Which choke to use?

[Tar Heel]

Can anyone recommend the best choke to use for home defense application?

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[SIXTO]

Cylinder.

[bmcgilvray]

I've experimented a bit with chokes with both buckshot and slugs. Sixto is right, a "wide-open" cylinder bore prints uniform buckshot patterns with fewer fliers. Only the smallest No. 4 buckshot is relatively unaffected by the constriction that a choke provides. While one can easily "get by," and obtain decent results, at short to moderate ranges with slugs or buckshot loads, it makes good sense to configure a dedicated defensive shotgun for the ammunition of choice. Any choke would be superfluous at household self-defense distances anyway.

[HotGuns]

Every shot load is going to shoot differently through the same choke.

Some buck shot does fine with cylinder bore, others will pattern better with "Improved" cylinder and yet others will pattern better with "Modified".

Thats one of the things that you dont know until you pattern it as every gun shoots different.

Sometime a gun that shoots crappy with a particular choke will shoot much better with a different brand of shotshell.

Another thing, it is much harder to find a short barrel with a "cylinder" bore than it is an improved cylinder.

[gasmitty]

Another thing, it is much harder to find a short barrel with a "cylinder" bore than it is an improved cylinder.

Really? Mossberg 930 and Winchester Defender both come in Cylinder choke, and at least one Remington 870 model is available with Cylinder choke.

[Tar Heel]

Thanks for the early feedback - I should have been more specific. I currently have the Remington 1100 Competition Master for home self defense if needed, although I have other weapons that I use as well. The current load is Remington 00 buck. The three chokes that I have are improved, modified, and rifled. If that alters any responses, I appreciate any feedback.

[Ghuqu2]

You need to pattern it at the distances you expect to fire the weapon. A shotgun is not a magic weapon that blasts everything in the general direction its pointed at, you actually have to aim and practice. Look at this site and notice the size of the patterns. At the room length of 12' the largest pattern was 4".
OK, off the soap box... I do know that if you want to really open up the pattern, use the rifled choke. It will really fling buckshot all over the place. Look at The Box of Truth site for more info esp. #42-#46.

[Superhouse 15]

For buck, probably IC or Modified, but you won't really know until you pattern it. My personal preference is to hold as tight a pattern as possible. I don't care for big unpredictable patterns, birdshot or buckshot. I use big birdshot personally for my HD gun, now the Federal "Prarie Storm" #4 with plated lead shot and the awesome Flite Control wad. For buckshot I use the Federal low recoil OO buck with the same wad.

[steyrsdad]

improved