Question Regarding Star Dot Choke

[Snoody Bastid]

Question for all you choke gurus. I just bought a new old stock Star Dot (Invector+) choke and on the back of the package it says it will handle all turkey shotgun loads (except steel), and it also says Use Lead Shot Only. I'm looking to use Hevi13 2 3/4" 6's out of a Browning Auto-5 (Japan). Can I use HTL out of it? This is a Highlander Sports Inc. choke if that makes a difference. Thanks for the responses in advance..

[ILIKEHEVI-13]

Yes you can shoot HTL through that choke. 

[Snoody Bastid]

Great, thanks. I just get worried when I see "Use Lead Shot Only".

[3" 870 Shell Shucker]

Good choke with Hevi 13 #6 and #7.

[Skeeterbait]

Hevi Shot had not been introduced when that choke was made.  Many people have shot Hevi loads thru them and I have never heard of any issues.  It is your choice alone to do so though.

[Snoody Bastid]

Thanks for all the responses. I think I'll give it a shot with the Hevi-13 6's (pun intended).

[ILIKEHEVI-13]

I have talked about the lead shot only on chokes before here when it comes to addressing the issues with safety concerns of shooting Hevi-Shot through chokes.  I will try to be brief and hit on it again here.  Skeeter has it right though.  I will just say without trying to do a safety/advertisement/publicity stunt here on your concerns about this matter and say what I believe to be true to the best of my knowledge.  Most any good production made choke made prior to the introduction of Hevi-Shot or after regardless if it says lead only or not, will be able to shoot Hevi-Shot without any issues.  Most chokes now are made out of 17-4(PH) ph stands for pre-hardened meaning they are heat treated, can shoot Hevi-Shot loads.  Some of these same chokes that said lead only were made of this exact same material before Hevi-Shot came about that said lead only on the tubes I do believe and just had a black anodized finish.  When Indian Creek was having some choke issues which were very rare of chokes rupturing when shot, and they and I still will never know what the real truth about what these very few customers that claimed these choke failure issues did, but nonetheless Indian Creek at the time wasn't using stainless steel and was using a moly steel.  But Mike and Stuart told me they couldn't get any of their chokes to fail at the time this all took place.  They now have switched to 17-4(PH) stainless steel to be on the safe side.  I have not heard of one single issue of choke failure since they made the switch.  But I still shoot a MAD Super Max .675(Indian Creek) choke made from the older moly steel w/o any issues.  It does perfectly fine.  But like I said a lot of choke companies at the time if they were in fact making their chokes out of even the good stuff of 17-4(PH) that said lead only on their chokes still started puting Hevi-Shot on their choke tubes that they were to make in the future.  And I know most of that was due to liability reasons.  But that still didn't keep some choke manufacturers from using this to their advantage I think as a ploy to get you to buy another choke from them that said Hevi-Shot on them just to put money in their pockets even though the choke they sold you previously was the same exact steel and perfectly safe.  Think about it.  Now the ones that were honest like Carlson's they admitted they didn't change a thing in their steel and just put Hevi-Shot on their chokes.  But I truly believe some choke companies weren't truthful about this and made you think you needed a choke that said Hevi-Shot on the tube to be safe when in fact this more than likely was false. 

[ILIKEHEVI-13]

Hastings was another choke company at the time that comes to mind that said Lead Only on most of all the chokes they made since that was pretty much the only loads at the time with maybe the exception of some steel loads.  But Hevi-Shot as we know it today wasn't out yet.  Hasting chokes were made out of the good stuff that most choke companies use today which is like I said in my other post 17-4(PH) stainless steel.  Now remember these chokes say lead only.  I still have some Hasting chokes and I have shot Hevi-Shot through them w/o any issues.  These chokes were built like a tank.  And I can tell you were just as tough if not tougher than the chokes being made today.  So I hope this sheds some light on what I am trying to state here on your concerns. 

[3" 870 Shell Shucker]

Also:
Early on, some companies opened up the exit diameter of their turkey chokes about 10 thousandths and re-labeled them safe for hevishot.  .665 Lead Only, .675 for Hevishot.

[ILIKEHEVI-13]

Hey I'm glad you mentioned that since I forgot.  Your exactly right. 

[Snoody Bastid]

ILIKEHEVI-13: Thanks for your insight & observations. I'm sure I'll be ok with the Star Dot, especially since I'm only shooting 2 3/4" HEVI shells out of it. I'm also trying out a MAD Super Max that I picked up on fleabay, but I'm not sure how old it is (it's nos/unused).