Browning Superposed Choke Markings

Discussion in 'Browning Superposed Shotgun' started by Jimmy Lee, Jan 3, 2019.

  1. Jimmy Lee

    Jimmy Lee .22LR

    SP Choke Markings.jpg

    I have several Superposed shotguns but I have never seen the choke markings in the picture. Does anyone have any knowledge of them? The barrels seem to measure as cylinder bore on a choke gauge.
    Thank!
  2. Rudolph31

    Rudolph31 .30-06

    I’d say Improved Cylinder, but there’s an extra mark I’ve never seen either.
  3. Jimmy Lee

    Jimmy Lee .22LR

    Yes, **- is improved cylinder but the little squiggle under the dash is new to me. Maybe the original owner had it changed to cylinder at the factory and they added the squiggle to denote the change? Does anyone else have any ideas?
  4. Rudolph31

    Rudolph31 .30-06

    I think they could more easily have changed the dash to a star. I guess you’re going to the pattern board.
  5. Jimmy Lee

    Jimmy Lee .22LR

    I think you are right. I am new to this forum so I'm not sure what the pattern board is.
  6. Rudolph31

    Rudolph31 .30-06

    One of the annoying things about shotguns is that they often don’t shoot the way they are marked. This is particularly true of older guns that were designed before modern wads. The pattern board is nothing more than a target stand with a 30” circle. A full choke should put 50% of the pellets in the circle at 40 yards.
  7. Jimmy Lee

    Jimmy Lee .22LR

    Yes, I know. I was just reading an article on this the other day. My gun was advertised as skeet/skeet but as I said before, it measures cylinder/cylinder at the muzzle. I have not patterned it to see how it actually shoots. I just got it around Christmas and have not shot it at all. I joined this forum to try to find out about the weird markings. Any suggestions?
  8. Rudolph31

    Rudolph31 .30-06

    Post pictures! Belgian proof marks are something I know about.
  9. I have to wonder if Skeet over Skeet isn't actually correct and the marking 'S' is simply worn away such that it looks like two separate markings (dash and squiggle).

    Mine is Skeet over Skeet and when I compare the marking to yours I can see that if I had more wear on mine it could easily end up the same 'figure'. Note the distinct downward turn at the bottom of the 'S' and how the bottom and middle of the 'S' are roughly the height of the Star. But the top of the 'S' (just like mine) would be noticeably above the height of the star.

    Now envision the top of each 'S' having been worn away and the apex of the curve in the bottom and you are left with exactly what we see with yours. There is an obvious curvature to both remaining marks that beg to be an 'S' in my opinion.

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: Jan 12, 2019
  10. Jimmy Lee

    Jimmy Lee .22LR

  11. Jimmy Lee

    Jimmy Lee .22LR

    You could be right but I thought the S was actually supposed to be a $.
  12. Mine are not a $....just a plain 'S' actually looks more like the number '5' in the way it is done. My shotgun was manufactured in 1959.

    The barrels on mine are the original, it has been in my family since day one and no modifications that I am aware of. But...I did not own the shotgun until about 20 years ago...so can't say exactly what the marks looked like when new. This shotgun has had a Bazillion rounds through it and has some appreciable wear.

    Anyway, I can't fathom the reason for two 'dashes' one over the other. It simply looks like a worn through 'S' to me. Not unlike what the bottom marking of mine is starting to do.

    Measuring the bore and comparing it to the markings should give you a good idea of what was intended.

    Attached Files:

  13. Jimmy Lee

    Jimmy Lee .22LR

  14. Jimmy Lee

    Jimmy Lee .22LR

    Mine is a 20 gauge made in 1966. I know that **$ is the marking for skeet and maybe the $ has just worn down to look like a partial S. I can see by looking at the markings on yours that it could be the bottom and middle parts of the S. My barrels measure cylinder/cylinder but that could be because they have been shot a lot. I don't know any history on this gun. I bought it at Cabela's Gun Library. Thanks for your reply.
  15. Skeet would probably measure between .003-.005" constriction. I haven't ever measured mine but will do that soon and report back here. I know mine has had countless rounds put through it.
  16. Jimmy Lee

    Jimmy Lee .22LR

    The chart I am looking at shows a 20 gauge fixed choke IC = .603", Skeet= .621", Cylinder = .625". Both of my barrels measure .61" using a digital caliper which puts them somewhere between IC and skeet so I'm guessing they are probably $ and $ as most Browning barrels are a little tighter than advertised.
  17. Yes, I agree that the Belgium made Browning's tend to run tighter than advertised standards. They are also known to be 'fitted' rather tightly (when new). Owing to the practice of making a firearm that 'wears in' not 'wears out'.

    My 12 gauge chokes measure .7195 and .7193 respectively. This after many thousands of rounds.

    Attached Files:

  18. Jimmy Lee

    Jimmy Lee .22LR

    The Browning chart I referred to earlier has a 12 gauge skeet at .719 so you are right on!

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