Home Forums Reloading 16 Gauge Society Welcome 16 Gauge Reloaders - Check In Here

Hello Gentlemen (and Ladies):

It is my honor to welcome the 16 Gauge Reloaders group to what I hope is a new, happy home.

I currently load for an Arrieta 803 and a AyA 53 in 16 gauge, plus a couple of Sweet Sixteens. The data from the group has been invaluable. I hope to provide a permanent home here.

Being in Cali, I am working with bismuth now quite a bit for my old gals.

We’d love to hear about you, and your 16s!

Again, welcome to the ‘Fire.

Rick Bin

Excellent! Mine are pretty plebian, a Remington 11, an 870 for steel shot and an ancient Excel single barrel that I inherited from Dad. Story was a neighbor who was packing up to move to California during the Dust Bowl days gave it to him.

Great!
I load for a Dickinson Estate SxS, Cheesy's M37 Ithaca, and 100 year old German made SxS by Oscar Will.
I started out with a Mossberg M500 pump as a kid, then switched to 12 ga for a long time, down to 20 for longer and finally back to the Queen of the Uplands. Wads and hulls can be problematic to find, but I don't see myself changing now.

Thanks Rick for taking us in. I reload for a couple of browning A5’s and a Stevens model 285. Hope to see the 16 loads up and running. Would also like to see some sub gauge stuff added. Thanks again

Are there any plans to host the spreadsheets here? Maybe a truncated version of the many overlapping files

Diggity! My A5 will learn something new. .

I'm so glad this forum is up. I love my 16 and have always wanted to get a loader for it but at the same time only shoot a couple boxes a year hunting it. Time to change that.

I have utilized most of the spreadsheets, going back to the original put together by Chukarman. They are in MS Excel, which I refuse to buy, but easily dragged and dropped into the free Open Office spreadsheet and function perfectly there. I prefer the version that organizes by hull, but others may prefer the ones that go by wads and powder.

Thanks to Rick Bin for hosting us here.

Hello Rick
Thank you for hosting! I agree, the data from the group has been invaluable. I load for my Fox Sterlingworth.

Thank you Rick. I have a Sweet Sixteen, a Model 12, two Levefer Nitro Specials and maybe something else I have forgotten. This is going to be a great forum.

I will import and post the data later today when I get to my PC. The spreadsheets will be stickied on top.

Glad folks are starting to make it in.

oooo check me in too!

SxS Stevens 315, Win M12.

And just yesterday I learned that I've been reloading Cheddite 2 9/16 hulls,. They are on their last trip into the chambers. Time to figure a load for the 500 Herters, with the case ofsp16s that I was gifted. That or saw them down to 2 9/16.

Also, Fiocchi high brass reloads don't work in my chambers. I cranked down the sizemaster, still no joy.

It took a few tries, but I'm in.

Rick, Thanks for taking over the reloading data/forum.

Looking forward to some reloading this winter now that the rains have returned to the Pacific Northwest.

Rick Lewis

[Linked Image]

Stevens 315. Purchased by my older bro to give to the younger bro in 1971. $20. I have since made the stock, and sand blasted and nickle plated the frame. I was trying for the flat stainless look. Those two "utility grade" barrels are nearly heavy enough to keep me from stopping my swing on Clays. Vs the M12 which is light as a feather.

Thanks Rick. I have several 16 gauges including two older doubles, a model 12 and a newer Browning Citori O/U that I load for. Looking forward to learning some new stuff.

Currently I don't reload for any shotgun but recently got my grandfathers Ithaca SxS, don't recall the model but it's and old single trigger. Shot my first rabbit with that gun but concerned with using it since it's old. Plan to have a gunsmith check it out. May end up with Dad's Mod 37 Featherlight too.

Hi, from the uk, got a couple of 16,s a5, english double, Italian over / under, all good guns, eager to reload especially for the a5, , looking for data could never access on the other site and don't think I was on my own ?

Thanks for hosting this Rick. I have three of them, a model 16 with a dial a duck, a 1938 Ithaca 37 Skeet, 26 inch IC, and a Browning Citori Lightning. I load on a PW 375.

Ha, very cool. I have several sixteens and shoot them exclusively, for game birds. I'll be sure to check in here from time to time

Rick, we all at 16 ga society thank you for the kind welcome. I believe all 16 ga users or want to be will find a great wealth of experience and information from the 16 haters. People will find their is a great supply of supplies because these guys have already found them and will share it all.
Again than a great shooting.

Very welcomed news, Rick. Thank you for helping to preserve and spread the 16 ga data and sundry info.

Looking fwd to following this. I load fora 16 ga Citori, a Merkel SxS and am looking at a sweet 16.

Thanks for taking this on, It's been a while since I've been over here, it'll give me a reason to check in more often. I use this data to find loads for my Ithaca Flues SXS circa 1921.

Thank You!

I own 2 Rem.870's.

One has a red pad from them and the other has just a butt plate.

I never could get over the price of a 16 ga.anyone's loader so i got a Lee.

It does a good job.

I just came into several boxes of 16 ga.wads some new plastic but quite a few bags of card wads.
Over powder and shot wads.
There were some new primed hulls but i can't remember who made them.
Might need to look closer tomorrow .
I use it for quail and dove.

New 16 gauge shooter here. I ended up with two from my deceased mechanic and very dear friend Bob. I wanna keep em going in his honor. Ithaca SxS and a single shot with tennite stocks.

Checking in, new to 16's. Been shooting a new A5 Sweet 16. (Flame suit on!). Didn't reload for shotguns until I got this one. All 7 of the other shotguns now retired! Looking for a SXS. LC, Nitro, Fox, or Parker.

This is going to be nice. I load for three drillings, a Spanish sxs and a Marlin O/U. I have a Mec 600 set up with a short shell kit and load 2 1/2" almost exclusively.

The 16ga even make a great coyote hunting rig. This is one of my favorites for coyotes hunting in thick cover. 1 oz of NP BB's stops them in their tracks.

Rick, Thanks for hosting this forum. I am a past user of the old spreadsheets and occasionally refer to the hard copies I made. Currently, I reload 16 ga. for a Browning 525 Sporting, an Ithaca 37T, Win. M12, Remington 58 and an L.C. Smith Featherweight SXS. I also have an 1800's German damascus hammer gun but I have not had the nerve to try low pressure BP equivalent shells in that one. Anyway, thanks for your efforts and I'll look forward to some good information here.

Thanks again

Well, I don’t load ‘em.....but always been a fan of purple hulls.

Well this is cool! I have no idea what site you guys are coming from, but welcome! My father loved me, as evidenced by the fact I grew up on 16s. I used to load bunches of 16 ga ammo every year. I've got zero upland hunting where I live now and all my inherited reloading stuff is back east. But I plan to travel to get the stuff back, and do some grouse hunting up north. I'm really looking forward to the info here, as I can't recall the loads dad showed me how to make with the old card wads. I do recall that 1 1/8 oz of 5s does pheasants and squirrels no good at all!

I don't load for it yet, but do have two 16s; an Ithaca passed down from my Dad and a Merkel sxs. The Ithaca was my do everything gun including ducks when lead was allowed. Now I use it mostly for mountain grouse. The Merkel gets the nod for most of my upland hunting.

Rick, thanks for the new Forum on the 16 gauge. Been a lover of the 16 ga. Since getting a Ithaca 37 16 ga. For Christmas in 59. I have had many 16’s since, probably 40 or 50. In 2015 I purchased another safe an had all my guns out on tables in my gun room. On two tables I had all my 16’s lined up and my wife came in an asked me were all of these shotguns 16 gauge. Told her yes and she counted them and said “ you have 14 16ga.’s “. She said wouldn’t it be cool if you had 16 16ga.’s. Yep I said and two months later I had 16 . To day I have pared it down to 7. Ran out of safe room.

“ 16’s hit like a 12 and carry like a 20 “. Long live the 16.

Woops, just added another 16, an old Noble pump, maybe use it as a loner or I might use it for a fence post.

Wow where did you find that woman. Lucky you. I need me one like that.

I load for a Western Arms (by Ithaca) double and a Winchester M-12.

2 Belgian Sweets and a Jap,1 LC Smith fg and an Ithaca 37R they all shoot fac ammo and loads from a 600 Jr Mec. MB

I've shoot ATA with only 16's. I also shoot games weekly in the summer many times 3 to 4 days a week
On ata handicap I seem to be stuck on the 25 line. But this summer I shot very little ata.
I'm more into the games. I can usually pay for my fees of the games . On shootoffs I have never felt handicap. At what is called back fence, parking lot or where ever shootoff is. Generally 15 to 40 yards behind the 27 yard post. I use the same load all the way thru 16yrd to shootoffs and i keeps up with any 12's. I've switched from my mod 12 16ga full 28" to my 525 citori 32" Muller cks about 3 years ago

Hi Fellow 16 gauge shooters,

I'm no stranger to 16 gauge guns, but only recently bought a 16 ga reloader.
I'm also stuck in CA, and the recent changes in the laws about shipping ammo directly
to an individual has clipped my wings from just buying factory ammo.

I have my grandfathers Syracuse Arms, and I have a wonderful Win. model 21"skeet".

Shotgunjock

Winchester Model 12 16ga x 2
Parker VHE 16ga
Parker Reproduction DHE 2 barrel set: 20ga/16Ga

Glad to see this!
Model 12s x 2 for me
One I’ve been hunting with since I was too small to pump the next round while it was shouldered and the newest is an early solid rib that I’m enjoying now. New to reloading for it so I look forward to the experience.

I don't reload shotshells, but I am a huge fan of the 16ga for upland birds.

Thanks Rick. I have been shooting 16s since I was a kid using my grandfathers Long Tom. Later I rescued an Ithaca 37 in 16 gauge from a pawn shop. When searching for quality 16 gauge ammo, I was disappointed with the quality of the cheap promo loads and by the price of the high end stuff, so I traded for a cheap Lee Load All II in 16 gauge. Now I reload a box or so every year for rabbits and varmints using components I have on hand from loading 20 gauge ammo, except for cases and wads of course. My hand loads using magnum shot outperform the cheap stuff by far and cost no more extra than a little time above the cost of the Wally World cheapies that cannot be counted on to be in stock.

Thanks for hosting us Rick. I have a Marlin 90 and use it for pheasants, sporting clays and an occasional round of trap.

Rick,

Thanks for hosting! Maybe we can convert more shooters over to the 16.

I've been a 16 Gauge shooter since I was a boy. Currently own three 16 Ga shotguns (Belgian Auto-5, Winchester M12 pump, Citori O/U) but don't reload for them. Guess I could learn! Glad to see a dedicated 16 Ga sub-forum here.

Checking in from the Yahoo 16 gauge group. Thank you for hosting the data.

Carl_G, also known as Carlos on 16ga.com. I was a member of this forum in the past but dropped it as I had too many forums on the go. I was also a member of BOTH Yahoo 16 gauge reloading forums. So now here we are, ready to go. Thanks 24hourcampfire for hosting our reloading forum.

Now we have to find that old Husqvarna site that disappeared on us a couple of years back.

This is great! I just mentioned up above that we need a 16 gauge forum and was told we have one! I grew up on a 16 gauge Ithaca 37 which was lost in a duck hunting mishap right before I went in the Navy in '67. As soon as I got out I replaced it. That 37 is now in the hands of one of my sons. Currently I have a 16 Fox Sterlingworth, a 16 gauge "hardware store" gun made by Fulton Arms (LC Smith) and a Merkel 1620. I had a 16 Ithaca SxS by my brother just had to have it, so he does. At 71, I have more guns than I need, (I know, I know( but most are in my sons' hands now, I only have 40 or 50 at home. If I get any more shotguns they will be nothing but 16 gauge. Now that I think of it, I should cruise the lgs's and pawn shops this weekend.

WTH!!!

Are you my doppelganger?

Rough count here shows I have a dozen 16's of every flavor from better drillings, to SXS, to autoloader, to pump, to bolt action, to single shot. Maybe we need an intervention?

Maybe we need more 16's.

I like your idea better. This one was just delivered an hour ago.

That is a beautiful shotgun, whos the maker/engraver ,that kind of skill is long ago gone !

It's a Nagel & Menz drilling, made in 1887. Check out the combination threads for more information.

It just arrived three hours ago. My 2 1/2" light loaded ammo should show up Monday. The rifle barrel under the two shot barrels is chambered in 10X47R, a mild old black powder load. I'll make brass from 9.5X47R brass necked up to 40 cal/10mm.

Oh, is that something special!!!! Very nice....

I found it, thanks for hosting!

I'm also loading more bismuth these days for a Belgian made 3-shot A5, a field grade LC Smith, and an Ithaca 37!

This was also enough to make me finally post to the campfire after a couple of years of lurking.

Hi Dogs
I am in the UK too 😊

I have two 16's, a Winchester Model 12 and a Western Arms (by Ithaca) double barrel.

well as a kid i started with a 16 gauge for bird hunting a model 11 Remington with 2 different barrels imp/full still own that shot gun and a Russian single shot too. my dear uncle Stanley was the designer and engineer at Federal Cartridge on all the crimps for plastic shotgun ammo in all gauges his name is on the patent too,he also helped pick out the colors for each gauge on shotgun ammo and that is why 16 gauge got purple so no one would mistake it for 12 gauge ammo. Federal along with my uncle choice the colors > 10 gauge brown,12 gauge red,16 gauge purple,20 gauge yellow,28 gauge brown,410 gauge red i got to see all this shotgun ammo before the public even knew about these colors for plastic shotgun shells. as a 14 year old kid shooter/hunter i had no ideal how big a deal this really was in the world to shotgunners all around the world.

Sorry ol boys. Didn't check in here before I posted a thread. I have the 37 ftwt that don't eject empties from the chamber. Bought it because I used to shoot the hell out of my grandpas 37 ftwt and it went to another family member when he passed away years ago. Love a 16ga.

I have two old Charles Daly sxs I love hunting birds with in 16ga. Also have a couple Win M12 Skeet grade solid rib 16ga with WS-1 and Mod choke barrels.

Glad to see a place here dedicated to 16 gauge shooters.

As an earlier poster said, my Father loved me. I too was raised on 16 bore. Back then, in the late 50's and through the 60's, where I lived the dream for birds was a Browning Sweet 16. I've never owned one and it's unlikely I will, just not my thing. That, and truth be told, I am not much of a shotgunner. HOWEVER...all I own is 16 bore double guns, combination guns and drillings, BP and Nitro proofed. The old ones get brass hulls and black powder while the "new" ones get their called for 2 1/2 handloaded hulls. If I remember correctly...(something that is always suspect)...my "newest" 16 bore is from the 1930's.

Another 16 ga. refugee here. Parkers and Winchester 21's. Thanks to Rick for the new "home".

I posted a 16 gauge refurbishment project called Meyer A' Challon which probably belongs within this thread.

Thanks for letting me join the group and the discussions. My toys are a Belgian vintage Sweet Sixteen, Remington 1100 16 and a TriStar Hunter EX 16 ga. over and under. I love them all. Can't decide which one to take to the range, so, I take them all. Shooting sporting clays and skeet.

Glad to be part of this group. I shoot Fanchi SL 16 and new A5 Sweet Sixteen. Passion is Sharptails and Huns.

Mainly here because of the 16 group.

I grew up with 16's in the fields, SxS, Autos and Pumps. I never really got into using the 16. My Daddy used an old Sweet 16, I can remember my job was to buy the kind of ammo he liked, as I went to every gun shop in the country.

Well here I am full circle. I took a 16 out the past two years and I am hooked. I have an old MEC loader and I am locating the supplies I need. I have some things from loading other gauges so I am not at a complete start.

Right now hulls are my issue.... I have a few but not the stock I really need.

Seems like a good forum to be apart of....

Thanks for having me...

Which companies offer 16ga reloaders? Are wads available? I have a drilling that shoots factory lights out from 16y. Haven't tried long y., yet. I need to reload for this shotgun.

I load for a Ithaca N.I.D. and a Win. M-24

I’m loading for a Baikal o/u, a Belgian browning a5, a new sweet, a Remington 870 and an old bolt action goose gun without any distinguishable info

Go to ballistic products website. They have more info about 16 gauge reloading than any other retailer I’ve seen. You can purchase reloaders, hulls, lead, ….

Hi I'm new to 16G. I just got a NIB Citori grand lightning built in 2010. I shot skeet this week with factory Browning 1oz loads. I'm looking for info on reloading the Browning hulls with 7/8 oz loads. I've read that the hulls Browning hulls are Cheddites. I checked the speadsheet and cant find any load data for the CB 7/8 wad. Can someone point me in the right direction?

That is probably true. And they have a 16 ga loading manual. I owned one and found it worthless in that the stack heights of several loads I tried, were way off. That manual has been recycled.

Im a lurker in here, I have a half dozen 16s and love them. Was loading with a lee load all until I came up with a mec for it.

Old member of the Yahoo 16 gauge group checking in -
I have an AyA model 106 in 16 gauge and a FAIR Jubilee over/under in 16 gauge.

Thank you for this forum. I am new to shotshell reloading. I grew up shooting a 16 ga. Model 12. Currently, I have a Browning Sweet 16 and a Dickenson Plantation 16 ga. SXS. Because of current inventory shortages, I cannot find ammo. I live in CA. I need to find #1, components, #2, load data for steel 16 ga. I have Unique and Longshot powder, Fiocchi primered hulls and BPI CSD-16 wads. I will primarily, be hunting pheasants. Any help for a newbie to forums and reloading is appreciated.

New to this group, been around the16 all my life. Reloading since the late 90's................always looking for something new

New to reloading, and new to 16s. I started collecting the equipment to reload for my rifles a few years ago, but haven't made a single round yet - just not that urgent a need. I expect I'll have more need to load for my 16 gauge than I will for my 30-30!

Just started Shot shell loading a couple years ago, mostly hunting loads for my Drillings with #2 and BB for coyotes. I have used the !6ga Manual, and the Advantages Manual. I do have to adjust the stack hights sometimes, with blackeyed peas and/or fillers and overshot wads, especially with the BB. I use Precision Reloading quite a bit, also Hodgdon, and Alliant powder companies, I got one of my best 2 1/2 " squirrei loads from one of them. B&P also has some free downloads, from "The Curmudgeon" . He had some pheasant loads listed. I use Unique, Longshot, Universal, and 800X , Fiocchi and Cheddite, hulls and primers mostly. I'm not a big clays shooter, so I mostly do a box here and there.

Hi, new to the group. I was hoping to glean some reloading info. I currently own/shoot Ugartechea, Sarasqueta, Winchester mod 12, FAIR Rizzini, TOZ hammer, and JP Sauer hammer all in 16 guage. I'm starting to run out of stocks of loaded ammo, so it's time to get loading again. I sold the old Mec a few yrs ago and got a Ponnsness and Warren right before the crazyness started. I have a good supply of hulls (fiochi) and powder ( Unique and 800x) and BP Wads the problem is a lack of primers. The only primers I can get a hold of are Noble Sports BUT I can't find any data for using Fiocchi hulls with them. Does anyone else use them and care to share a recipe? TIA

16 guage is my absolute favorite shotgun. I do reload some. I have 10 Belgium Sweet Sixteens, one cheap restored sxs and 1 new model Sweet 16.1 Remington Model 11 hardly been shot.
Glad to see other guys who enjoy the" Gentlemen's" caliber!

New to the group and forum. Reloading for my new to me Armas Garbi 16 ga.

I use cheddites with my 7/8 oz loads. Very soft and better patterns than a 20 gauge. Using several different wads dr16 the Italian 16 can’t recall the designation right now, universal powder since PB is no longer available.

Another new guy here, I took a break from reloading for a couple years but getting back into it again, using a PW375C. I’m a hobby machinist and have an old PW600 and 600B that I might get spruced up and modernized with some help from my lathe. I was part of the yahoo group years ago, not a very active part but everyone over there was very helpful!

I have a Remington 11 that gives me trouble with Cheddites, Rem hulls shoot fine in it. Gave up a long time back and just shot Remingtons, but the Cheddites are so much nicer to deal with on the reloader so I’m diving in again. If I succeed I’ll start a new thread on my long road of trial and error. If I fail then I guess I’ll just have to buy a double gun to digest the extras and feed the 11 what it likes!

Thanks for hosting us, I’ll admit it threw me into a mild panic when I couldn’t get into the yahoo spreadsheets anymore!

coolp51d, I have that problem with my 1946 Browning Auto 5, it will not cycle any European brand of shell. Winchesters, Remingtons, Federals and Activs cycle flawlessly but Fiocchi and Cheddites will fail to extract or eject every time

It may help to polish your chamber. Some older guns have really tight chambers.

The "brass" head on modern shells is actually brass plated steel. True brass expands and returns to almost the same size as it was unfired. Steel "brass" does not return to original size as much. Fiocchi and Cheddites "brass" doesn't seem to return to original as readily as US made ammo. A tight chamber or a little roughness in the chamber allows the "brass" to grab and prevents proper extraction.

Michael

Rick and Michael, thanks for the input. Good to know other long-recoil actions suffer this problem too. I polished my chamber a little in the past, but I did not have the measurement tools back then to really go for it, more of a deep clean than anything. This weekend with gauges and mics in hand, I went for it. I’ll start another thread with details so I don’t derail this one. Thanks again!

-Thomas

New to the group. I am just getting into reloading and started with the 16a. I have a 2.5” chamber fox sterlingworth, AYA #2, and merkel O/U, as well as a few other 16 ga guns to feed.

Looking forward to going down the rabbit hole!

My first post in the shotgun forum. I just acquired a Browning A5 16 gauge, 16/65 barrel. Thinking I may have to start reloading if I want to shoot it. Can't seem to find any 2.5 in shotshells.

Never reloaded shotshells before. Not sure I want to get into into it. What do you recommend to get started reloading? As simple as possible setup.

THanks,

Perry

MEC single stage reloader. I think it's now called the 600. They sell a short kit, which raises the portion of the reloader that holds the shell base by 1/4 inch so you can get a good fold crimp using a 2-1/2 inch shell. If you find only 2-3/4 inch hulls (likely, as 2-1/2 inch shells seem to be completely missing from the market, particularly in 16 gauge), Ballistic Products sells a kit that allows you to shorten the hull to 2-1/2 inches. Or, instead of the short kit, you can trim a fired hull to 2-1/2 inches, which will leave a bit of the crimp, and use an overshot wad (available from Ballistic Products) that you insert before crimping the hull using the standard 2-3/4 inch setup. The crimp won't close the mouth of the shell completely (hence the need for the overshot wad to keep the shot from falling out) but will crimp sufficiently to hold the overshot wad in place. If I recall correctly, this is called a Hardin crimp.

If they will feed through the action, you may find that low pressure loads in 2-3/4 inch reloads will work safely in the gun. There are a lot of opinions pro and con on this issue, but starting off with a low pressure load (something in the 8000 psi or less range) will not normally create excess pressures when fired in a 65mm chamber.

In addition, you'll find some nominally 2-3/4 inch hulls are not actually that long. I've measured nominal 2-3/4 inch hulls as short as 2-5/8 inches and a number of different makers at 2-11/16 inches. If your chamber is a true 65mm (some of the earlier guns actually have shorter chambers, which helped to form a gas seal when firing paper shells using paper or cork wads instead of plastic shot cups) and there is a forcing cone, you should be ok.

Hope this helps.

My first post, just joined forum yesterday. Am a upland bird hunter that uses side by sides and pointing dogs. Also shoot recreational skeet once a week using my upland guns.

I have had several 16’s over the years, now have a 6lb 1 oz A H Fox. I shoot 3/4 oz in my 12’s & 20’s for skeet. Plenty of recipes for those. But, I am having trouble finding reasonable velocity 3/4 oz 16 loads. I would like to stay under 1200fps. I have loaded from BP’s 16 manual, but the slowest load is 1230. My goodness, most of those loads are 1300-1800.

My 12 and 20 loads are less than 1200. Why not the 16 (for 3/4)? What am I missing?

Don't really know why you want to shoot 28 ga loads in your 16ga. A 1oz load at 1165 fps to 1220 should work for targets with nothing to adjust moving to light upland work with 7 1/2's...mb

I've been reloading 12/20 ga for years but have never owned a 16 ga until now. Just picked up a new MEC 600 Jr Mark V in 16 ga. I'm looking forward to loading for this gauge and particularly in non-toxic steel and bismuth. Would love to hear details on good steel recipes for Dove and also one for Ducks.

I'm glad that I found the forum. I was a member at the old 16ga board, but sadly as we all know what happened there and over time it just fizzled and I only learned about this one the other day. I'm glad to see some recent posts and topics that aren't many months old.

With that said, here's my introduction.

My first gun was a 16 ga stevens single shot that my Dad gave to me when I was 13 years old. It's been a great gun (still is) and that old gun and I have walked many miles through the woods together over the decades.

So, needless to say, I will always have a sweet spot for it.

So much so, that a little while back, I was able to get an old Noble pump shotgun for $95 that was needing a bunch of TLC and cleaning. It didn't look like it had been cleaned since the day it left the factory. It has one of those old adjustable chokes on the end of the barrel that I'm wanting to swap out with either a modified or even full choke barrel soon. I've found one of each that I'm deciding on which I'd like to pick up. I'm leaning towards the full choke because my old stevens has a modified in it and it has all of that covered.

I have some factory loads for it that I have squirreled away over the years because I have a tendency to buy a couple of boxes per pay day when I can find them, but also bought about 5 or 6 bags of rem wads when they were going on clearance during their bankruptcy stuff, so I have some wads for them.

I generally load on my little Lee Load-all press because I'm not a high volume shooter so the mec just didn't make sense for me even though I know they're good loaders. I just used the extra money I saved getting dies and molds and stuff for other things.

Thanks for hosting the forum and the great atmosphere here.

Bob, I like to load 3/4 ounce for several reasons. I usually shoot 3-4 rounds of skeet, I don’t like repeated recoil in light side by side guns. The cost of shot keeps going up. 3/4 ounce works well for me on the skeet field. Why use more?

I guess I understand that easy enough what wads and powder for your light 16 loads?..mb

I reload for my Fox Sterlingworth 16ga circa 1914. Would love to see some bismuth load data for something other than Longshot and Rem SP16. Thanks for all of the great info in this forum!

Loading for 1932 Browning A5. Love that gun.

New to the forum. I have 4 16's that I reload for, 2 sweet sixteens, a standard A5 that has been converted from 2-9/16 to 2-3/4 and an 870. With the availability of components now days it is getting harder to keep them in the field. Joined the forum hoping to learn some new recipes for these old 16's.

New to the group and forum. Some great information here! Thank you!

Not an active reloader, but may have to revisit it. Started buying 16 gauges ( 870 wingmaster, Winchester model 37) and soon to be Fox SxS. Looking at ammo available is disappointing.

For the couple folks looking for bismuth loads, BP recently posted these:

https://www.ballisticproducts.com/load12192022.htm

I have owned many 16's over the years. M-37 Winchester, late 50's M-12, early 50's corncob 870, and a [like new] Savage M-720 that still had the orig. hang tags on it.
The herd is now down to a late 40's Win. M-12, a 1952 Rem. 870ADL, 2 - Rem. M-31L's and my favorite a 1958 M-37 Ithaca with a 26" mod. choked barrel.

I have had a few over the years, Sweet Sixteen, Model 1912, etc.

I currently have a Win Model 37, Tristar G2 Viper and Savage Fox Model B.

I just started reloading, not so much to save money but to get what I want like steel No. 3s and a 1-1/4 oz turkey load.

Interesting to see a new(er) home for the `16 gauge fans.

I have been shooting my two 16 gauge doubles since 1990. And reloading for them. I shoot my 1915 graded 16 gauge Fox and my Harkom BLE 16. I live in SE Arizona. Some of you may remember me from the early days of the 16 gauge Society and 16gauge.com by the original 16 gauge load spreadsheet that I developed and contributed. Still at it.

Welcome C-man, I look forward to hearing of your experiences with the 16 gauge guns.

Greymule

Hello friends. I just acquired an older, but gently used MEC 600Jr press in 16-g. I am looking to load a few boxes just for fun for the old Ithaca Model 37. With the scarcity of powder, I would like to use what I have on-hand for 12-g: Win WST and 700X. Does anyone have recommended recipes with either of these powders? Thanks and be well.