What are 835 users shooting? Any issues I should be aware of? The overbore has me wondering.

PM _Scooter_ I think he may have bought some after market chokes.

I just use the factory chokes.

No PM necessary... My 835 will reliably pattern ANY AMMO YOU CAN THINK OF with the Carlson's (actually it was a Cabela's brand) IC extended Hevi-Shot tube. I don't shoot steel out of that gun with any other tube. I've been testing a few 3.5" shells this year and the 835 with the Cabela's (Carlsons) Hevi-Shot IC extended has been the gun/choke combo that performs well with the bigger payloads.

The Carlson's extended Mid-Range or Long-Range, or the three pack from Cabela's for $104.99 will be about all you need. They don't sell the one I have anymore, or at least by the same name. Get a extended Carlson's and you'll be pretty happy with it.

The 835 was designed to pattern anything you can chamber. The barrel is kind of like a giant choke tube in itself- being overbored. You'll read on some shotgun gun forums that overbored barrels like to shoot more constriction- but basically from the chamber to the muzzle on an 835- the payload is being constricted over a longer bearing surface so it minimizes the importance of the big squeeze at the muzzle end. At least that's what I think happens. My factory MOD and Full chokes pattern lead dove loads accordingly- but with steel shot you want to keep it a little less constricted so that you get even patterns.

Thanks for the info _Scooter_, I will be looking into the Carlson's.

I have the 935, would the results be the same you think?

Booner: It all depends on the backbore diameter. For instance, an 835/935 barrel has a .775" bore diameter that (I am guessing) tapers very slightly the entire length of the barrel until it hits a choke tube at the end. The choke I use is somewhere near the Carlson's Mid-Range choke which is .743" and that means over the 29" the total constriction is .032" and that seems to work with all the ammo I've tried. I never shoot at ducks farther than 45yds, so I really have no idea how it works past that.

With steel pellets, you don't get any pellet deformation like you would with lead shot. In theory you shouldn't "squeeze" a steel shot load very far at all. Just far enough to help the payload line itself up with the end of the barrel and the target it is pointing at. If you try to constrict too far, you'll end up with a blown pattern just due to the fact that the pellets were busy moving other directions inside the wad and when they exited the muzzle they just kept flying crazy. That's why ammo like BlackCloud and Blind Side have been largely successful. The shot cup doesn't really allow a choke to do anything to the pattern. Patternmaster started this phenomenon with their wad-stripping chokes which basically do the same thing. Get the pellets out of the barrel all traveling the exact same way... towards your target.

Yes, the barrel diameters and chokes are the same between the 835 and 935... BUT! The 935 is a gas op semi auto- so your velocities will be slightly different than the 835 which can create variables in patterning.

I looked all over for information and the majority went with the actual factory chokes for my ulti mag 835. Modified and I'm happy !

Ulti mag is over bored