Carlson’s Choke Tubes Parts & Accessories

Last updated and checked October 31, 2026 · By Nick Hall. Prices are the lowest new listings in our feed of 200+ retailers on October 31, 2026.

A skeet choke stops being a skeet choke when you load steel. Carlson’s Choke Tubes says on its own chart that steel throws one step tighter, and details like that are why shotgunners keep this Kansas shop bookmarked. Look for its Cremator and Delta Waterfowl duck tubes, TSS turkey tubes, sporting clays tubes and flush replacements from $16.48. Here is who they are, what they make, and what is worth buying.

Table of Contents

Who Carlson’s is

Carlson’s Choke Tubes is an American choke maker based in Atwood, Kansas, in business since about 1988. It makes flush and extended tubes for a long list of shotgun thread patterns, plus magazine extensions and replacement barrels, and backs its choke tubes with a lifetime warranty.

The address is a highway number in Atwood, a very small town in the far northwest corner of Kansas. Carlson’s about page said 2021 would mark 33 years in business, which puts the start around 1988. It also says the team has spent those years patterning tens of thousands of shells, and that an Electronic Patterning Board has helped it grow the line.

I like that its advice isn’t what you’d expect from a company selling you a tube. It tells you that the exact gun, choke and load all have to be patterned together, which is an admission that no tube fixes everything.

On price, Carlson’s sits in the sensible middle. A flush replacement started at $16.48 on October 31, an extended Delta Waterfowl tube was $60.49, and you won’t pay custom-shop money for either one.

What Carlson’s makes

Cremator and Delta Waterfowl tubes

These are the duck and goose tubes. The Cremator comes in close, mid and long range versions, ported or non-ported, and started at $62.99 at KYGUNCO on October 31. The Delta Waterfowl line sold singly from $60.49, and a mid and long range set for Remington Pro Bore was $109.49. Three-tube close, mid and long sets are sold too. Extended steel tubes stick out about 3/4 inch, and Carlson’s says that length is there to avoid barrel damage from steel.

TSS and turkey tubes

Turkey tubes are the tightest thing Carlson’s sells, at .045 inch of constriction or more. The TSS tubes in our feed came in .665 and .640 exit diameters, with a 12 gauge at $56.99. Go by your load, because .640 isn’t automatically better than .665. These tubes also carry a hard limit: never shoot steel larger than #4 through a turkey choke.

Sporting clays tubes

Extended about 3/4 inch, these have a parallel section 25% longer than the flush tubes, and Carlson’s says it’s for tighter, denser patterns. They ran about $50 in 12 gauge on October 31, and the same line covers guns from Beretta and Benelli to Fabarm.

Flush replacements

Lost the factory tube? This is the cheap fix. Flush tubes are 17-4 heat-treated stainless, and Carlson’s says they can run lead or Hevi-Shot in every constriction. A buckshot flush tube was $22.97 at Sportsmans Outdoor Superstore.

Magazine extensions and barrels

The extension kits cover pumps and semi-autos from the Benelli M4 and Nova to the Remington 870 and Franchi Affinity, and most ran about $75 to $80. Replacement barrels are a smaller line, with a Remington 870 18.5-inch at $246.99 from SCHEELS and a 24-inch at $263.99.

Carlson’s choke chart: what the constrictions mean

This is what most people came here for. Carlson’s chart measures constriction in thousandths of an inch, and it says 12 and 20 gauge follow the same steps. Cylinder is the bore itself, which changes by make and model. So an exit diameter only means something next to your bore size. A Carlson’s Delta Waterfowl long range tube for Invector DS is stamped Full .710, a figure that wouldn’t be Full on a tighter bore.

Now the part people miss. Steel doesn’t compress the way lead does, so Carlson’s says it patterns tighter through the same tube. A Skeet choke with steel gives you an Improved Cylinder pattern, and an Improved Cylinder gives you Modified. If you just switched from lead to steel and the pattern got thin at the edges, go one step more open before you buy anything.

Steel shot limits for Carlson’s chokes

Overrun a tube’s steel limit and you’re risking the tube and the barrel. Those limits change by tube family, so read the one you own instead of assuming. Carlson’s Coyote tube isn’t for steel at all, and the rest are below.

Build quality and where it’s made

Carlson’s says its tubes are made in the USA, and its flush tubes are 17-4 heat-treated stainless. What it talks about most is pattern data, and that’s fair. You should still treat a choke as a piece that needs care: Carlson’s warns that plastic wad fouling builds up inside a tube, so pull it, clean it and put it back. A tube left in for a whole season can be a real job to get out.

How Carlson’s compares

Trulock is the closest rival on price and fit. Briley is the one to look at if you want a competition choke with a more custom feel, and you’ll pay more for it. Patternmaster takes a different approach, with a design that strips the wad, and its fans buy it for that reason.

For most hunters, I’d start with Carlson’s because you can find your exact thread and constriction. It’s the easy place to get a tested idea without spending a lot. If you shoot registered clays for serious money, or you’ve patterned Carlson’s and want more, that’s when the others earn a look.

Who should buy what

• Duck and goose hunter: a Cremator or Delta Waterfowl tube, starting at mid range.
• Turkey hunter with TSS: a TSS tube, in the constriction your load prefers.
• Clays shooter: Sporting Clays tubes in the two or three constrictions you use most.
• Lost a factory tube: a flush replacement for your exact thread.
• Pump or semi-auto owner: an extension kit, once you’ve checked your state’s capacity rules for hunting.
• Competition shooter: try Briley before you settle.

If your shotgun has a fixed choke, none of this applies without barrel work. Skip it and look at a new barrel instead.

The Carlson’s philosophy

Pattern it yourself. That’s the whole idea, and it’s more useful than any marketing line on the box. Carlson’s method is plain: a target that holds a 30-inch circle, 40 yards as a starting distance, and three to five shots averaged to smooth out flukes. Anyone can do it with a roll of paper and a box of shells.

How to choose your Carlson’s setup

Start with thread pattern. Pull your current tube and read it, then check Carlson’s interchange guide. It has real traps. Browning Invector, Invector Plus and Invector DS are three different things. Beretta and Benelli Mobil covers many brands, but Crio and Optima don’t match it. The guide also says plainly: never force-thread a choke into a barrel.

Next, pick the job and shot type. Then pick the constriction, remembering steel’s one-step jump. Buy one tube, not a set, and pattern it at the distance you really shoot. If you want the basics first, read our shotgun choke guide.

A pattern board on the high plains

There’s something I enjoy about a choke company on a Kansas highway, firing shells at paper for 35-odd years and then telling customers not to take its word for it. Its Electronic Patterning Board is a more modern way of doing the same chore. Most of what makes a good tube is that kind of repetition.

Facts and Figures

• Base: 12834 Hwy 25, Atwood, Kansas.
• In business since: about 1988, based on its own 33 years in 2021.
• Patterning method: 30-inch circle, 40 yards to start, 3 to 5 target average.
• Constriction steps: Skeet .005, IC .010, LM .015, Mod .020, IM .025, Full .030, Extra Full .040, Turkey .045+.
• Prices on October 31: flush $16.48, Sporting Clays about $50, TSS $56.99, Delta Waterfowl $60.49, Cremator $62.99, 870 barrel $246.99.

Shop Carlson’s Choke Tubes & Prices

Live Carlson’s products and current prices, organized by department and updated automatically.

Where Carlson’s Fits in Our Buying Guides

• The Best Duck Hunting Shotguns
• The Best Turkey Shotguns
• The Best Clay Shooting Shotguns
• The Best 12 Gauge Shotguns
• Shotgun Chokes Explained

Carlson’s Choke Tubes FAQ

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