What choke selection is best for hunting small, fast, close birds?

Choosing the right choke for hunting small, fast, close birds is essential for ensuring effective shots and humane kills. A cylinder or improved cylinder choke is ideal for this scenario because it provides a wider shot pattern, which is especially beneficial when targeting faster and closer birds. This wider spread allows for a greater chance of hitting the bird without needing to be overly precise, accommodating the quick movements and unpredictable flight paths of small game.

Using this type of choke also minimizes the risk of over-pressuring the shot, given that small birds are often located within close range. Accuracy and pattern density are critical when trying to hit quick-moving targets, making the cylinder or improved cylinder choke the best option here.

Other choke choices, like full choke, would deliver a tighter shot pattern that is unsuitable for the close-range targeting needed in such situations, while modified choke may not provide the optimal spread necessary for quickly flying birds at close distances. Rifled chokes are designed for shotguns shooting slugs at longer distances, making them irrelevant for this context.