16ga.com ~ View topic

Member Joined: 25 Jul 2006 Posts: 781

One of my A5's is particularly intolerant of unsized shells. As long as I put most of them through a side by side I got away with it, but at a three bird shoot today I had a load of issues.....

What are the opinions on the Mec super sizer in 16 ga? Does it do the job well? Let me know while I'm in the mood to buy one....

Jeff

Member Joined: 01 Feb 2006 Posts: 450 Location: Indiana

Jeff
I went to a supersizer years ago for my 16's. I have a couple of mod. 12-16gagues and a citori, Parker, LC Smith, a Beretta. The LC has very close chamber tolerances. Without the supersizer I probably would be shooting factory only in it. Alsol the beretta is paritcular with some brands of hulls also. If I use the ring sizer that comes on the neck,it seems to build a small ring buldge near the rim. On close chambers this seems to keep the rim of the case from going flush with the barrel face. When I use the supersizer I don't have any problems.

Most folks with a shotshell press with the basic ring type resizer are having some trouble with the commonly found 16 ga steel and brass or copper washed steel rims on virtually all 16 ga. game loads, especially in their pump and autoloading shotguns. Steel rims do not spring back or retract like brass does, nor do they resize as easily or as well.

A MEC style adjustable collet resizer as found on the newer Supersizers, Sizemasters, and Grabbers are almost manditiory for handling these 16 ga steel rims. However, you might try having a 20 ga resizing ring reamed to about .020" smaller in diameter that the standard 16 ga resizing ring found on a 600 JR. You will need to use some case lube or graphite powder too.

I'd personally recommend trading your 600 JR for a newer Sizemaster or better yet, a Grabber. Super sizers do not come cheap now either and finding a 16 ga used one is not easy. Plus, to older ones aren't nearly as easy to adjust nor have as much adjustment range as the newer ones with the outside adjusting ring.

My new style model 16 gauge Grabber makes sizing these steel rims easy. My16 ga. model 37 Ithaca was not feeding once fired and reloaded steel rimmed shells well until I turned the collet adjustment ring down enough to resize the steel rims back to factory new unfired specs. Now it perks along very well indeed without one problem since then.

Member Joined: 25 Jul 2006 Posts: 781

I'm loading a bunch of different recipes, hulls in two lengths....so for now my 600 JR is the easiest way to go ( I use a grabber on my 12's)

Even if I got a 16 ga grabber at some point I'd keep my 600 running to do 2 1/2" shells.

It sounds like the super sizer is the way to go...it it's fully adjustable that's even better. I was worried that I could not be sure to get them back in spec well enough to work 100% of the time.

Now...where to get a deal on one.....

Member Joined: 08 Nov 2005 Posts: 3438 Location: Illinois

The SS is a fine tool but very few places keep ANYTHING 16 in stock---check around as you will likely ending up ordering one and waiting ???????for it Evil or Very Mad

One solutrion is to try finding a used 12 or 20 ga Super Sizer, then send to MEC for the 16 ga collet. Be sure to specify which series too. There is a difference between the first type which adjusts by screwing the collet in or out, and the second which has an external adjustment ring. the second series is better.

Grafs.com.....has one SS in 16ga. instock!!!