HUNTINGsmart! USA Knowledge Base

The narrowing at the muzzle end of a shotgun barrel is called the ‘choke’. Shotgun choke can be compared to a water hose—the tightness of the choke affects the spray of the shot when the shotgun is fired (or when the hose is sprayed). A tighter choke (called ‘full choke’) will produce a tight spray pattern (or ‘shot string’) and a more open choke (called ‘full cylinder bore’) will produce a wider spray pattern (or ‘shot string’). Shot string is the pattern created by the shot pellets once they’ve been fired from the shotgun.