16ga.com ~ View topic

[quote="MGF"]Was out shopping this weekend and saw a lot of what are now being offered as "pheasant loads" in 12 and 20. Some of the shot loads and FPS numbers were huge. I shuddered. I doubt many truly experienced guys will be sucked into these artillery shells, but I was just blown away.

Goodness, in the last 12-14 years, I've dropped a lot of birds dead with a 12 stoked with the old "pigeon load" of 1 1/4 of 6 at 1220 FPS. Same load from the top, but in No. 5, was my second-barrel shell. The shells on the shelf this weekend made those two loads look like the equivalent of garden-gun loads. Shocked

I certainly agree with MGF. It seems the ammo makers have figured out what to sell to the unknowing, fast and heavy. The buyers of these loads have no idea what this does to their patterns with the soft shot that is loaded in them. I think most of the buyers of these shotshells are also responsible for the current resurrection of "magnum mania" which is going on with centerfire rifle ammo as well. If you can't shoot good buy faster ammo, this will make up for your lack of shooting ability Question

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Dennis

Most ammo companies try to create a market for their products with buzz words like any other business will. This has been going on since the beginning. In the earliest days of fixed ammo, companies like Winchester, UMC, and many others had priority cartridge designations for their products that gave the impression these products were somehow different and special. Folks believed this hoopla then just as much as they do now. Hence the common 44-40 was the 44 WCF if you bought a box of Winchester loads and so on. It's a very competative businees and always was.

I reload 90% of all my ammo. It's the one guaranteed way I can insure the quality and uniformity of what I use. I can also tailor loads for specific uses and extend the versitility of any gauge gun I shoot.

The 16 gauge is by far, the most versitile gauge I use. That versitility depends on my ability to load my own. I have loads from 5/8 ounce clear up to 1-1/4 ounces. These loads are designed for specific purposes. I can load them with any size high quality shot I wish to. I can also load them to any reasonable and effective velocity I want. These loads all work very well for the purposes I use them for.

I'm also relitively free of all the horse manure thrown around by all the ammo companies who are trying to convince me their ammo is superior to all others including my own home rolled ones. I save money as well. It's nice to be self sufficient.

Joined: 02 Jun 2007 Posts: 107 Location: N.W. Iowa

16gauge guy wrote'
" I'm also relitively free of all the horse manure thrown around by all the ammo companies who are trying to convince me their ammo is superior to all others including my own home rolled ones. I save money as well. It's nice to be self sufficient."

I to am free of this "Horse manure" you speak of thanks to my new suggestions and opinions box('

')
Laughing

Member Joined: 01 Dec 2006 Posts: 524

i will go a step further and say that a heavier load is NEVER the solution. Actually, it may be the problem! 11/16-1oz is considered a balanced load in the 16GA. If you want a uniform pattern then stick with that. If you want all your pellets to arrive at the same time as well as arrive on target, stay with balanced loads and learn to shoot. Get some extra hard shot, and some good wads to contain the load and keep the velocities down around 1150-1220. otherwise, you will get a crapload of stringing, a bunch of deforemed and stray pellets that will have imploded on one another, as well as the bore before they ever leave your blaster. Hard or soft shot, small wad, low or high velocity for close range (or spreader insert) hard shot, larger wad and moderate velocity for long range. That's what the guru's say and though it took me 40 years to finally prove it to myself and believe it, it really does work. Of course, it's also important to learn how to shoot. Heck, I won't even shoot more than an once out of my 12GA anymore unless duck hunting over dekes or on the pass, goose or turkey hunting (and that's with non-tox.

Guest

While I don't doubt Jig's level of experience or his success with 1 oz. loads, I'm not sure I agree with the "never," nor that "learn to shoot" is always the answer.

For the most part, I had a really good year last season when it came to birds seen/birds bagged and shell-to-bird ratios...and my bottom-barrel load was nearly always one of the 1 1/8 Remington Express loads.

And while I'm no master of any of the clays games, I can step onto a skeet field, shoot from a low-gun hold and stay in the 20s with anything from a 28 on up. (My only .410 is a M42 pump gun choked full ... a terrific and fun gun, but not a great score-maker at skeet.). Same's pretty much true of 16-yard trap. In short, I'm a pretty good but not great shot...and I still find the 1 1/8s from Rem to be really good live-bird shells.

I'd say if you know basic gunning skills aren't your problem, shoot with whatever you've gotten good results with (clays and patterning board) and that leaves you feeling confident when you step into the field. Shot stringing is certainly real ... but so are practice and confidence.