Field Test: Carlson's Choke Tubes Cremator

Unless you’re a waterfowl hunter, you don’t often want to talk much about choking. Sets a bad tone. But wingshooters by and large make their bones on the strength of two things (their own talents with the scattergun aside): good shotshells and quality choke tubes. And when it comes to chokes, at least, few offerings can rival those produced by Carlson’s Choke Tubes. The Kansas-based company offers a bevy of choke tubes, spanning nearly every possible shotgun model on the market and covering every possible use for a scattergun. Waterfowl chokes, predator chokes, sporting clay chokes, turkey chokes—they’re all there. Carlson’s manufactures its chokes from corrosion-resistant 17-4 PH stainless steel. That’s important to note, because most factory choke tubes are made of lesser stainless steel.

The company meticulously tests its chokes on a custom patterning range near its Kansas factory. I know, because I’ve seen it. I used the new Cremator choke on more than one of my flyway stops last year, and was very impressed at the results. The Cremator line is designed to offer reduced pellet deformation and produce fewer flyers. Such innovations are accomplished using the company’s Triple Shot Technology (TST). The Cremator features the company’s extended tube design, with a 25 percent longer parallel section for tighter patterns, wrench-free installation and muzzle protection. It’s available in close-range, mid-range and long-range variants.