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Member Joined: 07 Jan 2008 Posts: 348 Location: Missouri

Shot two boxes of my latest reloads at the skeet range today in my Citori.

No problems at all except the shooter. Embarassed

They were Fiocchi Hulls loaded with 7/8 oz of 9's, 17.4 gr. Green Dot and a SG16 Wad with a Cheerio in the bottom and Win 209 primers.

It is rewarding to load your own 16 ga. shells and then have them perform as expected.

I did notice the Green Dot produced a lot more smoke and residue in the barrel than I had been getting with Universal.

I shot one box of my factory compression formed Winchester shells and they really punched my shoulder a little more than I like to feel at the Skeet range but I will suck it up and take the punishment in order to get those wonderful hulls to reload! Smile

Jim, if you normally shoot skeet with a premounted gun, I have a suggestion that might help alleviate some of the felt recoil. Save the 1 ounce factory loads for hunting practice. Shoot the targets from low gun. The act of mounting the gun and stepping into the shot with your front foot after the call seems to take some of the swat out of the shot. However, practice your mount at home first so you can bring the gun smoothly and firmly to face, shoulder, and eye simultaneously. Otherwise, you might start shooting with your head off the stock and the recoil will hit your cheek more.

I'd suggest the same thing for trap, but some trap shooters do not appreciate anyone on their line shooting from low gun. It upsets their concentration. Yeah, I know. It seems unfair to the guys who just want to shoot for fun. However, that is the nature of the game and a number of folks who shoot it. Most folks who regularly shoot a 16 are casual shooters. Knowing the history of the gauge explains why I can say this with a fair amount of certainty.

My post is also not a slam at trap shooters. It is just an observation based on experience. I am a registered trap shooter, so I understand the matter. Consistancy is one of the main keys to perfect scores in trap. A regimented, uniformly paced squad will almost always help raise scores. So some squads practice their shooting together to perfect the pace and regimentation as well as their marksmanship--especially before a big shoot like the state shoot. An unintentionally disruptive casual shooter can and will screw a whole line up. The guys in such a squad will let you know it too. It is understandable.

The serious registered skeet shooter might not like it either, but usually will not say anything. He will avoid the matter by signing up on a different squad next time. Registered skeet shooters must approach the game as individuals moreso than a squad of trap shooters, so the serious skeet shooter must learn to be more flexible. I usually avoid the whole issue by shooting only skeet low gun. Skeet shooters are generally a lot more tolerant of an individual's different shooting style. We can't do anything about the occasional gun crank. These guys can be a real pain any old time. Laughing