Sumtoy Choke question

[UpperTully]

Mine shot good too. Longbeards, turkey thugs and strut shok all put up acceptable numbers but I got him to replace it anyway. I just didn't like the burr and mine only had one or two but he did smooth out. He offered to send me a new choke and even keep the old one but I went ahead and told him I had other chokes that would fit and to fix the one I had because I liked the way it shot. Had my choke fixed and sent back in about 8 days. I knew it was my choke because I marked it. We are not the only ones complaining about burrs in his chokes but most of the complaints I saw were last year about this time. Havent seen any recent ones until now.

I wonder if it's increased demand and trying to keep up is hurting quality?

I've seen a couple more chokes that hes made and they actually look good. I have no doubt he doesn't make a jam up choke but it seems some corners are being cut to keep up with demand.

I may wait until after season is over and send it back to him to replace or correct it. I've spent the past month and a half playing the patterning, ordering chokes and ammo game. I'm ready to hunt now.

I was speaking with a buddy earlier who is having troubles getting the right mount for a Trijicon/SX3 20ga. The first mount he sent fit the gun but not the sight, so he sent it back. The second mount fits the sight but not the gun. Communication from Sumtoy is kind of hard to decipher, which doesn't make it better.

 

[Andy S.]

..... its 1.15oz of 7.5 and 1.15oz of 9. I haven't done the math to get a total pellet count.

18g/cc 7.5s = 230/ounce, so 230*1.15=265

18g/cc 9s = 362/ounce, so 362*1.15=416

Total pellets = 681 pellets headed downrange

For 614 pellets inside the 20" circle, you have 614/681 = 90% accountability.

 

[scn]

I was beginning to wonder if my .562 was lost in the mail. William sent me an email last Tuesday or Wednesday that it had been shipped. I thought it might be in the box early in the week. It finally showed up today. I've looked pretty close and don't see any problems. The crown is fine and I can't see any burrs. We'll see how it shoots in the coming days.

 

[UpperTully]

..... its 1.15oz of 7.5 and 1.15oz of 9. I haven't done the math to get a total pellet count.

18g/cc 7.5s = 230/ounce, so 230*1.15=265

18g/cc 9s = 362/ounce, so 362*1.15=416

Total pellets = 681 pellets headed downrange

For 614 pellets inside the 20" circle, you have 614/681 = 90% accountability.

Dang! I appreciate you figuring that out. I was going to sit down and do it once I got off work tonight.

That's a heck of difference in night and day with that Redhead .665 choke

 

[Andy S.]

No problem, I enjoy it. In my opinion, if you would considering going to .680 - .690 constriction, especially Indian Creek (they do well with TSS) I feel confident you would see more even pellet distribution inside the 10", and most likely more pellets in between the 10" and 20", resulting in a more even distribution pellet count /coverage from the 10" to 20" ring. I am not one to chase numbers on paper, but I am a big advocate of a more spread out, uniform distribution and forgiving pattern that will benefit you while hunting, while still having more than enough pellets (220-250) inside the 10" at 40 yards.

FWIW, the pioneers off TSS all agree that if you are getting 140 pellets inside a 10" circle at ANY DISTANCE, with enough penetration (factor of muzzle velocity and distance to turkey), you have plenty to kill if you hold it on his head and don't pull off. If you think about this, most guys are waaaaay overkill on 10" numbers unless they routinely hunt in open places and shoot 60-70 yards regularly.

 

[UpperTully]

After patterning my 12 and 20 with TSS, I would agree that opening it up is better suited for close quarter shots. There's a margin for error with the .555 and .665. I will work on that for next season and stick with what I have now since it's so close to season. Hopefully I will be loading my own by then also.

I believe my next choke choice will be Indian Creek, that's what I have in my 20ga now. There's no comparison to craftsmanship between the two.

 

[Andy S.]

There's no comparison to craftsmanship between the two.

Agreed, best of luck this spring.