16ga.com ~ View topic

Joined: 28 Dec 2006 Posts: 28 Location: Pullman, WA

I'm thinking of buying a pre-war Auto-5 with 2-9/16" chambers, and before I commit, I'm checking out what's available for reloading. I'd be using the gun for early pheasant season, and I'd like to load it with an ounce of #5 shot. I know I could easily buy loaded shells and reuse the hulls, but I'd prefer to load 2.5" hulls without having to shoot or cut hulls. Anyone know of a good source for 2.5" hulls?

Many thanks for any and all help.

Member Joined: 27 Jun 2005 Posts: 1545 Location: Michigan

Graf's but they're out of stock right now.
http://www.grafs.com/product/185030

Member Joined: 27 Oct 2006 Posts: 161 Location: New Mexico

Ballistic Products and Precision Reloading has them.

I do the cut method, it works well.

I have some pages of loading data for 2 1/2 16ga. I can e-mail them to you if you'd like.

The load I've found that cycles my early A-5's is 24 gr Longshot, a B&P TUWZ2M16GA (also called Z16 by BP) with an ounce of shot and a 0.03" overshot card.

Joined: 28 Dec 2006 Posts: 28 Location: Pullman, WA

Sweetness and light...thank you!

I've got a PW 375 that I use to load for my Citori 16, and I did some reading on this forum today about using it to load for the shorter hulls. What I'll probably do, however, is roll-crimp them.

I checked the Ballistic Products website, and all they have listed are the 2-3/4 hulls. Most likely they don't show what they don't have in stock on their web site, and I need to get a catalog. Thanks, too, for the Grafs link.

I'd love any info that could be thrown my way. I'd like to use the gun this fall.

Thanks again!

I had been using cut down Fiocchi hulls for my 3 A-5's with 65mm chambers, and am now almost through the 1st loading on a case of the Cheddite 2.5" hulls from Grafs. I [also] now see they are out of stock. As soon as they come back in , I plan to get more. After considerable searching, and a whole lot of cutting, I think that Graf's is the best source for these hulls. I modified a MEC 600jr without a lowering kit to load my 65mm hulls. It works very well. I did do some roll crimping, but that got tedious pretty fast. I now only roll crimp for a few heavy game loads each year. I shoot mostly trap loads.
I did try a modified "fold, not roll crimp" of the 65's by making a short fold over an overshot card in a LEE [2 3/4"] shotshell loader. The crimp did not reach the center, but did fold tightly against the OS card, and seemed to shoot well. I later saw this same crimp style on the reloading group's site, called a Hartin Crimp.
http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/the_Hartin_crimp.JPG

Joined: 28 Dec 2006 Posts: 28 Location: Pullman, WA

Well, the deal fell through. I was really looking forward to a 16 Auto-5 this fall. Thanks everyone for the info. The search continues.