I just picked up my first 16 since childhood. Would anyone please provide simple 16 gauge reloading recipes for skeet/clays? What are the best cases? Wads? What are the simplest loads to use. What should be avoided? Thank you in advance. I appreciate the help.
I think the Remington hull is the best for durability. I personally use claybuster wads as there are many recipes for them and they are inexpensive.
Hodgdons site and the alliant site have excellent online databases for different loads.
If you don't yet have it, pick up a copy of Lymans 5th.
Hi Felix
Welcome back to the world of the 16 ga. Here's a website that may be of interest to you
www.16ga.com Nothing but 16 ga info. Also there is a low-pressure 16 ga group that you can join from there that will give you access to hundreds of 16 ga recipes. Here's a 1 0z load to consider: Cheddite hull, Unique Powder 18.0 grains, Cheddite primer, SG-16 wad(Gualandi 1 oz wad), 8200 psi, 1170 fps. The Cheddite hull and SG-16 Gualandi wad can be found at
www.grafs.com or
www.ballisticproducts.com Rick
You didn't specify what type of gun or year, but most early 16 ga. were 2 9/16" chambers.
If you join the 16 ga. Society and then the 16 ga. Reloaders Group, like stated, there are many loads to try. The onetime fee for joining both is I believe $40, well worth it.
For years I loaded 1 ounce loads using the Winchester/Western compression formed hulls, the WAA-16 wad, WSF powder (from memory I think I use 20.5 grains, but I'm travelling and away from my data) and the Winchester 209 primer. Then Winchester quit making the WAA-16 wad, but just about the time I ran out of my supply, along comes the CB-16 wad, so my hoard of compression formed hulls are still in business. For the last year and a half I've been loading the purple Federal hulls with a Winchester 209 primer, American Select powder, and 7/8 ounce of shot in the DR-16 wad. I've been amazed how well these Federal hulls stand up. After loading all the hulls I had boxes for, I had about 60 extra hulls, so I started loading and shooting those hulls over and over. At ten reloads I still had thirty some hulls.