The cylinder choke (also called cylinder bore) is the most open shotgun choke. It has essentially no constriction at all, allowing the shot pattern to spread quickly after leaving the barrel. This provides the widest pattern distribution at close range, making it ideal for close-quarters shooting like home defense or shooting sporting clays at short distances.
Other chokes, in order from more open to more constricted, include:
- Skeet
- Improved Cylinder
- Modified
- Improved Modified
- Full
The more open the choke, the wider the pattern spreads at shorter distances.