What Choke Comes With a Maverick 88?

If you’re new to shotguns or just picked up a Maverick 88, you’ll notice something confusing right away: some Maverick 88s come with a choke, and some don’t. When I bought mine about five years ago, I had the exact same question.

So let’s make this simple.

Short Answer:

The standard Maverick 88 Field model comes with a Modified choke (Mossberg Accu-Choke system).

The Security model comes with a cylinder-bore, fixed barrel and does not use chokes.

But that’s just the start, especially if you want to use your 88 for upland hunting, clay shooting, or home defense like I do.

Let’s break it down the way I wish someone had explained it when I first bought mine.

The Maverick 88 Field Model, What Choke It Comes With

The Maverick 88 Field ships with a single Modified choke installed from the factory.

Why Modified?

Because it’s the most versatile “do-everything” choke for:

• Upland bird hunting (pheasant, quail, etc.)
  
• General-purpose shooting
  
• Most sporting clays stations
  
• Small game
  

I’ve run my Field model through everything from dusty September dove hunts to long weekends of clay shooting, and the Modified choke has handled all of it surprisingly well for a budget shotgun. And after five years of ownership and regular maintenance, the biggest thing I’ve learned is this:

A Modified choke lets the Maverick 88 do way more than people expect at this price point.

What choke system does it use?

The Maverick 88 Field uses the Mossberg Accu-Choke thread pattern, the same one used in most Mossberg 500 barrels.

This matters because:

• You can buy tons of affordable aftermarket chokes.
  
• You can swap chokes with friends who shoot Mossbergs.
  
• Upgrades actually make a noticeable difference in pattern quality.
  

And yes, people search this a lot, so to answer it directly:

Does a Maverick 88 use Mossberg 500 chokes?

Yes.

If the barrel is threaded (Field model), it takes Accu-Choke tubes, the same family of chokes used by the Mossberg 500.

The Maverick 88 Security Model, No Chokes

Should You Upgrade the Factory Modified Choke? (My Experience)

If you stick to:

• Upland birds, or
  
• Weekend clay shooting
  

…you can get very far with just the Modified.

But if you want more performance, these choke upgrades were the biggest improvements I’ve seen across friends’ guns and my own Mossberg-pattern shotguns:

1. Improved Cylinder (IC), for close upland & sporting clays

Great for quail, grouse, and close skeet-style shots.

2. Full, for long-range pheasant and tight patterns

If you find yourself taking 35–40 yard shots regularly, you’ll appreciate this one.

3. Aftermarket extended tubes

Brands like Carlson’s and Trulock are affordable and noticeably cleaner in pattern density compared to the factory flush chokes.

Even though I haven’t “tested every choke on earth,” five years of maintaining a Maverick 88 and shooting thousands of shells through a Mossberg-pattern system has taught me that choke selection matters way more than beginners realize, and this gun responds well to upgrades.

What Choke Should a Beginner Start With?

Since your Maverick 88 Field already comes with a Modified choke, start with that.

It’s the perfect beginner setup for:

• Dove season
  
• Pheasant opener
  
• Trap or informal clays
  
• General-purpose shooting
  

Once you start to understand pattern distances and what shots you’re consistently missing, then upgrade.

This is also where the Maverick 88 shines as a beginner-friendly shotgun: you don’t have to buy a bunch of stuff to get started.

Quick Comparison: Maverick 88 vs Mossberg 500 (Chokes Only)

Shotgun	Comes With	Thread Type	Uses Mossberg 500 Chokes?
Maverick 88 Field	Modified	Accu-Choke	Yes
Maverick 88 Security	None (Cylinder Bore)	No threads	No
Mossberg 500 Field	Modified	Accu-Choke	Yes

This is why so many people cross-shop the two, because the choke systems are identical in the Field models.

Summary