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Offline twoshooter

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16 ga outlook?
« on: February 17, 2014, 08:16:39 AM »
There has been a restocking of most shotgun shells locally, and most rifle ammo actually. Handgun and 22LR still no. I have been looking for a 16 ga for my H&R slam, but outside of sportsmans guide, I have not find a box of 16 ga around. It has been fading for a long while, do you think there is any chance they will stop mfg ?? I would hate to find a nice specimen but not be able to shoot it.
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Offline Doublebass73

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Re: 16 ga outlook?
« Reply #1 on: February 17, 2014, 08:52:13 AM »
No problem finding 16 gauge here in old-fashioned New England. The selection isn't as good as 12 or 20 obviously but I can always find ammo including slugs, #1 buckshot, steel shot and plenty of birdshot with Federal being the most common for that. My Wally World hasn't had any 16 gauge in a long time but Dick's usually has some when I go to Maine plus L.L. Bean always has a decent selection including 2 1/2" RST shells which are real nice.

I lucked out a while back and found a Lee Load All in 16 gauge at a small gun store in Maine. They are no longer made in 16 gauge, this one had an inch of dust on it and an old price tag of $27.
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Offline Trophy Tom

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16 ga outlook?
« Reply #2 on: February 17, 2014, 08:53:37 AM »
No.   It will still be available but cost you more.  Buy a mec loader
Then a few boxes of good ammo with good hulls for reloading and you won't have to worry. You already reload from other posts from you I've read so shotshell loading would be something you could do in your sleep. Push pull click click put the shell in the box. I like the mec jr
600 mk v. You can also buy conversion kits for other gauges on the same press although it's easier to have a press for each ga.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Offline PowPow

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Re: 16 ga outlook?
« Reply #3 on: February 17, 2014, 09:27:15 AM »
Quote from: Doublebass73 on February 17, 2014, 08:52:13 AM
...I lucked out a while back and found a Lee Load All in 16 gauge at a small gun store in Maine. They are no longer made in 16 gauge, this one had an inch of dust on it and an old price tag of $27...


You got a deal.
But they are still available in 16 ga:
http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item.asp?sku=0000690015



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Offline 45-70.gov

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Re: 16 ga outlook?
« Reply #4 on: February 17, 2014, 09:28:21 AM »
i  had the same concerns as you when i got a 16ga handi
little over a year ago.....
found 16s every where walmart,,,gander mt,,got some BB & buck on gun broker
16s ome and go  ..as do the 28 ga...just stock up when they come back


i wouldn't want a 16 as my only gun.....need 12 or 20 to back up the 16
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Offline Doublebass73

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Re: 16 ga outlook?
« Reply #5 on: February 17, 2014, 11:47:59 AM »
Quote
You got a deal.
But they are still available in 16 ga:
http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item.asp?sku=0000690015

Thanks, glad to see they're still available.

twoshooter, if you find a 16 I recommend one of these loaders. Great for the money if you're a low volume shooter. You can get anywhere from 3/4 oz to 1 1/4 oz. wads for the 16 gauge for reloading. Some Unique and Green Dot and you're good to go. RST shells is a good source of online shells if you don't reload, they always have 16 gauge in stock. I've used their 1 oz. and 3/4 oz. loads, very high quality - http://www.rstshells.com/store/m/3-16-Gauge.aspx
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Offline twoshooter

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Re: 16 ga outlook?
« Reply #6 on: February 17, 2014, 01:02:32 PM »
Thanks for the input. I have a couple of MEC JR's & I like them a lot, but have not seen anything in 16ga for a few years. My cousin picked up an almost new 311 Sav in 16 ( about 20 years ago now) for $35 :o , and I tried to get it away from him ever since ::) I have a gun auction coming up next weekend here , last one I picked up a nice 20 ga with a J prefix for $90. I will be looking for a 16 this time. :) My son has a Dicks' store close to him in KC and he comes down every couple of months, and there is also a bass pro there, I will check them also.
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Offline spruce

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Re: 16 ga outlook?
« Reply #7 on: February 17, 2014, 11:08:28 PM »
Never had a problem finding ammo for my 16 gauge.  My local Wally World doesn't carry it, but most reasonably stocked gun shops have it.
 
Not hard to find online either.  The Poly-Wad company has some interesting loads for the 16 (and other gauges) also. 
 
The only drawback to factory loads is the price runs higher than 12's or 20's and you never see them on sale.  But for a hunting gun the price of shells really isn't a big deal - except maybe for an avid dove hunter!
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Offline ceadersavage2

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Re: 16 ga outlook?
« Reply #8 on: February 18, 2014, 12:15:01 AM »
Dunhams the place to get them
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Offline a4beltfed2000

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Re: 16 ga outlook?
« Reply #9 on: February 19, 2014, 07:36:34 AM »
16s are great guns, and are still being made, last year. I purchased a BRAND NEW remington 870 shotgun in 16 ga. That being said, as it was pointed out 16 ga shells can be hit or miss. Esp with the fact that everyone is making 12 ga and 20 ga shells and they are always flying off the shelf (at least here) Some of our local gun shops stock the shells when available, and I keep a couple of 20's reserved for the Just in case of shells, moments when you run across some and probably wont get a 2nd chance on em....  #8 shot seems to be the most common, but I get excited for the #6 in 16's. they have been the best preformer for me and I like for rabbits...I try to keep 4 or so boxes of 16 ga shells on hand but I have 4 16ga guns so....
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Offline jedman

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Re: 16 ga outlook?
« Reply #10 on: February 21, 2014, 07:39:20 AM »
 twoshooter,    I needed a box of 16 ga. shells for a gun I picked up at a gunshow back in Dec. I walked the whole show looking for a reasonable box of 16 ga. shells.   I found many tables that had old Rem. Sure Shot and Fed. Game loads mostly 1 oz. and they all wanted between $15 and $17 a box for them.  I thought I was dreaming as only a few years ago they were $5 to $7 a box new at local stores.   I kept looking and found the Dicks in our area the Rem. Game Loads ( black hulls ) in 16 ga. in shot sizes 8, 6, & 4's for
$6.99 a box of 25.  I have Mec 600 jrs. for all of the other gauge shells I shoot but for that price I will just buy them factory loaded.


   jedman
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Offline twoshooter

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Re: 16 ga outlook?
« Reply #11 on: February 23, 2014, 08:55:16 AM »
Amen to that! I did find one at the auction, pretty good deal. There is only one place in town with any ammo- $11 a box. I am not shooting any skeet with 'em, but I bought a box to see how it shoots. Tomorrow :)
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Offline bluecow

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Re: 16 ga outlook?
« Reply #12 on: February 23, 2014, 10:09:54 PM »
they have been doing away with the 16 as along as i can remember.  after all this time its still here cause its too good to die.
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Offline a4beltfed2000

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Re: 16 ga outlook?
« Reply #13 on: February 24, 2014, 06:40:19 AM »
I chased ALOT of pheasants around with my old 16 ga, just wish that those old cornfields and fence rows werent subdivisions now :'(
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Offline twoshooter

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Re: 16 ga outlook?
« Reply #14 on: February 24, 2014, 09:43:30 AM »
Amen to that also. When I was a kid I always hunted squirrels with a 22LR, never had to worry about what direction I shot, up in trees or not. Now I have to use  a shotgun for all tree shots.

The 16 says full choke, just shot a couple- throws 65% patterns, centered and just a little high, so it should be good to go for now. That would be IM choke and I would be happy with that. :)
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Offline a4beltfed2000

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Re: 16 ga outlook?
« Reply #15 on: February 25, 2014, 07:04:44 AM »
went to the local furtraders/gun shop in the town that I work. While the guys that own the place are not individuals that I care to deal with they always have "stuff" one can use. todays score was a box of number 5 16ga shells and two boxes of 28 ga  number 5's. those are some tough shells to find around here. Those are also the BEST shells that I have found for rabbits and works well for squirrels (at least the 28's do, I refuse to use a 16 on squirrels after the old man about killed me once for using a 20 ga on a squirrel) Hes still around and will chew my backside if one is shot up really bad. he believes that you should only use a .22 since when he was a kid that didnt even use that, he used a sling shot for squirrels and snares for rabbits , dont even get him started about digging ground hogs up out of their holes...... ::)
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Offline kawasakifreak77

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Re: 16 ga outlook?
« Reply #16 on: March 01, 2014, 12:02:47 AM »
A lgs near me has a pile of 16ga you literally couldn't haul off in a pickup. Coincidently, I dropped off a Wards model 30 take down I got for free to get sawed off into my plane gun for when I fly out west. Another lgs has buckshot too, so I grabbed a couple boxes of those in case of any 'social' encounters.

I've really got a soft spot for the sweet 16.
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Offline LHitchcox

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Re: 16 ga outlook?
« Reply #17 on: March 01, 2014, 01:41:53 AM »
Locally the 16 gauge ammo is quite limited. If any is available it is either the cheap Remington game loads or the expensive high brass Remington or Winchester loads. I found the cheap Remmy loads did not perform well with the cheap shot. I bought a Lee Load All II and 100 Cheddite hulls. I only shoot about a box of shells per year, but got tired of not having ammo when I wanted to shoot the Ithaca 37. Now that I am retired I expect to shoot and hunt more. I have seen B&P factory ammo available online for about $90 per case of eight boxes. If I had found that before buying the Load All II, I might not have started reloading for the 16.
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