How tough to get started?

[Jack]

Mike, you could start with your full choke tube, too. You probably won't be able to shoot as far as you would with a turkey choke, but, I'd guess you'd have a decent pattern at 30 yards, which is often plenty far.
Which brings up something else. It is vital to pattern your gun. Different loads perform differently- some loads your gun will like, some it won't. And there's no way to tell except pattern a few.
Another thing: when you're trying to throw a dense tight pattern, you don't have much room for error in aiming. You need to know which loads shoot to point of aim, and which don't. You're going to be surprised to find some loads shoot high, low, left or right.