(also posted this in the reloading section, I figured it's useful info so please excuse the double post)
Gents,

Went out this morning to put my new Carlson chokes on paper. The results were impressive.

The two chokes tested were the Carlson Mid-Range (Modified) and Long-Range (Full) chokes. I picked these up from the local Bass Pro Shops for what I think is a very reasonable price (although I do get 10% off for a military discount). The price for the Full was about $35 and the Mod $25. Which was $10-20, respectively, cheaper than the Briley chokes. So if you're on a budget, pay attention.

The setup was a 24"x22" (yields approx. 30" circle, r=15") target placed 40 yards away. I wanted to test them at greater range, but the local range couldn't accommodate. I used two different types of ammo because it's what I have around. The first was Remington Nitro-Steel, #4 shot, 1450FPS, 3'' Mag. The second was Federal Black cloud, #4 shot, 3" Mag. The box didn't say what the FPS was, but it's a pretty hot load. The gun used was a Remington 870 Express SuperMag, 26" barrel, standard setup. I broke down the results statistically, term used loosely. I'm a pilot, we don't do math in the cockpit...it's dangerous!

Mid-Range Choke:
Remington Nitro-Steel: 203 Hits, Shell averaged 230 pellets. 88% of the shot made it on target. .38 shot per square inch




Federal Black Cloud: 202 Hits, Shell averaged 225 pellets. 89.7~90% of the shot made it on target for .38shot per square inch.




Long-Range Choke
Remington Nitro-Steel: 218 Hits, 230 pellets per shell. 95% of the shot made it on target for .41 shot/square inch. The pattern was slightly more dense, but I assume that the greatest pattern density at long range will be had with a larger shot size. The Carlson packaging also suggested this




Federal Black Cloud: 204 Hits, 225 pellets per shell. 90.6%~ 91% of the shot made it on target for .39 shot/square inch. The BC pattern seems to have "blown out" a little bit. I think with a larger shot size, the pattern would be more uniform and therefore, dense.




Results:

I don't have the pictures of my factory Rem-Choke Mod paper test, but I can tell you the Carlson's are IMPRESSIVE. I have no doubt that a small front end investment will save me money in the long run due to less follow-up shots for cripples. Additionally, the extended choke tube will be easier to remove and install with gloves on vice the ole, "where's that dog gone wrench" while in the heat of battle. Anyways, I hope this will help a few of y'all out. Feel free to add comments, just go easy on me...

****Disclaimer**** I cannot guarantee you will have the same results. The data presented is as accurate as my least accurate instrument, which would be me.

That is interesting, thanks for posting. I'm a little surprised at how well the mid range choke patterned @ 40...

That all good stuff right there.

We run a couple of Carlson's in our Baikals.

right on. carlsons pattern the best ive tried too. best tubes on the market imo

Did you shoot these off of a rest or free hand?

I really like the Carlson's tubes, heads up, Cabela's has them for $30 each.

Did you measure your factory tube id? What is the marked id on the new tubes? .710 for the Long range and .720 for the mid range?

I have used the Primos Dead Zones the last few years, they are $60 for the pass and decoy tubes, but have been hitting the pattern board all summer and I think a Light Mod Carlson's is in the lead slightly.

Hit the local paper suppliers for rolls of paper that are "damaged" or Costco for picnic table paper, cheap.

I bought a 1000 ft roll of 20# paper from a local paper distributor for $20, it had some water damage on one end, but it is 5 ft wide, so you can pattern at 60+ yds if you wanted to.

There is nothing wrong with your "data" just don't over think it, I could care less about total hits inside of 30", I am more concerned with evenness, density, and any gaps in the pattern. I use a 5" diameter piece of lexan to mark any gaps and a 20" and 30" piece to mark center of the pattern.

Remember you are looking at a 3 dimension pattern in a single dimension.

I shot it off sandbags. The Long Range is marked .700", the Mid Range is .710". I don't have the equipment to measure the factory rem-choke, although my step-dad is a custom gun-maker so I guess I could get him to do it. Anyways, I was just doing this to maybe help some people out. It's purely for informational purposes. Bottom line, compared to the Rem-Chokes, it's a more even, consistent from shot to shot pattern.

Nice work A-5... Thanks for the post.

You should be warned that the Calson Choke is not made for Blackcloud. They make a special choke for Blackcloud because of Blackclouds wade design. You may not want to shoot them if it is not the special choke as you could end up with a jambed wade. I bought my Carlsons from them direct and was told to only use regular shells that arnt designed to slow the wade down.

True

Roc and Rack, thanks for the safety tip, glad I only shot a total of 2 BC shells through it! I'll be sure to go back and check my setup for any problems. The thought crossed my mind since I know Carlson's makes a BC choke, but the packaging didn't say anything about it and the choke itself says it's rated for steel, copper, lead, tungsten, etc. Anyways, now I know.

I went to Cabela's and read a bunch of reviews. Several folks extolled the greatness of the SuperNova with Kent FS combo with these tubes. That's what I use, so... dadgumit... I thought I was done with buying equipment for the year...

You can shoot Black Cloud out of any non patternmaster style choke tube, the only difference in the Carlson Black Cloud tube and the regular Carlson's Steel tube is the name on the tube