16ga.com ~ View topic

Joined: 04 Mar 2019 Posts: 2144 Location: Central ND

Not sure if you folks know, but DownRange is gone. There is a thread about it over on Shotgun World. It's not a rumor.

I hope that Nick Hammack will let us know if he will find another company to make the DR16.

Joined: 04 Mar 2019 Posts: 2144 Location: Central ND

Precision & Graf's, have DR-16's in stock.

Member Joined: 08 Nov 2005 Posts: 3508 Location: Illinois

Seems like they have staggered for a long time----now they have fallen.

So now the only American manufacturers of commercially available 16 ga wads is Claybuster and Remington, is that correct?

Member Joined: 15 Mar 2007 Posts: 616 Location: Virginia

I heard this a couple weeks ago and ordered a case of DR-16s from Graf's. Got them today and noticed that they're white, not blue. A note in the bags verified that my eyes were not deceiving me.

Joined: 04 Mar 2019 Posts: 2144 Location: Central ND

Citori16, that's true, but the Gualandi and B & P (not BPI) wads are still available, and are much better considering that the Remington SP16 and the 2 Claybuster wads don't fit any current hull, the Gualandi and B & P wads do.

Hopefully Nick will chime in and let us know the whole story, as far as the DR16 is concerned. If anyone knows how to get in touch with Nick that would be a big help.

Joined: 26 Apr 2010 Posts: 3287 Location: NCWa

Thanks for the info- I ordered a case from Graf's. Midway doesn't list any DRs.

Member Joined: 06 Oct 2007 Posts: 2525 Location: West MI

I'm reasonably sure that the SP16 has been discontinued as well. Checking all the usual suspects for them finds Out Of Stock OR Discontinued.

Member Joined: 08 Nov 2005 Posts: 3508 Location: Illinois

Yep11111111

Joined: 09 Dec 2012 Posts: 904

Joined: 08 Feb 2009 Posts: 1507 Location: Western WA

Losing a 16 ga component supplier is not good news, even though I was not a regular user of the DR16. Thanks to the generosity of MSM2019 I was able to test a quantity of DR16 wads with the Pressure Trace II system.

From a pressure and velocity standpoint, the DR16 was equivalent to the Gualandi SG16 wad with 7/8 oz loads. There were no excursions or outliers, very consistent. But for the powder (Clay Dot) which I tested for moderate 7/8 oz skeet loads, the DR16 was not a panacea. It left dished crimps in 2 3/4” hulls, and spilled out of 2 1/2” hulls. The plastic was less elastic than the Gualandi wad, and not as accommodating for loads which were slightly over- or undersized. But for suitably sized 7/8 oz loads, the DR performed very well. Hopefully those who were pleased with the DR16 will be able to draw on the stockpiles still out there.

V/R
B.

In talks now.

Regards Nick

Thanks Nick, we appreciate the work you have put into this. Hope you get what you need so we can continue using these wads.

Brewster,
I have gotten near perfect stack heights without filler on 3/4 oz using Vectan AS and American Select (MSM's recipe).

With filler wads I got good stack heights on 3/4 oz using Titewad, 700X, Perfect Pattern.

In 7/8 oz, 700X (MSM's recipe) is again near perfect, and I use it for my warm up load before matches.

I suspect I could eliminate fillers if I go to ~2.5" hulls but I haven't tried yet. That will be coming in the future.

I will just be happy to get wads available to everyone to use .

Thanks for the concern Citori 16 , this sure isn't done for monetary gain , it will cost me more to go get the mold in Nebraska and deliver to Kentucky than I have made off the thing to present, I practically have to pay to have the thing run parts .

Poor business man on this end if my intentions were to recover my funds I put into the venture .

As I said in the past , the DR 16 , soon to be named something else , came into existence due to a Dare if one was to call it anything, the I told you so that came upon those faces that I called friends WAS PRICELESS.

Naw , I out of loyalty was not going to pull the mold from Downrange, now due to attrition it's time for a new start.

Time will tell what it may.

Regards Nick