16ga.com ~ View topic - Please recommend a hassle free 1oz load for a Federal hull.

Joined: 12 Jul 2008 Posts: 33

Hello all,

I just purchased a Sizemaster reloader for my 16ga and am looking for a HASSLE free 1 oz load for the Federal purple hull.

I've perused many, many threads in this forum and it seems there is alot of folks who are required to trim hulls, use fillers, spreaders, etc. or are dealing with powder migration. Seems like a real pain in the arse.

My experience thus far with re-loading has been with a 12 gauge Sizemaster and I have never had to do any of the aforementioned. It's just prime the hull, drop the powder, add wad and shot, then crimp a beautiful looking hull. Easy, easy stuff. I realize that the 12 has many more quality hulls and wads available than does the 16, but there has to be at least one load that works well in the Fed hull 16 without modification.

As an aside, I've been told the Claybuster waa16 wad works well as a 1 oz wad, but may be a little loose in the Fed straight wall hull, allowing for powder migration with powders that aren't bulky. Or is this not correct?
Is there a better 1oz wad that fits the Fed hull a little tighter that doesn't require a filler or a specific powder?

All that being said, do any of you folks have a majic bullet 1 oz recipe for the Fed hull that gets 1150-1200 fps that you recommend?

Thanks

MOJO

Guest

Simple, go to the Hodgdon Reloading data web site, enter in the information that is required on the reloading data chart. There are about a dozen loads for the Federal 16 ga hull with a variety of wads, primers and Universal Powder. Stick with the Universal powder loads, you can't go wrong!!! No trimming, no adding, no nonsense. They will reload just like the target loads for your 12 gauge.

Understand that all the trimming and adding extra stuff to loads, needs to be done with some of the older and/or short chambered guns. Really for modern firearms there is no need to get into it, unless you like to experiment. Which a lot of us do.

Member Joined: 02 Oct 2007 Posts: 1975

27gr-4756 1oz shot W209 primer Sp16 rem wad 1230 fps 7200psi

According to the recent info I've seen, the new Claybuster WW16 clone 1 ounce wad has a wad base with a slight outward taper of the base cup skirt to suit all presently available 16 ga hulls. The base will squeeze into a Remington or WW16AA hull as well as flare out when seated firmly on the powder to fit any of the roomier Cheddite and Federal hulls as well. My guess here is the new wad will work very well with all but the finest grained ball powders suitable for 16 gauge reloading. The WW16 wad has a great reputation for excellent load performance and ease of loading. It is long enough to the base of the shot cup so fillers should not be needed for all but the lowest velocity 1 ounce loads.

I'd suggest looking at any manufacturer's published reloading data that is designed for 1 ounce loads using the Federal hull and the original WW16 wad. You will be on firm safe ground. I always liked Unique for my standard 1 ounce loads. Herco is good if you want to lower the pressure/velocity ratio a bit for older guns. Either powder is a cut round flat flake style that has never given me any migration problems with any 16 ga hull/wad combination. Any of the earlier Alliant manuals from the 1990's has readily available data.

The latest Alliant online data is designed around the Remington SP16 1-1/8 ounce wad. The SP16 was the only domestic wad available until just recently. I suspect Alliant will test the new Claybuster wad soon. If results are within safe specs and very close to the established data for the original WW16 wad, Alliant will republish it. In the mean time, locate one of their 1990's era manuals. The data there has always served me very well.

Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 728

19 grains Universal Clays, Ballistic Products, SPG16 wad, Win209 primers works like a charm. I've never chronographed it, but I've shot a couple of perfect wodbble skeet rounds with them loaded with #8s in my model 11 16 gauge.

22 GR UNIVERSAL with an SG16 wad 1 oz. shot and fed 209a get you 1220 fps and 8200 psi. Look on Hogdons site to confirm the load shoots good.

Guest

The only bloopers I've ever had loading the 16 gauge involved the Federal hull and the Winchester WAA16 wad. Never again will I pair that wad (or clone or R16) in a straight walled hull like the Federal, Chedditte, or Fiocchi. Your luck may be vary.

I'd look at the B&P or Gualandi wads for the Federal hull.

Member Joined: 16 Nov 2006 Posts: 1338

Guest

Hi Spike,

Just something to think about, wobble skeet, is shot at what distance? Maybe 25 yards at the most. It doesn't take much of a load to break skeet targets. Look at how many guys can shoot a perfect 100 with a .410, with 1/2 ounce of shot.

Joined: 12 Jul 2008 Posts: 33

Great info guy's. Thanks for the replies.

Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 728

Hey Dogchaser,

I agree with your assessment of a 410 on regular skeet, but wobble skeet is significantly more difficult. The targets are thrown in the same line (i.e. over the center post) as regular skeet but the vertical trajectory of both targets changes randomly from horizontal (which starts to fall as soon as it leaves the trap) to a 45 degree up angle each and every time a target is released. All targets in wobble skeet are also either report pairs or true doubles (with the exception of #8 high house, the only single in the round). At least once per round you will get a skyrocket/ground hugging true double that will cross your eyes and most likely make you miss.

My personal favorite is the last position on the field which is report pair at #8 facing the low house. When the trap wobble at the low house releases a falling target at eye level that you have to break about 6 feet away in about 2/10 second we call this station "suicide wood duck." This nickname is in honor of a legendary low incoming woodie drake that we picked up late once and hit the side of the boat after my buddy shot him about 10-15 yards away and the dog still jumped out to retrieve it (Labs are that way).

I have seen many 100 straight skeet shooters complain bitterly when they score in the high teens at our wobble field. The traps are set fast and somewhat off line sometimes due to age, the wind is often strong at our hilltop location and it is often hard to see birds when the shadows are out. I have shot at least 300 rounds of wobble skeet on this field and have only 2-1/2 rounds of 25/25 (we didn't know the high house wobble was frozen until after one round was over).

You are right about clay targets being relatively easy to break, but many wobble targets present only the edge of the clay bird to hit so I would definitely prefer #9s for the extra pellets if I was going to shoot 1/2oz of shot. I have seen some very good shooters score in the high teens with a 410 on the wobble field and many low twenties with the 28 gauge; but I would challenge anyone to shoot better than 1 in 20 perfect rounds on a good wobble skeet field with a 410.

Guest

Hey Spike,

I do shoot a lot of wobble skeet myself , so I do understand the angles and the game.

My point was that a fella can't go out and shoot a couple of rounds of wobble skeet and base how good the load that he uses works. To be really honest if you match the choke and shot size to the task, most gun/ choke/ load combinations are better than most shooters. At 25 yards it doesn't take much to break a clay target. For instance there are a few trap shooters out there that break the first target in Trap doubles with #9 shot. That target is taken right around the 26 - 28 yard mark and you really are shooting at the edge of that target also. You need to base a good load on more than shooting a couple of rounds of any clay target shooting.

A .410 with a1/2 oz load IS capable of breaking all those wobble skeet targets. Whether a particular shooter can do it or not, well that is another story.

Joined: 12 Jul 2008 Posts: 33

Guest

"Where there is a will, there is a way." For hunting ammo, I've suggested adding a small square of polyethylene cut from a food storage bag seated under and around the wad base. This extra little bit of care lets one use a slightly small wad in a roomier than ideal case. It has always worked for me perfectly for hunting ammo.

Even so, I've found the old WW16 wad and the SP16 have served me well with the coarser grained powders if the wad is seated firmly on the powder and the crimp is also deep and firm to keep things down and snug. Only ball powders have given me migration problems.

I've found the plastic used in some past batches of Federal game hulls has been too mallable and soft for crisp, firm crimps. It doers not fold nor crease well and the crimps have opened gradually. This has happened no matter how carefully the press has been set up. Nor has it happened with every batch of Federal hulls--only these occasionally too soft ones. These problem hulls will not take a folded crimp and produce bloopers not matter what is done. I've even seen some of the factory ammo with these hulls creep open, so I'm certain it is a fluke.

I reload nearly all my hunting ammo on a single stage press and use a carefully set, custom baffled pistol powder measure to throw very uniform charges. So the extra second it takes to put the square evenly on the wad guide is no problem for a couple of boxes of hunting ammo. I doubt it is worth the extra fuss for target ammo. I never use Federal hulls for this anyway. Remington GL hulls and an R16 wad serve me very well for all my light loads.