Trulock High Performance Shotgun Chokes
by Jeff Quinn

photography by Jeff Quinn

September 15th, 2002

 

 

 

Back when I started shooting a shotgun, a hunter had the choice of basically three choke constrictions from which to choose: full, modified, or improved cylinder. Trap and skeet shooters had a few more choices in their expensive target guns, but most were a custom proposition, and once the choice was made, it was not easily changed.  There were available various devices that attached to the muzzle of the shotgun, and while most worked well, they were quite bulky, and aesthetically left much to be desired. My first shotgun was a Stevens model 95 twenty gauge, which could be had in any choke desired, as long as it was full.

With the advent of modern screw-in choke tubes, a hunter or target shooter has an almost endless variety of choke constrictions from which to choose. Most new shotguns come with the basic three tubes: full, modified, and improved cylinder. There are several manufacturers of aftermarket choke tubes to meet  the demand for other degrees of constriction, from very tight turkey chokes, to wide open cylinder bore tubes.

Lately, I have been using some of the finest choke tubes available for shotgunners.  These are the extended tubes from Trulock Chokes in Whigham, Georgia. These Trulock chokes have an extended knurled section that protrudes from the muzzle about one inch, to allow changing without the use of a choke wrench. The Trulocks are made from a high-quality blackened stainless steel, hardened for durability.

Trulock choke tubes are available in constrictions from a wide open cylinder bore, up to a full one-tenth of an inch constriction. Of particular interest to turkey hunters, are the various constrictions of extra full and tighter. In my Browning Gold Hunter, which uses the "Invector Plus" system, Turlock’s .665 constriction gave great performance with number four Remington High Velocity three-inch magnums, as can be seen in the accompanying photo. I have used other brands of choke tubes as tight as .640 constriction that did not give performance equal to the Trulock. The pattern was shot at a distance of forty yards, with the main shot charge contained within a six inch circle. Various turkey loads pattern differently, and individual shotguns also vary as to patterning ability, so some experimenting may be necessary to find the best constriction and load for each gun. A tighter choke will not always be better. As a rule, the larger the shot size, the less constriction needed. I have found, however, that a choke tube that will pattern number four shot as well as the Trulock does, will work even better with smaller shot. That is why, for a turkey choke, I like to test with number four. I usually hunt with numbers five or six shot, due to the tighter patterns achieved, but with the Trulock, I get great patterns with number four, allowing me to use a harder-hitting shot size, without sacrificing pattern density.

Trulock makes choke tubes that are flush or extended, to fit almost every shotgun made, from a dedicated skeet gun to a specialized turkey hunting rig. They are precision machined from quality materials. 

If you think that your shotgun could benefit from better patterns, check out the full line of Trulock chokes online at: 

www.trulockchokes.com

I use them, and highly recommend them.

Jeff Quinn


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Click pictures for a larger version.

 

Just a few of the Trulock tubes available for the Invector Plus system.

 

 

The Trulock tubes tested have a knurled extension for easy changes without tools. Author prefers this to fumbling around for a wrench.

 

 

The .665 tube has proven to be Jeff's favorite with turkey loads of #4 to #6 shot.

 

 

Remington #4 Magnum loads exhibited excellent performance with the .665 tube, giving a dense, even pattern to point of aim at 40 yards. Any turkey finding Jeff so equipped would find his last day on Earth to be a short one!