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Kiwishooter
PostPosted: Thu Oct 26, 2006 12:12 am  Reply with quote
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Joined: 04 Feb 2006
Posts: 79
Location: Canterbury, New Zealand

I'm hoping someone may have had some experience with the Sellier & Bellot factory loads. It is hard to find 16 gauge factory loads Downunder but Sellier & Bellot is one brand that is available. I need 65mm shells. Amongst the 6 or 7 16 gauge models S&B offer they have 2 that are 28g loads in 65mm. Both are paper cases, both felt wads one travelling a moderate 350 m/s, the other a tad faster at 380 m/s.

Can anyone offer any insight into these shells, their quality, preference in one speed over the other, issues with paper cases (hadn't planned to do any reloading but that plan may soon get updated)...?

Many thanks

Ross
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clayflingythingy
PostPosted: Thu Oct 26, 2006 7:08 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 11 Jan 2006
Posts: 311

S&B shotshells are no longer available in the U.S. and I have no experience with their short 16's. I have used 12 gage S&B ammo and can report that it was good stuff based on my limited experience.

As to reloading paper shells, well, I have reloaded Federal 12 gage paper's. Unless you are really desparate I would have to say its not worth it. About two reloads were all I felt comfortable with the Federals and the crimps weren't really all that great so I wondered about uniformity.
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hoashooter
PostPosted: Thu Oct 26, 2006 6:50 pm  Reply with quote
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Joined: 08 Nov 2005
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Papers are more or less a mute deal here in the U.S. anymore--more trouble than they are worth.If you use the higher speed version erosion of the hull will be that much more accelerated.Have you given any thought to trimming plastic hulls and maybey even roll crimping to save space?????Do you want a target load???hunting load??????
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longwalker
PostPosted: Thu Oct 26, 2006 9:18 pm  Reply with quote
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Joined: 17 Aug 2005
Posts: 75
Location: Saskatchewan Canada

I used S&B shells for crow shooting, skunks and such in 12 ga. for many years. Never 16 ga. though. I haven't bought any for more than ten years, so maybe the newer ones are different than I expereinced. They weren't high quality game loads IMHO. there is no hard card or gas seal wad, just a couple of fiber wads. I found the wads seemed to "tip" or maybe the gas blew by and pushed the pattern to one side. the shot was soft, patterns erratic. BUT i must have killed a couple hundred crows with them. The hulls are not reloadable with any primers we have in Canada, they have an unusual shape like a rifle primer, not a "battery cup" 209 size like we're all accustomed to. if you can get the 16 ga. shells cheap enough, shoot them! Just don't expect premium long range results.

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Kiwishooter
PostPosted: Fri Oct 27, 2006 12:07 am  Reply with quote
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Joined: 04 Feb 2006
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Location: Canterbury, New Zealand

Thanks for all your responses. I have 3 choices in 65mm factory loads here - Eley VIP, Gamebore and S&B. The first two are both plastic and I am happy with their performance but smallest shot size they make is UK 7 (about US 7.5). S&B is available right up to size 9.

With my 16's I shoot quail and sporting clays. I shoot the quail in heavy cover over flushing retrievers so the birds are rarely closer than 20 feet; we are limited to a maximum 1 oz loads in sporting clays. The load I am missing for both my birds and clays is a low recoil 8 or 9, hence my question about S&B (which I should point out I have never used in any gauge).

Much as I have enjoyed hand loading in the (distant) past I had hoped to spend my time in the field rather than in the workshop loading 16 gauge hulls (although I am saving up my Eley and Gamebore cases in case I do!). Ideally I would be able to import Poywad but it appears that this would require enough red tape to build a highway from here to Califormia!

Most of S&Bs shells are plastic with a variety of fibre and plastic wads, the two models I am looking at in 65mm are both paper with fibre wads.

Thanks again!

Ross
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henrik
PostPosted: Sat Oct 28, 2006 2:27 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 01 Jul 2006
Posts: 26
Location: Finland

I live in Finland, and the choise of 2 ½" shells is equally meager here. I have a couple of boxes of Sellier & Bellot "red and black" shells, 1 oz, US 3. I will open one shell and take some pictures, when I find the time. For waterfowling I use Eley Grand Prix bismuth shells, 26.5 grams, english 4. Not because I think they would necessarily be the best choise, but it was the only non-toxic 2 ½" shell I could get my hands on.
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