The most open standard shotgun choke is the Cylinder choke.

Quick Scoop

  • A Cylinder choke has essentially no constriction at the muzzle, so the bore diameter stays the same all the way to the end of the barrel.
  • Because there is no constriction, it throws the widest shot pattern and is considered the most open common choke.
  • It is typically used for very close-range work like defensive shotguns, some clay target stations, and birds flushed at short distances.

Some charts or hunting courses may casually say “Improved Cylinder has the most open pattern” when only comparing Full, Modified, and Improved Cylinder, but when all usual options are on the table (Cylinder, Skeet, Improved Cylinder, Modified, Full, etc.), Cylinder is the most open.

In practical terms: if you’re asking “which shotgun choke is the most open” in a general sense, the correct answer is the Cylinder choke.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.