16 Ga Reload Recipe Recommendations

[Billy Gross]

I just bought a terrific Winchester Model 21 Trap Skeet Grade with 28" barrels, SG,BTFE,SST, mat rib, and WS1/WS2 at the Balto show. I shot a round of skeet with it and it really smoked the birds. I am excited to shoot it more. PW has a 16 Ga tool head for my 800+ which I intend to buy and use after I collect a stash of hulls. What do you guys recommend for hulls and a reloading recipe. I intend to do 1 Oz. #9s. Thanx, Billy

[Daryl Corona]

Billy:
Go to http://www.16ga.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=2. These guys are a wealth of 16ga. knowledge.
I found a recipe for a 7/8oz. load which I have modified to a 3/4oz. load using a black RGL hull, 15.5gr. 20/28, DR16 wad and a WW209 primer. I have'nt shot a 1oz. load in years and with the performance of the light loads I don't miss them one bit. Your mileage may vary.

[Eric Eis]

Billy I hate to say this (as some Parkers can't handle all shells), but anything you want to shoot though it is ok, even the worst "promo loads" will not hurt her. It's a great gun, again built on a 20 ga frame great balance very nice gun that can handle anything that you feed it. Lucky guy

[Fred Lauer]

15.5 gr. green dot, claybusters 1 oz. blue wad, win. 209 primer, in the black remington case.

[William Davis]

I like 15 of Green Dot 7/8 oz Shot Downranges DR 16 wad in Herters Cheddite hulls. I can use the same in Remington RGL hulls but good clean ones are hard to find. I buy the Herters 1oz loads under 60 bucks a flat shoot them in a M 31 pump, then reload the hulls for my SXS guns.

Use the load in a Parker Trojan 6 lbs 10 oz and a FN Hammer gun that weighs 6 lbs. Your 21 probably weighs more and could handle 1 oz but why ? Skeet 3/4 or 7/8 oz breaks just fine and much easier lomg runs 100 plus shots.

William

[Billy Gross]

Thanx guys - I shot some Winchester Super X 1 Oz., and I think I will follow your recommendations and go to 3/4 or 7/8. Billy

[William Davis]

How you gun is choked makes a difference. Open chokes throw wider and if using larger shot sizes can print thin patterns with light shot weights. Tight chokes throw smaller and can get away with light shot weights.

One of my 16s, FN Hammer gun, is very open, one of the few loads I use # 9 shot to fill my 3/4 oz load pattern out. That's fine for short distance clays but if I ever used that gun for hunting would go up in pellet size and shot weight.

Pattern and let the gun tell you what it wants.

William

[Billy Gross]

Thanx William - My M-21 is WS1 & WS2 - I will pattern it next week. After shooting two rounds of skeet, I would say the pattern looks great. The birds were really breaking up nicely. I guess I am going to buy a flat of or RGL shoot em up and start reloading at 7/8.
Where do you guys get the RGL 16?

[Steve Havener]

The last RGLs I bought came from Bass Pro but that was several years ago. I think you will find Federal, Herters and Winchester straight wall hulls more reloadable as the thicker walls of the Remington's destroy the crimp after a couple re-loads. I like 7/8ths of an ounce shot with a couple grains of puffed rice on top in a Gualandi 1625 wad and 17.0 grains of Unique for clay targets and quail.

[William R Johnson]

The load that Double Lab references above is a keeper for me.

RGL hulls
7/8 oz. 20/28 15.5 Ched 209 DR 16 1119 6160
7/8 oz. 20/28 15.5 Rem 209STS DR 16 1124 6140
7/8 oz. 20/28 15.5 Win 209 DR 16 1105 5760


Hope this helps,
Bill

[Billy Gross]

Guys - I like the sound of the load the both Bills and Double Lab like. I guess I will buy a flat of RGL, then reload them with 20/28, Win 209, and DR16. I use a lot of 20/28 on my 28 Ga. so I always have that around. I will have to order a 16 Ga. tool set for my PW 800+. I do not doubt that this is a safe load, but Alliant doesn't have this or much else in their reloading guide for 16 Ga. I will ask them if they can test and endorse this load - fat chance. Billy

[Daryl Corona]

Billy;
It's already been tested.

[William R Johnson]

Double lab,
Have you tested any 1oz loads with 20/28? I asked Art a while back and he had not.

Thanks,
Bill

[Daryl Corona]

No Bill I have not. I stopped shooting 1oz. loads in my 16's years ago. Too much recoil for me and my O frame guns. I've settled on the 3/4oz. loads and have found them to break any target that I encounter on the clays course.

I use the same load, only bumping up the shot to 7/8oz. (which is the tested load I posted) for bird hunting. If I feel the need for a 1oz. load I go to the 12ga. I've killed a boatload of doves and quail with the 3/4oz and dozens of wild roosters in South Dakota with the 7/8oz. I try to keep things simple.

Daryl

[Billy Gross]

Thanx guys - That is helpful. Billy

[William Davis]

Same with me 16 G 3/4 oz targets 7/8 oz birds.

William

[Dave Noreen]

You guys may be over thinking this. One ounce 16-gauge loads have been virtually a "standard" since UMC first offered factory loaded smokeless powder shotgun shells in 1891.

Back in the day, 25 or so years ago, Byron Sterling who ran the shop for Randy Shuman up in Newville, PA, tipped me off to the fact that Winchester/Western were putting up their 16-gauge Dove & Quail loads in a compression formed hull like the AA. I bought several flats and have been reloading them for decades. I first loaded them with a Winchester 209 primer, 20.5 grains of WSF, the WAA-16 wad and one ounce of shot. When Olin discontinued the WAA-16 wad, I bought up all of them Green Top Sporting Goods in Richmond had, which lasted me quite a while. Just as I was about to run out of 16-gauge reloads, Claybuster came to the rescue with their CB-16 wad and I'm still using those compression formed hulls. About the same time Down Range introduced their DR 16 wad and I got a 7/8 ounce load from the 16-gauge society for use in the Federal hull which I had a good supply of -- Winchester 209, 16.2 grains of American Select, the DR 16 wad and 7/8 ounce of shot.

Several years ago I bought some flats of those black 16-gauge Remington Game Loads that were one ounce at 1200 fps, the same as the Winchester Ball Powder Loading Guide says my reloads are, and I found those Remingtons exceedingly harsh!?!

[William Davis]

I load everything down about one Gauge with a Game and Target load. Short 10 1 1/4 & 1 1/8 12 1 oz & 7/8 oz 16 7/8 & 3/4. 20 G my press is dropping 11/16 oz. and never use it on anything big Suits the old wood pretty well makes for easy shooting, need to hit harder just move up a gauge.

If I only had one game gun and it was a 16 might make up a 1 oz load. Can't see any reason for 1 1/8 in my 4 16's

William