I generally regard screw-in choke tubes to be one of the greatest inventions since sliced bread. They lend a degree of versatility to shotguns that we could only dream of “back in the day.” I usually shun them on classic side-bys, but that’s probably just for aesthetic reasons and because I’m an unrepentant, bone-headed traditionalist. With screw-ins, you can easily make do with a single gun for everything. Especially if it’s a 12-gauge repeater.
The flip side of that coin is that an improved cylinder choke will work just fine for most upland game. If you except passing long-range birds such as doves and waterfowl, along with turkeys and plains birds in high wind, there aren’t many gamebirds that you can’t take with the basic improved cylinder.
Many years ago, one of the major ammunition companies undertook a study to determine the distance at which gamebirds were shot. At the time, I was doubtful about their finding that almost all birds are taken at a distance of less than 20 yards. After 50-odd years of study, I think they were right, at least as it applies to upland birds. If you don’t believe it, check it out for yourself.
Just remember, we’re not talking about the distance at which birds are recovered, but the distance at which they’re shot. At such short range, improved cylinder will work for almost anything.
