How to avoid getting your Choke Tube stuck in the barrel

I HAVE SEEN A NUMBER OF SHOTGUNS AT MY CLUB THAT HAVE STUCK CHOKE TUBES. WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE TO KEEP FROM HAVING A CHOKE TUBE STUCK IN THE BARREL?

In most of the cases I have seen, the owner never cleaned or lubricated the threads of his choke tubes. In some cases this leads to rust developing in the threads of the tube and/or the barrel. In other cases I’ve seen, the threads gall or deform because of a lack of lubricant.

I believe that you should remove the choke tube after each shooting session. The threads on both the tube and the barrel should be cleaned to remove any carbon or fouling that may have leaked around the choke tube. Once cleaned a good grease or tube lubricant should be applied to the threads. Then when the tube is installed, no more pressure should be used than the minimum necessary to ensure that the tube is fully seated. I have seen several tubes that were damaged by excessive seating force.

It is also a good idea to periodically check the seating of your choke tube. If you do need to re-tighten the choke tube, make darn sure the gun is unloaded before you begin work on the muzzle end of the barrel.

Also, there’s a reason choke tube tools are made of plastic or thin metal; you don’t want to overtighten the tube in the bore. Turning too tight can damage the tube or jam it in position.

NOTE: The following content first appeared in Shotgun News in 2010. It is from a featured section titled Ask the Gunsmith, where readers were able to submit their questions to master gunsmith Reid Coffield.