Evening all.

I'm in the plotting stages of a small writing project (one of many) and I've come to a point where I need an answer I don't seem to have in any of my books that's likewise proving elusive on the internet.

What I'm looking after is the rough date at which the Cutts adjustable choke would have come on the market. Reason being, I've got an early Winchester 1897 riot gun drawn up that takes on a particularly distinctive air when fitted with a corncob.




At present the date is going to be in the early 1920s.

It's not absolutely essential that the Winchester in question be wearing one. That said, I'd like to include the detail - if I can do so without playing too loose with historical fact. Anybody here maybe have the dates on hand? Or know of a place I could look? Any help appreciated.

Did a little Googling and got this from a shotgun forum;
"Lyman choke or Cutts compensator are tubes screwed on the end of the Cutts device. The Cutts is a muzzle brake used in the 50's thru the 70's."

That's the best I have!
Craig...

Lyman bought the rights to the original Cutts Compensator and Cutts adjustable choke back in the very late '20's. It was purchased from the original designer,,a Ret. USMC Col. IIRC.
The adjustable choke system at that time was removable tubes screwed to the front of the compensator body. Each tube was a different choke.

When Lyman actually started marketing the Cutts 'adjustable choke' version, I don't remember,,but perhaps an email to the company would get some better history. They still hold the rights to it I believe.

I do recall seeing adjustable chokes factory installed on some Stevens shotgun Mod 520-A shotguns and being told they were 'Lyman' mfg chokes. Seems like they had limited choke settings (3?) but perhaps I'm thinking of another adj choke like the later Mossberg C-Lec or a Weaver.,,The 520A commercial guns were last made in the late 30's,,(Military trench guns thru WW2).

The Cutts chokes I recall on most skeet guns from the 50's and 60's all seemed to have the original non-adjustable style. Different tubes for each choke desired. Everyone called them Coke Bottle chokes due to the sillouette of the cage and tube assembly on the barrel,,,and they are loud! to the bystander shooters.
Winchester offered them as an option on M12 and M42's. They made the M97 till 1957,,but I don't know if you could order a Cutts on it. Seems like they used to do about anything the customer was willing to pay for..

A factory installed unit will have no choke marking on the barrel for obvious reasons,,but it's a good first step in determining if a gun with a Cutts is aftermarket or factory install.

Polychoke came out with their adj choke in the 1920's,,about the same time as the Cutts.


Nice graphic BTW..

IIRC, they were common on Thompson subguns in the 1920's...

About '49 I was in highschool and met a guy with a Browning Auto 5 with a Cutts and a set of tubes.Probably the greatest wingshot I've ever known and could call mallards into a dry field without decoys.I determined to have a similar setup and a couple of years later bought the brand new Auto 5 for $119.00 and another $25 or 30 to have the Cutts and an Imp Cyl.,Mod.,Full and Extrafull tubes.Ducks or doves couldn't fly high enough to avoid the full or extrafull "flak".The biggest problem was figuring lead angles.I wore out a number of recoil springs before I retired that gun but the memories are quite clear 58 years later.
I always preferred the Cutts because the shot was way ahead of the wadding trash when it hit the constrictor chokes and less "blown Patterns"