16ga.com Forum Index
Author Message
<  16ga. General Discussion  ~  3" 16ga.
16gaugeguy
PostPosted: Fri Sep 30, 2005 7:39 am  Reply with quote
Member
Member


Joined: 12 Mar 2005
Posts: 6535
Location: massachusetts

Matt, it probably would to those who do not understand what bore expansion ratio is. However, it would do nothing realistic for the gauge and would only result in heavier, more over built guns to handle the pressures, the slam of increased recoil, and to appease the fears of the corporate lawyers.

When I was a younger and dumber shotgunner, I thought a 3" 28ga. made sense. Now I realize that it would be a waste of time. I figured out long ago how to handload 1 oz. of #6 nickel plated shot by cutting the cushion legs out of a Pattern control 28 ga. wad to shorten it and loading a Fiocchi or Cheddite hull with 25 grains of Alliant 2400 powder and a WW 209 primer. This load produces a 1200+ fps load at well under max pressure. It is very effective out to 30-33 yds on pheasant and occasionally a bit more if the bird is hit perfectly. I've found it to be about as effective as any 2- 3/4" 20 ga. 1 oz. load in killing power. I once dropped a couple of birds at well past 40 yards at a local pay for play pheasant area with this load. But it was a nice blue bird early October day and those were lightly plummaged, smaller, pen raised young cock birds and not a big tough old hold over rooster by any stretch.

A big tough old bird probably would have shook off the hit and flown off to die a lingering death later on. That is not good. I've never repeated the stunt now that I know it for what it was. Why risk shooting a bird with a load not able to insure a clean kill. Its poor sportsmanship and just plain thoughtless, wasteful, and cruel. I was younger and dumber, but a very good wing shot even then. I got away with it. It was not then and will never be a smart practice. I don't hunt pheasant with a 28 anymore as a matter of course past the first two weeks of the season. Even when I do, I will not shoot past 30 yards or so with the little gauge.

However, a bird that is not centered well with either ga. will usually either flap off and then run like a mouse or will fall and do the same thing. I believe this lack of killing power from slightly off hits has to do with the shot string. The more shot you pour through a certain diameter barrel, the longer the shot string will be. In the case of a 28 or 20 ga. 1 oz. is about all than the gauges can handle and still produce a workable shot string. In the case of the 28, it is less than ideal, and is really a max load in the 20. Any more than 1 oz. just strings out too much in either gauge and restricts the velocity to 1200 FPS or so with decent pressures.

Not so with a 16 ga. A 1oz. load is almost ideal in the gauge. First, the shot string it produces with the load is very short and compact. Plus, the gauge can push it at higher velocities than a 20 or 28. Thirdly, less shot is deformed from setback and barrel scrub. The bird gets hit with more shot and the shot hits it at a faster time interval and velocity. The effect is accumulative. The bird is hit harder and faster and is killed quicker and cleaner. I've seen this time and time again, especially when I know I've not centered the bird very well.

Of course, this means that a 12 gauge can hit even harder. However, most 12 gauge domestic guns cannot and never will be built as light as a well designed 16. I find that I can handle and swing a 6-1/2 to 6-3/4 lb. gun very quickly and surely. Anything heavier slows me down, especially after lugging it around for more than an hour or so. Anything lighter just does not develop enough momentum to swing well. I'm not a big man, just under average. I'm sure the bigger and younger guys can tote a heavier gun longer and swing it better than me. If so, they perhaps might be better equipped with a 12. However, for me, the 16 gives me an effective tool at a weight I can handle well all day long.

Plus, the 16 handles bigger than #6 shot a lot better than any 28 or 20. That means it can shoot a 1-1/8 oz. load of #5 shot much faster and better than a 20. The 28 patterns horribly with shot bigger than #6 and could never effectively shoot 1-1/8 oz. loads, even it you could stuff that much in a 28 hull, which you can't. A 20 can shoot #5 OK but not much of it. It patterns poorly with 1-1/8 oz of #5, which is about the minimun amount for decent density.

A 2-3/4" magnum 16 load of 1-1/4 oz. of #4 is about all she wrote for the gauge. However, I've found the load can still develop just under 1275 fps and will pattern tolerably well from a tight modified or light improved modified choke if you use very hard or plated shot. -- even better from a light modified barrel in some cases. I use a Fiocchi hull and an old Herter's 1-1/4 oz. 16 ga wad I have a dwindling but sufficient supply of over 31 grains of Blue Dot. This load will reach out to 40yds or a bit more on those very cold, windy days in late season and poleaxe those heavily plummaged birds dead in the air. Its amazing to watch. Those big pellets hold on to their velocity and energy well. They hit very hard and penetrate through the biggest cock bird, smashing bone and tissue as they go. their killing power is awesome. However, trying to push the big load any faster through a 16 ga. barrel does nothing more than ruin the pattern by stringing it out too far. the load is about absolute max for the gauge so the potentially higher velocities from a 3" shell will avail us nothing but blown patterns.

However, a 16 ga. 1-1/8 oz. of #5 plated shot at 1290 fps makes a lot more sense under less harsh conditions and will reliably kill the biggest cock bird stone dead at 40 or so yards. This kind of performance is out of the question for a 20 or 28, regardless of shell length. The bores just won't handle the bigger shot and bigger payloads well. Their shot strings are too long and their pattern densities are too thin by the time they arrive out yonder where the bird is.

So there you have it, my opinion based on actual field experience and a basic but limited knowledge of physics. You can take it for what it is worth. However, I think you are exactly right in your belief that a 3" 16 shell does not make sense. I also think that your eyes are telling you the truth when you percieve that a 16 hits and kills harder that any 20 or 28 ga. gun can on bigger birds like pheasant, especially with less than perfect hits and for ranges past 30 yards. I've seen it myself far too many times to question it anymore.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
All times are GMT - 7 Hours

View next topic
View previous topic
Page 2 of 2
Goto page Previous  1, 2
16ga.com Forum Index  ~  16ga. General Discussion

Post new topic   Reply to topic


 
Jump to:  

You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum




Powered by phpBB and NoseBleed v1.09