16ga.com ~ View topic

Joined: 25 Oct 2006 Posts: 4

Great site I have been following this for some time and got a lot of useful info here.

I have a 71 Browning Sweet 16 with a Mod Barrel. Not a removable choke. Anybody know what barrel I can use to allow for Non-toxic shot? I know that I cannot shoot steel (or form of steel) out of it, and browning doesnt sell the barrels direct anymore.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Member Joined: 09 Dec 2005 Posts: 989 Location: Las Vegas

Duck: You would have to find one of the latter Japanese invector barrels to shoot steel. You can occasionally find them on e-bay, but be prepared to pay an arm and a leg for it. You'd be better off to just shoot bismuth.

Matt

Joined: 25 Oct 2006 Posts: 4

I was told by Browning I should not shoot Bismuth either? Because of it still being steel, they said it could still cause damage to the barrel. I was afraid that the replacement would not be cheap. I was really hoping to get to use this gun more!

Member Joined: 09 Dec 2005 Posts: 989 Location: Las Vegas

Brownings web site says not to shoot steel and not to shoot hevi shot through the older browning guns. It does not mention bismuth. The bismuth cartridge company states bismuth is safe to shoot in the older guns. I have NOT personally shot bismuth through my Sweet 16. Are you going to be using it for waterfowl?

Matt

Member Joined: 25 Jul 2006 Posts: 781

Bismuth is not steel, it is not as hard as steel and if Browning told you it was then this is one more example of crappy information coming out of them.

Bismuth is fine in your Sweet Sixteen barrel. And the Tungsten Polymer matrix shells are safe too, and ballisticly better than Bismuth.

Do not shoot steel or tungsten/iron matrix as they are too hard and will bulge the barrel behind the choke.

Your mod choke is fine. You could buy an invector barrel and then shoot steel, but you can buy an awful lot of Bismuth for the $600 that a 16 ga invector barrel will cost....

I shoot bismuth out of A5's dating from '23 to '83. It's expensive and not as effective as lead and but it allows me to shoot these great old guns with no harm to them.

Member Joined: 09 Dec 2005 Posts: 989 Location: Las Vegas

Here you go!

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=59197102

Matt

Good work CF16!

Member Joined: 25 Jul 2006 Posts: 781

$625 with 6 days to go in the bidding. And it comes with only one choke tube.

This barrel will sell for a stupid price. How many non toxic shells do you need to shoot before buying this barrel will save you any money?

Jeff

Member Joined: 09 Dec 2005 Posts: 989 Location: Las Vegas

$625 and the reserve's not met Shocked

Matt

Joined: 25 Oct 2006 Posts: 4

Thanks for the help guys, I am going to use this for Pheasant, dont want it to sit in a marsh! I think I will go the bismouth route as I really would rather leave the original barrel intact and not sure I want to spend $700!
T

Member Joined: 25 Jul 2006 Posts: 781

Sanity prevails!

Jeff

Member Joined: 18 Nov 2005 Posts: 398 Location: S Fl

Not sure I follow this logic. Where are you planning to hunt that you need non-tox for pheasant?

Pete

If neduckdog is from the Cornhusker state, there are quite a few waterfowl areas in NE, some small, some large, that have very good pheasant habitat.
Especially in drought years these areas are semi dry and sport large expanses of cattail marshes and other such thick cover. Oftentimes the waterfowl areas are an island oasis in a sea of pivot circles of corn and beans.
Non-toxic shot required at all of these.

Joined: 25 Oct 2006 Posts: 4

Thats exactly it. We have a lot of great public land here in Nebraska and all require non-toxic shot.

Member Joined: 09 Dec 2005 Posts: 989 Location: Las Vegas

Well Duck that's interesting! Here in Nevada we have plenty of great toxic public land where you can shoot any kind of load you want! Laughing

Matt