Choke storage

[jpb]

Hey Guys,
 The season is long over for me but i have been trying to get out and shoot as often as i can.I had a few boxes of shells that didnt patern well enough for anything other than paper.Now that there used up my CEO has put a hold on the reproduction of turkey shells in the safe.After the last outhing i cleaned and scrubbed until everything was clean.I put the choke tube back in the barrel with a healthy amount of choke lube but didnt snug it down.Is that O.K. or should i just take the choke tube out all together and store it in its plastic case?

[MAK]

I've always stored mine in the gun - go through the same steps as you, with a good scubbing and soaking. What choke lube are you using? I've just oiled the threads of mine. 
 
Hate to admit I let that go a few years and was scratching my head over why my test patterns seemed to be deteriorating. Then when the dang light went off and I cleaned up the chokes, I was back to good solid patterns.

[allaboutshooting]

Hey Joe,

I think you've done the most important things by cleaning your chokes. I just oil threads lightly prior to storage.

I think it's very important to always leave a choke of some sort in your gun. Inside threads and the muzzle area can get dust and other objects in them that will make choke installation very difficult.

On that subject, it's also a good idea to clean the internal threads and the muzzle area every so often. You can really get a build-up of "stuff" in there.

I flush out that area on a somewhat regular basis and then lightly oil it.

One of the most important things I think you can do for your chokes is to safeguard the gas seal/gas skirt area from damage. Just small dent in this area can create some real problems. Those inexpensive plastic cases that hold 3-6 chokes do a good job of protecting them or if you've kept the case they came in, that works as well.

Thanks,
Clark

[jpb]

Mak..I use B.C's choke tube lube.It comes in a little squeeze tube.Reminds me of the bottle of antisieze i have in the garage,probably the same stuff  just packaged different.
 
Clark, I saved the box you shipped the choke in and will use it for storage,will put a different choke (non turkey choke) in the barrel just to keep the threads clean....Thanks guys...

[EdD270]

ORIGINAL: jpb

Hey Guys,
The season is long over for me but i have been trying to get out and shoot as often as i can.I had a few boxes of shells that didnt patern well enough for anything other than paper.Now that there used up my CEO has put a hold on the reproduction of turkey shells in the safe.After the last outhing i cleaned and scrubbed until everything was clean.I put the choke tube back in the barrel with a healthy amount of choke lube but didnt snug it down.Is that O.K. or should i just take the choke tube out all together and store it in its plastic case?

I find that the long prescription medicine bottles with screw caps make great choke tube storage devices. They are water tight, and you can read the degree of choke on the tube through them.
I like to use white EP Lithium grease on my tube and barrel threads. It's available in a little squeeze tube for about $3-4.00 at Auto Zone or other auto parts stores. It is water proof, seals the threads against the gases of shooting, is extremely high temp. resistant, and ensures against seizing the threads should Murphy rear his ugly head. One little tube should last a lifetime, as it don't take much to lube the threads.