History of Shotgun Choke Tubes

Although the the choke tubes in shotguns were invented in the mid-1800s, they did not gain national recognition until a century later. For nearly 50 years, choke tubes have improved the art of shotgun shooting and has given shooters and hunters a useful tool to display and teach others to use.

  1. In the Beginning

    • Born in 1846, Fred Kimble, a duck hunter from Illinois, was credited as being the inventor of the choke-bore shotgun when he was 22 years old (1868). He fist picked up a shotgun when he was 13 years old and was considered to be one of the best duck shooters in the country when he was 18. His invention revolutionized the art of wing shooting, and he began challenging anyone at live pigeon shooting. After winning a numerous amount of consecutive matches and taking home the Illinois State Shoot title three years in a row, everyone wanted his choked gun.

    The Shotgun Choke Tube

    • The choke tube is a removable interior tube near the end of a shotgun barrel that controls shot dispersion. It is generally cylinder, improved cylinder, modified, improved modified and full. The cylinder choke tube offers a wide shot dispersion while a full choke tube produces a tight shot pattern. Depending on what you are trying to shoot (skeet, trap, sporting clays or animals), a different choke tube will be used.

    Interchangeable Choke Tubes Introduced

    • These different shotgun choke tubes have been around for decades, which have improved the game of hunting for shooters by providing them with a more precise shot. Screw-in choke tubes were first introduced in 1959 by Winchester (a shotgun choke tube line) with its model 59 semi-automatic shotgun. Winchester discontinued the model 59 in 1965 because a new line of shotguns was emerging.

    A New Line

    • The new line of the 1400 semi-automatic and the model 1200 pump were introduced as fixed choke shotguns. It wasn't until 1970 that Winchester worked out the kinks in its screw-in shotgun choke system, which enabled it to release the 1400 semi-automatic and the model 1200 as screw-in chokes. It named this new choke system "Winchoke."

    Other Choke Systems

    • Nearly a decade later, more choke systems arrived. The Mossberg 500 began sporting the new choke tube system in 1978 and was named "Accuchoke." The model 82 was introduced by Weatherby in 1982 as a new screw-in choke system. It was named "Multichoke." After these new systems were under way in the early 1980s, all shotgun manufacturers began working on and releasing their own versions and systems of the successful screw-in choke tube.