Changing of the seasons

For as long as I can remember, the change of seasons from summer to fall has been my favorite. The days start getting cooler and the leaves start changing color. With these changes comes the hunting season. That’s probably why I look forward to fall.

I discovered waterfowl hunting “later in life” compared to the other small game hunting I had pursued. Being a gadget guy, you’d think with all the gizmos involved in duck hunting, I would have found it sooner. In hindsight, I was probably too occupied with the other “gadgetry” sports like muzzleloading and archery to notice.

My first shotgun was a Winchester Model 12 pump-action, in 16-gauge, handed down from my grandfather to my father and, finally, to me. As I recall, the shotgun was built in 1929 and my grandfather told me when I received it that if I harvested even half of what that shotgun had already taken, I would have many freezers full of game. My grandfather was a tool and die maker by trade who had learned how to do custom gunsmithing work. He had taken the Winchester and customized it in anticipation of my eventual ownership.

He added a recoil pad, detachable sling swivel studs, a large button safety, a ventilated Poly-Choke to the barrel, shortening it from 28 to 24 inches, and checkered the stock. Shotguns now all either come with or can easily have the sling swivel studs added to them. Sixty years ago, a sling on a shotgun was unusual. The 24-inch barrel length was also uncommon.

The thing that really made that shotgun versatile, though, was the Poly-Choke. For those who don’t know, the Poly-Choke was a permanently attached addition to the end of the barrel that, by twisting the ventilated collar, could adjust the choke setting of the barrel from no choke to X-full simply by tightening or loosening the collar. It’s the same idea as how a nozzle on the end of a garden hose works. That was quite a change from the fixed choke settings common in shotguns of the times.

Shotgun evolution continued and almost all shotguns manufactured today come with a set of interchangeable choke tubes that screw into the end of the barrel. The most common set includes three tubes: an improved cylinder, a modified, and a full choke tube with the wrench to tighten the chokes. These tubes provide more versatility than the old, fixed choke system, but still take time to change in the field if shooting conditions suddenly change.

I eventually learned about an aftermarket choke tube, similar in function to the old Poly-Choke, but which screwed into the barrel rather than being permanently attached. The choke is made in the USA by a company called “Truglo” and was known as the Titan Choke Tube. It is made of stainless steel and titanium and retailed for around $100 or a little more.

I ordered one for my Browning Auto-5 Mag 12-gauge shotgun and shot it in preparation for the waterfowl season. The variable choke is rated as working with any type of shot, including lead, steel, and all the other non-toxic shot available in today’s waterfowl hunting loads.

In my pre-season shooting sessions with that choke tube and steel shot, I hit more practice targets than I ever have before. I think the ability to “custom-twist” the choke setting to match the range of the clay birds was a significant factor.

Because the actual choke adjustment section rests inside a sleeve extending outside the shotgun barrel, your barrel is lengthened about two inches. My 28-inch barrel is now a functional 30-incher, which is not a bad thing in helping maintain my swing on pass-shooting ducks.

Over the years, I acquired a Remington model 11-87 semi-auto shotgun which is my primary waterfowling gun now. Both the Winchester Model 12 and the Browning Auto-5 are considered classics and rather then subject them to the ravages of duck hunting, I opted to relegate them to the status of occasional target shooting.

I have an interest in getting more serious about doing more goose hunting than I ever have before. I’ve only gone once and have an unblemished score (two for two) with another 10-gauge side-by-side I have. Along those lines, I had the opportunity to buy a used Remington model SP-10, 10-gauge shotgun with a 26-inch barrel to use. Finding choke tubes for this gun was difficult, but not impossible. I was able to find a second barrel with sights to use for slugs too.