Colerains turkey barrel

[Tim Ault]

I've seen these for sale but don't hear or read about too many using them . I know they limit you to just using shot but is there other issues like loading wads past the choke that causes problems ? I'm not finished with my current rifle yet but I already know my next will be a 20 ga smooth bore . So what's the pros and cons on these full choked barrels ?

[Hungry Horse]

 O.K. Here we go one more time. Throw the patch away, and shoot an undersized bare ball, with a big powder charge, and a wad of greased wool blanket on top, to keep it in place. It will shoot fine in a choked bore.
 But, choked bores only existed on the very edge of the cartridge era, so why use them? If you quit loading your smoothbore like your building a modern shot shell in the bottom of your barrel, you can get tolerable shot pattern out to about 30-35 yards. It’ll take time, patients, and practice, because not all smoothbores perform well with the same load.

  Hungry Horse

[smallpatch]

I’d rather have a cylinder bore with a jug choke. It will do both ball, and shot nicely.

[Tim Ault]

Thank you, sorry if it's a sore subject but I have no need or want to shoot a ball from that barrel  . I've never loaded shot or used card wads in anything heck never even loaded a cf shot shell . Was just wondering with that much choke if there was any issue with the wads deforming or whatnot .

[Osprey]

I haven't tried a jug choke, but I don't think you can beat the colerain barrel for a dedicated turkey gun.  I have a 16ga cylinder bore that I've killed a few gobblers with, but I'll only take shots to 20 yards on birds with it.  Played with it quite a bit and could never get consistent killing patterns much past that.  But I built a gun with the 44" full choke barrel and love it.  Deadly patterns to 35 yards with no worries and not much load work, could probably stretch it to 40 if I really played with loads and wads.  Only issue I have with it is cleaning, that tight choke makes cleaning jags fun.  Ended up going with the jags I use on my .58's for best results. 

[Daryl]

Depending on the amount of choke, you might get away with using a thumb nail to crease the edge to allow air escapement and some folding.
Using just over-shot "B" wads makes for easier loading in a choked muzzle. Patterning will, of course, be necessary.

[smallpatch]

Here’s a jug choked 10g at 50 yds for shot load.  25 for ball.
  I know that’s pushing it, but it works.




photo upload sites

[Daryl]

Hard to argue with success. Nice! The Big Bores do rule - usually.

[WKevinD]

I don't understand why a question about a specific barrel type (Colrain turkey barrel)has to be answered with "non- answers".
He was not asking about roundball, jug chokes or cylinder bores.
Has anybody used the Colrain barrel? How did it work for you? What kind of loads? What kind of issues?

[rich pierce]

I don't understand why a question about a specific barrel type (Colrain turkey barrel)has to be answered with "non- answers".
He was not asking about roundball, jug chokes or cylinder bores.
Has anybody used the Colrain barrel? How did it work for you? What kind of loads? What kind of issues?

Think of the forum as s bunch of guys at the ML club chatting about something. Some were there for the whole conversation. Then Fuhrmann  comes by and joins in with what he knows about jug chokes or round ball or the choked Colerain barrel. It’s just how the forum works. The OP can always delete the whole topic if they like. They are not paying for a service as in “I told you to wash THAT car!”

[smallpatch]

It seems to me the OP was talking about a future build. A 20g smooth bore.  Therefore, opinions on what others would do, are imminent. Hence the response.
Just a conversation among like minded individuals.

[Daryl]

Depending on the amount of choke, you might get away with using a thumb nail to crease the edge to allow air escapement and some folding.
Using just over-shot "B" wads makes for easier loading in a choked muzzle. Patterning will, of course, be necessary.

Thought answering is what I was doing?
Perhaps not specifically with Coleraine barrels, but barrels in general. I suspect Coleraine barrels have 'standard' chokes.
I don't even know what make of barrel I have on my 20 bore, but it is a standard choke that 'feels' like an Improved Cylinder.
With the standard wad column using a lubricated wad, my gun makes modified patterns.  This is common with black powder
loads, shooting tighter patterns than their choking would suggest.
It also does almost as well with just the "B" wads over powder and shot, which is why I suggested that attempt along with the
caveat to check the pattern.

[Tim Ault]

Thanks all of you that have responded . Yes this will be the next gun I'll build as has be mentioned . The reason I ask about the turkey chocked barrel is its to be a strictly small game hunting piece so tight patterns are a great thing ,I knew most all of the smoothbore barrels sold are just cyl.bore, just not what I want in a hunting gun and I knew about the jug choking but to my knowledge there's no new barrels sold with a jug so I'd have to send it out pay again and wait for the mail man . If there was one sold for the same price as that turkey barrel I'd probably buy it but there isn't . As said before I'm a smoothbore rookie just trying to take in knowledge from others by reading and asking questions

[Osprey]

That's definitely a plus, can just buy a barrel and get to it!  I don't notice loading the wads to be that difficult with the full choke at the muzzle, certainly no worse than loading a tight patch/ball combo in a rifle.  Mine hangs on the wall all year, but come turkey season it's the only gun I even think of carrying now.  It's a specialized tool, but it does it's job extremely well. 

[smallpatch]

The main reason for mentioning a jug choke, is that it shoots round ball as well.  A Colerain turkey barrel is for shot only.

[Levy]

Tim, I've purchased a 16 ga barrel from Rice that came with a jug choke in it already.  It was made from 4140 steel too and light (I think it was 41" long).  It was expensive, but it would cost you the same amount or more to buy a cylinder bore barrel and then send it out to be jug choked.  James Levy

[WadePatton]

Tim, I've purchased a 16 ga barrel from Rice that came with a jug choke in it already.  It was made from 4140 steel too and light (I think it was 41" long).  It was expensive, but it would cost you the same amount or more to buy a cylinder bore barrel and then send it out to be jug choked.  James Levy

Thanks for that. From all my reading around here over the years a jug is the only choke that interest me, but that's not saying anything good or bad about a Colerain "squeeze" choke as the OP inquired.

[Dowrat]

I've been shooting a Colerain turkey choke barrel for several years. I highly recommend them for a designated turkey gun. That barrel will shoot a very tight pattern, so I built my gun as a "smooth rifle" with a rear sight. My best load is 75 to 80 grains of FFG powder (1 1/4 oz. measure), 2 over powder cards (1/8 inch ones), 1 1/2 oz. measure of #5 shot, and 1 thin over shot card. I load the wads by bending them slightly and offsetting the bends in the barrel. At 25 yards my gun puts 90 pellets in the center 10 inch circle and the whole pattern in 18 inches. I have cleanly taken turkeys at 40 paces.

Hope this information helps. Good luck with your next build!

Darryl

[Daryl]

Good post, Darryl.

[Curt Lyles]

Tim I've been using the turkey choke colerain barrels for maybe 18 years and I'm very pleased with them, one thing that hasn't been mentioned is if you get the 44-in turkey choke barrel you can also get a 44-in 54 barrel in the same profile and have two guns in one if that's something that would appeal to you it seems it would be pretty handy on a tight budget but I don't believe in just having one gun either. Curt

[Tim Ault]

Tim I've been using the turkey choke colerain barrels for maybe 18 years and I'm very pleased with them, one thing that hasn't been mentioned is if you get the 44-in turkey choke barrel you can also get a 44-in 54 barrel in the same profile and have two guns in one if that's something that would appeal to you it seems it would be pretty handy on a tight budget but I don't believe in just having one gun either. Curt

   Thanks for that info Mr Curt . I was looking at getting the 38" barrel I guess I'm the odd duck that likes short barrels  . Still unsure of what style of gun to make at this point .

[Daryl]

This one is only 31" long.

[Tim Ault]

This one is only 31" long.

   That's a nice looking Gun! Never thought of a half stock , thanks for showing

[Daryl]

She points like a dream - really fast swinging if you need it.

[WKevinD]

This is from a Coraine Turkey choke barrel, 60 gr fffg, 1/8 card 1/2 of a lubed cushion wad, 85 gr (volume) #4 shot, other half of the cushion wad.
The fowler is cherry stocked and has a modified early ketland from Chambers