But how important is choke, really? Well, here's a nice explanation of exactly what you gain with it:

I tend to side with sporting clays shooter Andy Duffy, who likes to say: “People miss by feet. Choke gains you inches.” That’s not to say choke isn’t important, but on the list of reasons you missed, it’s not in the top three (you aimed, you rushed, you made a bad gun mount would be 1, 2, and 3 off the top of my head), nor even the top five.

Choke helps – literally – on the margins. It does give you those extra inches of pattern spread around the edges that can make the difference if you mispoint the gun slightly, or if the bird or target makes an unexpected change of direction. It’s telling that tournament shooters like Duffy rarely switch chokes but will always shoot an open choke or spreader loads at close rabbit targets, which can bounce unpredictably. Then those extra inches can make the difference between a hit and a miss. Likewise, hunters in heavy cover can take good advantage of extra spread when woodcock flutter like knuckleballs.

What's your stance on choke? Is it something you worry a lot about, or is it not one of your main priorities when preparing to shoot? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Article Source: Field & Stream