16ga.com ~ View topic

Joined: 09 Jan 2017 Posts: 50

I am looking for recommendations for best factory load for pheasants and sharptail in 16GA. I already love the Fiocchi Golden Pheasants for my 12GA, but curious on other good options. Specifically, I am looking for softer primers to avoid the dreaded lower firing pin issues in a Citori 16GA. Thanks!

Joined: 16 Jul 2015 Posts: 2125 Location: Hudson,Wy

The best factory load for pheasants is generally the one that patterns best at the longest distances you intend to shoot. Most of the stuff is loaded too fast and costs an awful lot so I load my own to get the results I demand. Hard shot is a must but remember that some plated stuff is just soft chilled lead with a pretty coat. A plier squeeze test will reveal much. Ultimately, the pattern board tells all.

In the past I had trouble with CCI primers when combined with guns that had light firing pin strikes. Federal and Win primers gave me no problems. I imagine that Fed or Win factory loads use the same primers that they sell us for loading. I have witnessed several 12 ga. Estate shells from the same box not fire in my buddy's Beretta A400. Hopefully some of the Citori owners will chime in with personal results in those guns.

For several years before I started reloading 16 gauge shells, I had the best luck with Fiocchi Golden Pheasant loads, they are 1 1/8 oz at about 1310 fps. I used the fives.

Like WyoChukar suggested, If I were in your shoes, I'd buy a box of about 3 or 4 different factory loads you think will work for your hunting needs, and then pattern them at the distances you usually shoot birds, with the various chokes you have.

Lon

Member Joined: 27 Jun 2012 Posts: 1113

I just loaded half a flat of Fiocchi Golden Pheasant #5 16 ga into my truck last night for a weekend Oklahoma panhandle late season pheasant hunt. I shoot LtMod/IMod chokes on them and it seems to swat them pretty good. Those late season birds can be pretty sneaky and don't want to hold tight.

Pheasants are a tough bird - I'd recommend 1-1/8 oz of #4's.

Federal makes a 1-1/4 oz load, but good luck in finding those.

No matter whose shell you go with - make sure it's a premium round, better powder, better wad, better pellets.

When it comes to hunting ammunition NEVER go cheap, unless you have no choice.

Joined: 28 Mar 2008 Posts: 1460 Location: Eagle, Nebraska

Federal loads, especially the high velocity, and I like to use the #5's.
Golden pheasant would sometimes fail to fire in both Citori and both sweet 16's

Joined: 06 Jun 2008 Posts: 117

FWI
I was patterning on paper and the holes looked small with the 5 shot Golden Pheasants.
I took apart a #5 shot Golden Pheasant and measured the shot size and it really size 6 shot.
For me I think 6 shot is to small for wild roosters.
I prefer true 4 shot and 5 shot.

Joined: 13 Dec 2006 Posts: 694 Location: MN

+1 ... on the 4 or 5 shot for wild roosters. I shoot B&P in the newer guns and RST in the older. I squirreled away cases of B&P years ago...glad I did it now.

Joined: 21 May 2015 Posts: 128

Guest

I don't know if they are the best, but I've always done well the Federal 1 1/8 oz 6's at around 1300 fps.

Joined: 06 Jun 2008 Posts: 117

If shot size doesn't matter that much then why is there different sizes
From my experience I have noticed that the weight of the bigger size shot seems to carry right thru the bird and breaking bones.
It seemed like I had more cripples with Golden Pheasant 5 which is really 6 shot.
If you center the bird in the pattern it doesn't matter what size it.
I'm just saying.

Joined: 01 Oct 2007 Posts: 962 Location: Minnesota

Hard to beat Fiocchi GP in 4,5, or 6 shot.

I've hunted pheasants with a Citori off and on since I bought it in the early 90s. Mostly, I have shot em with reloaded CF Winnie hulls, Win 540 (Hs-6) and 1 1/8 oz of # 5 shot, the same load I used in the 70s and 80s for greenhead mallards (before non-tox).

Since most of the comments above are about Federals (no experience) or Fiochhi GPs, I'll comment. About ten years ago I came by several boxes of GPs and regular HV Fiochhi's, 1 1/8 oz of # 4 or 5s. In my Citori and in my BPS, I had a number of issues with both, everything from two failures to fire in the bottom barrel (no other occurrences ever), stuck hulls in the BPS, split plastic or brass, rim failure on ejection, etc. To get rid of them, however, I did use them one year in my Auto 5 and shot about a dozen loads with no problems. They kill pheasants fine. However, given the issues with a couple of boxes I shot, I wouldn't use them again on roosters. Cackle flushes don't occur often enough for me to put up with misfires, etc.

I still have some, and plan to either give them away or shoot them at crows.

While not mentioned above, I do believe that Remington Express 1 1/8 oz loads are excellent. I've not shot any for several years (although I have shot a lot of Remington Steel loads in recent years, which appear to use the same hulls). Brass is thick, plastic is thick, quality control is good, ballistics are great, the round is proven over several decades, etc.

Were I using new factory loads to hunt pheasants, I would probably buy Remmies. And unlike the black low velocity Remington loads, the high brass express hulls reload nicely with American wads.

My 1 cent worth.

Joined: 16 Jul 2015 Posts: 2125 Location: Hudson,Wy

Smaller going faster thing: we are dealing with shot loads, not rifle ballistics. It would be difficult to launch #6 fast enough to equal the potential energy of even low velocity loads of #5 let alone #4 shot. If you load a super light shot charge maybe you could get #5 punch from a #6 pellet, but then you have about the same number of pellets in the pattern if you are lucky. Horizontal move at best, assuming you can keep the pellets round. Think about it. Also, in a factory load of whatever velocity, the velocity doesn't change with shot size. The original post is about factory ammo anyway.

Mathematical formulas and tabulations in no way whatsoever account for the actual transfer of pellet energy or the depth inside the target (bird) where it takes place. Deliver all of the force only 1/2" into a rooster and it will knock the bird down but he will recover and fly away again. There is always more to it than crunching numbers.

Guest

The best load is a good dog.
Wink