Reloading 16 gauge
 

I reload 28 gauge all the time and use Winchester AA. I have now started shooting a 16 enough to decide I should go reloading route. What 16 gauge hulls are the best for reloading?

Thank you
Jeff

I have had good results with Remington high and low brass and Winchester. Federal needs a wad specific to it, also the base will on occasion will dish in giving poor strikes. I now stick with Remington.

I prefer to load cheddite hulls now, and load mostly 2 1/2" shells . I do have quite a few hundred black Rem's(RGL's). I like the little 7/8 oz load using 20/28 and DR16 wad in them, but they do split easily and dont get many reloads from them.

I like whatever hulls I can get to be 100% honest . I've got a 600JR for buckshot and slugs . Also have a like new (I bought it new) 650 that does very well . And about a year ago I got a deal on a NIB 9000 for the 16 and it works great as do my other 9000 loaders .

HOWEVER …………………. I have found the Winchester promotional 16 gauge shells don't initially resize well in the collet sizer of the 9000 , they for lack of a better term push thru and ruin the hulls . So before I try and resize them in the 9000 I resize deprime the hulls in the 600JR .

The Federal hulls and Remington promo 16's work just fine in the collet sizer of the 9000 .

A year or so ago I bought three flats of Winchester promo 16's and the same of the Remington promo 16's . I should have plenty hulls to keep me in business for awhile .

As to wads I stock the CB knockoffs of the WAA16 wad in both the 1 ounce and 7/8's ounce versions . I found the WIN hulls worked better with an ounce of shot using the 7/8 ounce wad and the REM/Federal hulls did ok with the regular 1 ounce wad .

FWIW the ONLY difference between the 7/8 and ounce CB 16 wads are a box kinda thing inside the shotcup on the 7/8 wad just to displace some space . My only problem with the 1 ounce wad in the WIN hulls was the kinda caved in crimp , I'm a bit picky about wanting the crimp to be flat across the top and not concave .

There's also a plethora of decent 16 gauge powders as far as target/dove loads are considered . I've used SR7625 , Unique , Universal and am thinking about Red Dot and possibly Green Dot . Seems to me there's also a decent load or two using the relatively new W572 (and I just happen to have 8 pounds).

Not a fan of Cheddite Hulls but, they are about the only 16 G hull that’s readily avalable in quanity. Down Ranges DR 16 wad is made for straight wall hulls like Cheddites and Hodgon has good 3/4 & 7/8 oz loading data for the combination .

William

Craig, I didn't quite understand about the Win shell and the resizing. Did you mean the top of the metal base bends in ? There's a couple of guys who like the 16ga and maybe I could help them. The " concave " crimp - a little helps lock the petals together so they won't relax and maybe go up. Just a thought.

I'm not sure how to explain the WIN hulls to be honest but I'll try !

I was using brand new once fired WIN hulls in the 9000 . Set them in the collet to deprime and resize and the thing I think was not holding them tight enough (but it had no issue with REM or Federal hulls) or maybe the base metal was really soft anyway they would push through and pretty much do away with the rim at the base but I could put a WIN hull in the 600JR resize it fine then put them in the 9000 no problem . I should be loading some 16 in the next couple weeks I'll try another WIN and take a picture of the messed up one .

The concave crimp is easily remedied with the CB WAA16 7/8 ounce wad . Right before Thanksgiving I ordered a case of CB WAA16 1 ounce wads and a case of the CB WAA16 7/8 ounce wads . So I'm flush for either wad for awhile .

What's happening is that the Win. hull does not fall down FAR ENOUGH into the collet of the 9000. The oversize rim keeps it "UP" above the rim recess and the collet subsequently squishes the rim out of the case head. Try opening the collet adjustment nut a tad for more room, or simply push DOWN on the hull until it bottoms in the collet.

I’m not disagreeing with what you’re saying but if that were the case why would it let the same hulls after being sized in a 600JR work okay ? The sizing process doesn’t change the diameter of the rim .

The 600 has a ring sizer. As the metal case head passes though it's reduced in diameter and in the process the unsized rim is drawn inward a few thousandths. This is enough for the rim to pass through the collet of the 9000. Without "pre-sizing" in the 600, the rim is too wide to drop down into the collet rim cut.