happened to that hundred years of gunsmithing, bud?

Addendum: He knows he's using a modified choke....why would you assume it was anything but a smoothbore? How many Remington 870's do you know of that had modified chokes installed on rifled barrels?

Addendum: Anhhhh! Sorry, bud. Wrong answer.

Rifled barrels are for saboted slugs. Firing sabot slugs through a choke is a big no no. Further, the *only* reason for a choke is to tighten the pattern of *lead shot* through a barrel....and lead shot through a rifled barrel is also a big no no.

Where exactly did you learn all those "years of gunsmithing" again?

Answer 2

If you have a screw in type choke the way to tell if the slugs are expanding your choke is if you can not unscrew the insert. Or it is VERY hard to unscrew the insert. If you do not have a screw in choke the only way you can tell is by measuring the choke itself with a dial inside caliper. If it shows more than .729 than it is expanded.
(If it is a 12 gage that is)

Answer 3

Choke gauge at Brownells.

Answer 4

Manufactures recommend you only shoot rifled slugs out of a smooth bore barrel using cylinder or improved cylinder only.**