Are Remington game loads safe to shoot in my Parker?
 

I have a Parker VH 16 ga. on a #1 frame. 2 3/4" chambers. The shells I typically buy are Remington game loads (1200 fps) such as the ones here:

http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/product/8-REM-GL167

Are these going to hurt my gun over time? They are considerably less expensive than rst..

Thanks!

If your gun is in good condition they will work fine. They do have plenty of recoil. I personally like less recoil and Cabelas has solved that for me with Herters shells. They are 1165 fps. 1 oz. loads. they shoot soft and work great, and are a great buy. I just picked up 7 flats of 8 shot. Can't beat the price.

Wow, thanks for the heads up! These are a great value! I will pick some up for target shooting. I wish they made these in 7.5 so I could use them for grouse!

In my opinion the Remington Game Loads aka "Black Beauties" are junk. Their recoil is horrible in 12 ga, even with 1 ounce loads, far more than a 1 ounce 1290 fps load should develop. I have also found them disappointing on the trap field as well. I never bothered to pattern them because I was done with them when I tried them.

Price is relative. What is the continued good function and preservation of your Parker worth? The VH was stocked in Black Walnut... which splits with recoil over time. The Herters and RST loads may prove most economical in the long term.

Thanks so much for the info guys, I am definitely going to go with the herters loads for repetitive shooting. What would you recommend as a grouse load for my parker? Price for a hunting load would not matter at all to me as I do not get a lot of shots grouse hunting.

John, I have put many, many cases of Remington game loads thru my VH 1 frame 16.
I still have 5 cases 7 1/2's plus sevral cases of Estates, and 5 cases of Herters. I dont appreciate much difference in recoil between the brands. I now reload and more often shoot 7/8 and 3/4 thru the 16's( they are great). I have never had a problem with using #8's for grouse, I certainly think that 1 1/8 oz loads are "overkill" for grouse and any factory 1 oz load is fine for grouse.

Your gun was patterned with 1 oz 2 1/ 2 dr loads , which is what the rems are. Such loads are also made by fed win fiochi and RST. I shoot any and all those through a number of Parkers both internal and external hammer designs both Damascus and fluid steel. Right now I have in the basement four cases of rems and five of Feds and one of herters from 6 7 and 8. I shoot prairie birds at anywhere from 20 to 50 yards and these shells work fine for me. Off to montana in early sept.

Some of my 16s are high grade others lower. Most are 1 frame some 0 frAme.

If a person looks at what Parker recommended they will find that it is a 1 oz 2 1/2 dr load or a 7/8 oz 2 1/2 dr load but most Damascus and fluid 1 and. 0 frAme were designed for the 1 oz load. A 1 oz 2 3/4 dr load is still within the Parker service load charts but I have seen that few people check those and instead offer up their own ideas

The 1290 fps 12 gauge loads that Pete describes are nothing like the 16 gauge Game Loads. The Game Loads are 1200 fps and are very mild. Pete should be buying the Federal 12 gauge Top Guns, 7/8 ounce at 1200, even lighter than the 16 gauge Game Loads. After many years of reloading 16s, I have quit loading and just buy the Game Loads.