A full choke has the tightest shot pattern among standard shotgun chokes. It typically constricts the barrel by about 0.035 inches (0.89 mm) and delivers approximately 70-75% of the shot pattern in a 30-inch circle at 40 yards.
However, there are even tighter specialty chokes available:
- Extra Full choke: Tighter than full, often used for turkey hunting
- Turkey or Super Full choke: Even more constriction, specifically designed for turkey hunting
- X-Full choke: Very tight pattern for maximum range
These extra-tight chokes are designed for specific applications where maximum pattern density at longer ranges is required, such as turkey hunting where precise head/neck shots are critical.
The tighter the choke, the longer the shot pattern holds together before spreading, which is beneficial for longer-range targets but makes hitting closer targets more difficult.