16 ga. Ammo

Dakotazeb

Dakotazeb

Well-known member
I know we previously had the discussion regarding 16 ga. loads. But the question I have is: Where is the best place to purchase 16 ga. shells, both selection and price??

I need to pick up some low base 7 1/2 or 8 shot for clays and doves. I'd also like to buy get some field loads. Either the Federal Wing-Shok HV Pheasant Forever loads or the Fiocchi Golden Pheasant loads. I'll also need some Federal Ultra-Shok HV Steel loads.

I'll be looking in the Dakotas or Minnesota. Here in Aberdeen I can buy the Federal PF loads and the Fiocchi's for $14.99. Low base Federal or Estate run $8-10. Maybe that's as good as I'll find them.
 
George; I just checked Cabala's and your local shop has them beat big time. a couple of bucks easy. The going rate around here on clay&dove loads Is about 7 bucks a box of 25. That is 20 gauge and 16's should not be much more.---Bob
 
I live in the Mankato Mn area and it is darn hard to find 16g shells locally for any reasonable price. gander mountain is the worst and scheels is barely better.

Fortunately I was at a small bait shop in Northern Wi a few years back and for some reason they had about 30 total boxes of shotgun ammo and 10 of those were RGL's for 7.99 a box so I bought them all and have been reloading the hulls at home. I have to believe they must have purchased them by mistake.

IMO the best place for both price and selection is reloading in the basement.
 
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wal mart sells a federal load, possibly 1 oz of 6's, for $5.99. Not an ideal load, but I am going to shoot it at early season pheasants, as well as sharpies and ruffed grouse...I believe it is about 1200 fps...worth having few cases of that for $6/box...
 
benelli-banger said:
wal mart sells a federal load, possibly 1 oz of 6's, for $5.99. Not an ideal load, but I am going to shoot it at early season pheasants, as well as sharpies and ruffed grouse...I believe it is about 1200 fps...worth having few cases of that for $6/box...
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WalMart may not have cheap 16 ga in stock, but any store which sells ammo can order them for you. Ask a supervisor at the Sporting Goods section. Usually takes about a week, and no shipping charge. Expect to pay about $6/box,
 
The Wal-Mart here is if you can get someone to take care of you. I waited 20 minutes Tuesday in Sporting Goods and never seen a soul. Finally went to a different store not a Wal-Mart and got what I needed in 5 minutes.---Bob
 
I think you are doing good getting Fiocchi and Federals for $14.99. If you can get low base shells for $6 -$7 a box your doing really well. The last time I was in Amarillo, TX. I bought several boxes of Remington Game Loads for $6 in Wal-Mart. Also, I found Remington Long Range Express of $13.75 a box at another sporting good store, can't remember the name. Gander wanted $19/box for the same stuff. The big name sporting goods stores; Cabelas, Gander and Bass Pro are going to take you for a ride.
 
George, I was at the super low discount house here in Spokane today. The low base Winchester 7.5 and 8 were 7.99 per box of 25. The Winchester High Base, like your Federal PF loads were 16.99, 4-5-6 shot. I don't get there much as it is about 3 miles from my home Wal-Mart is 4 City Blocks. But with the service at Wal-Mart lately, that is I may be going there more. I wanted to get my Hunting and Fishing License, that is why I waited for 20 minutes at Wal-Mart.---Bob
 
I too bought several...actually 18 boxes of Winchester 1 1/8 6's from Wal-Mart(s) in Amarillo. They were having a sale on 16ga and I bought all each store had left at 6.99 a box. Academy has the Remington Long Range Express at a great price. Like Badger said...it's around $14. I'm in Midland for the next few days and will check the Academy here.
 
Academy doesn't always have the best prices, but it's always worth checking them. Last year they had Remington Shur Shot (hi brass, 1 oz 20 ga) on the shelf at $4.39. I filled a grocery cart...well almost full.

I really like Shur Shot. It hits hard and uses hard shot, so the patterns are very good. Shot quail with it last Fall, and even with IC choke, I had to count to five. The birds I shot closer than a slow five-count were hamburger.
 
I do not think WAL MART is replacing the cheaper 16 ga shells. They had them last year and I bought 3 or boxes, but they no longer have then in Sioux Falls. If you find them at 5.99 to 6.99 get some for me! These would be fine for quail to grouse in most situations.
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Well, I don't know about any ammo but I picked up a dandy model 12 Winchester 16ga over the holiday weekend. This time I made sure it's a 2-3/4" chamber and not a 2-9/16 chamber

This is the gun that was said to be "a 16 that carried like a 20 and hit like a 12. Lighter than a 20ga model 12 but shoots loads close to a 12ga. A true "Classic"
 
onpoint said:
Well, I don't know about any ammo but I picked up a dandy model 12 Winchester 16ga over the holiday weekend. This time I made sure it's a 2-3/4" chamber and not a 2-9/16 chamber

This is the gun that was said to be "a 16 that carried like a 20 and hit like a 12. Lighter than a 20ga model 12 but shoots loads close to a 12ga. A true "Classic"
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"a 16 that carried like a 20 and hit like a 12.

That's a great sales slogan, but far from the truth.

12 ga loads are anything from 1 oz. to 2.25 oz.

16 ga loads are anything from 1 oz. to 1.25 oz.

20 ga loads are anything from .875 oz to 1.375 oz.

so both 12 and 20 maximum loads hit harder than the heaviest 16.

The 16 ga uses the same receiver as the 12 ga. The 20 ga shares a lighter receiver with the 28 ga.



It's more accurate to say: a 16 carries like a 12 and hits like a 20.
 
I have a feeling this could well develop into quite a debate.

To generalize and say that the 20 ga. maximum loads hit harder than the heaviest 16 ga. loads because the payload is heavier is just plain wrong. Velocity also has a lot to do with it. I think you will find that if both shells are loaded with the same oz. of shot the 16 ga. loads will have a higher velocity. Of course how a shell/gun patterns will also effect how hard it hits (i.e. putting more shot in the killing pattern) The 20 ga. 3" has a long shot string in in many cases does not pattern real well.

I'm also not sure that your statement about the Model 12 16 ga. being built on a 12 ga. frame is correct. I've only owned one Model 12 16 ga and that was 45 years ago. But it seemed to me that it was smaller and lighter than the 12's.

Of course there are other 16 ga. guns that are definately built on a smaller frame. The 16 is a great gauge and I would put one up against any 20 ga. any time. There only negative is the lack of ammo available.
 
Dakotazeb said:
I have a feeling this could well develop into quite a debate.

To generalize and say that the 20 ga. maximum loads hit harder than the heaviest 16 ga. loads because the payload is heavier is just plain wrong. Velocity also has a lot to do with it. I think you will find that if both shells are loaded with the same oz. of shot the 16 ga. loads will have a higher velocity. Of course how a shell/gun patterns will also effect how hard it hits (i.e. putting more shot in the killing pattern) The 20 ga. 3" has a long shot string in in many cases does not pattern real well.

I'm also not sure that your statement about the Model 12 16 ga. being built on a 12 ga. frame is correct. I've only owned one Model 12 16 ga and that was 45 years ago. But it seemed to me that it was smaller and lighter than the 12's.

Of course there are other 16 ga. guns that are definately built on a smaller frame. The 16 is a great gauge and I would put one up against any 20 ga. any time. There only negative is the lack of ammo available.
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What's to debate?

Hardest hitting 20 ga load is 1.25 oz @ 1300 fps = 2051 ft lbs

Hardest hitting 16 ga load is 1.25 oz @ 1260 fps = 1927 ft lbs

Hardest hitting 12 ga load is 2.25 oz @ 1150 fps = 2890 ft lbs..

Does a 16 pattern a tiny bit better than a 20? Maybe, depends on the gun. Does a 12 pattern better than a 16? Maybe, depends on the gun.

Nonetheless, a 16 hits just about like a 20 and surely doesn't hit like a 12.

I can't find a direct comparison between weights of M12 in 12, 16 and 20. There are too many variables (barrel length, rib, etc). Nonetheless, common sense will tell you that a 16 will weigh more than a 20 of the same design. The barrel is larger, as are the magazine tube and breech bolt, even if everything else is the same.

I'm not knocking your 16 ga Model 12. They're great guns. I was just picking on that silly sales slogan

How about we agree on this sales slogan: Carries like a 16, hits like a 16...?:cheers:
 
jnormanh said:
"a 16 that carried like a 20 and hit like a 12.

That's a great sales slogan, but far from the truth.

12 ga loads are anything from 1 oz. to 2.25 oz.

16 ga loads are anything from 1 oz. to 1.25 oz.

20 ga loads are anything from .875 oz to 1.375 oz.

so both 12 and 20 maximum loads hit harder than the heaviest 16.

The 16 ga uses the same receiver as the 12 ga. The 20 ga shares a lighter receiver with the 28 ga.



It's more accurate to say: a 16 carries like a 12 and hits like a 20.
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You couldn't be farther from the truth. As far as M12s go, they were all built on different receivers, the 16 being very similar to the 20. I own both and a 12. That slogan was created by Winchester during the heyday of the 16 gauge when you could buy 2.75 shells that were loaded with 3.25 drams of powder and an ounce and quarter payload which far outperformed the 20 gauge of that time and basically achieved 12 gauge field load ballistics.
Unfortunately, over time the 16 gauge has been cannibalized by the 12 and 20 as seen by the Remington 870 which does in fact use a 12 gauge receiver.
I will always be a fan of the 16. It is perhaps the perfect pheasant gauge.
 
I did some research and have found that the 16 ga., 20 ga. & 28 ga. Winchester Model 12's were all built on the same frame.

In it's day, with the factory loads that were available, the saying that it "carries like a twenty and hits like a twelve" was quite accurate.

Certainly the 3" twenty gauge has given the twenty nearly the same ballistics as the 16. But I still would prefer to have my 16 with me in the field rather than a 20. Especially with the new Federal PF loads with 1.125 oz. of copperplated shot at 1,425 fps. And the Fiocchi's with nickel plated shot at 1,310 aren't bad either.

Don't knock the 16. It's a damn fine cartridge. No it's not a 12 ga. but overall it will outperform the 20 ga.
 
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