16ga.com ~ View topic - TESTING

Gentlemen:

Schedule and weather finally cooperated and I slipped out to Town and Country Gun Club to shoot some skeet with my 16 ga Browning A5 (1947 gun) with 2 3/4" factory chamber and 26 inch IC barrel (matt rib) this morning.

Gun is set for LIGHT loads - ejects my 1 ounce green dot (15.5 grains) cleanly (ring set per browning instructions). I have not tried 3/4 ounce loads in this gun yet.

Temp at arrival was 13 degrees F and wind was out of the south at 15-20 miles per hour - sunny skies.

shells Charles provided were

batch A - 13/16 ounce REX1 15 gr 1225 fps (5 shells)
batch B - 13/16 ounce REX1 16.5 gr 1300 fps (5 shells)
batch C - 3/4 ounce REX1 16.5 gr 1325 fps (6 shells)
batch D - 3/4 ounce REX1 18 gr 1400 fps (6 shells)

I started on station 1 (shot by myself with my claydelay auto puller) dropped in a shell from batch A, set the puller, called pull and smoked the high house target and shell ejected at my feet. Next shell, low house - same procedure, but shell did not eject. Opened and dropped shell out and tried a double - first shell ejected and second one stayed in (both targets smoked)

Moved to station #2 - dropped in last shell of batch A and broke the high house and the shell ejected onto the ground.

Switched to batch B and broke the low bird, hit the high on the double and then broke the option on the low (missed cause I was looking to see if the shell ejected - that's my story and I'm sticking to it)

Moved to station three and hit high house with the last shell from batch B - clean ejection. Set up for low house with first shell of batch C and broke the bird, but shell did not eject.

After this I shot the remainder of batch C and all of batch D on remaining stations until I ran out of shells - ALL of these shells ejected cleanly (shot some doubles - no worries).

So, my report on Charle's shells:

COLD and WINDY out.

2 out of 5 shells of batch A did not eject

all shells of batch B ejected

1 out of 6 shells of batch C did not eject

all shells of batch D ejected

missed 3 targets Smile

So I would say that batch B and D worked perfectly, C might be OK, and for my gun the batch A shells were too light.

THANKS Charles for allowing me to be a tester Exclamation

Member Joined: 25 Jul 2006 Posts: 781

IMO, if batch B is reliable then C should be too. The additional weight of shot can only help the cycling. I suspect that both B and C are right on the edge though.

Nice info and well presented, thanks!

Jeff

I'll be they'd have ejected cleanly from a pump Wink

Seriously though, besides the ejection problems, how do you feel the shells performed as far as hitting power? How did the 'reports' of the discharge sound? Strong? Poof? Light? And how dirty did they leave your barrel?

At 13 degrees, I'd have to say I wouldn't work as well as the shells did.

Thanks for the report.

Bud

Bud:

I could have shot on Saturday at 8 degrees or on Sunday at 2 degrees, but waited for Monday morning until 13 degrees Shocked

In terms of "poofers" there were none Exclamation

Even the shells that did not eject sounded great and smashed the targets. I shoot a 3/4 ounce reload in the remington game load hull in my doubles and my sissytoris and the shells Charles provided sounded the same and broke targets the same. (I don't know if my RGL 3/4 ounce will function this A5 - have not tried them yet as the RGL hulls split in cold weather. Watch for a report in April or May).

I did not have enough shells to pattern the gun (Charles, PLEASE send more Wink

), but I know the three targets I missed were because I was looking for shell ejections, not because of the shell. After I smashed the first high house bird, I wasn't worried about performance. After all I shoot the gualandi wads and the cheddite hulls Charles used in 1 ounce loads in 2 3/4 inch hulls all the time - shortening up the hulls as Charles did should not be a problem.

Hello Bustingclays:

This is wonderful news , I win another doughnut and a hot choc. from Ole Ben .

It is as I suspected in colder tempatures it seems that at warmer temps that the shells will eject , all four loads but we need a bit more inertia to overcome the effects of the cold .

Thanks again super job one more to report in .

Regards Charles

Hello Folks :

Sorry I have not gotten around to doing this untill now , but 2 weeks ago my Brother had a wreck on his Harley and was in ICU for 4 days it was touch and go but he is home now recovering, so I have been tied up for a bit .

Due to the following folks help in this project , I had decided that I would send each of the following folks , one of the wads in decending order as it came out of the Pilot Mold .

# 1 Goes to Bill Hanus

# 2 To Woodcock

# 3 To IFL16

# 4 To 16GaugeGuy

# 5 To Postoak

# 6 To CitoriFeather 16

# 7 To Busting Clays

# 8 To Ash Goodwin

I have the address of everyone except for 16GG if you would PM me with your address I will get those out this next week .

Regards Charles

Thanks to everyone for all the help , Oh Postoak we have yet to hear from you with your report on the shells .

Member Joined: 09 Dec 2005 Posts: 989 Location: Las Vegas

Thanks Charles! Now I'll have to wrassle my wife for the centerpiece spot at the Easter Table! Her Egg display or your new wad! Laughing

Matt

P.S. Sorry to hear about your brother. We'll say a prayer for him!

WOW CHARLES Shocked

Thanks a heap. I have a special bookcase of honor with 16 gauge boxes, old shells, patches etc. in my downstairs home office. The wad will be proudly displaced alongside some other neat stuff.

THANKS Exclamation

Thoughts for your brother - hope the recovery is swift.