Ok, I guess I'll be the first to jump in the water. In regards to reloading, I reload around 75-100,000 rounds of various calibers a year. Obviously, I utilize numerous progressive presses (all Lee Pro1000's. I never fell into the blue-flu.) I pretty well load all of the popular calibers, both "blasting" as well as precision grade ammo. In my assortment of A5 Brownings, there seems to be a high possibilty for me to start gathering the short-chamber 16 gauge guns of old. (I currently have a total of one 20 gauge, the rest are 12s.) My question for the masses----IF ( the key word here) I start reloading shotgun rounds---which admittedly I know just a shade over zero about, I would like to reload some of those gnarly short-chamber 16s- 2 9/16" rather than the current 2 3/4", what am I getting myself into? I can buy the short-chambered ammo in case lots, but I have a pretty good supply of once fired 16 gauge hulls available to me for free. Fire away..............................
Bill the 2 9/16 load just like the 2 3/4 shells. I load on a mec 600 mark v and have what they call a short kit which lets you load on the press. In this case size doesn’t matter. Get the right wads and life is good. I will be posting( if I can figure out) several spread sheets of 16 gauge loads. I may have to send to Ripjack13 to get him to upload cause it’s a really big file. If that goes well I will also be uploading low pressure loads. If you shoot 16 reloading is the only way to go.
Once again, I have just been lead into temptation. Thanks,. I will be watching closely. (So, in re-reading your post, the 2 9/16" shells are lower pressure?) I was unaware of that.
Not necessarily. Depends on how you load them. Now that being said a lot of the 2 9/16 chamber guns are older so goes to reason that the barrels won’t take the same pressure that modern barrels will withstand. Modern barrels will take 50,000 psi. Gun makers of modern guns test well above the Saami spec. Some of your older loads will be in LUP instead of psi. They are not the same. Most reload data has a buffer in the load to where you can be over by.5 gains and be just fine. Hodgdon is one such powder maker. They will not openly tell you this for obvious reasons, but it is there. That is what I call dumb ass buffer. Now with all that being said follow the load data until you got some time reloading under your belt. Learn your machine, powder, wads and your gun. I have no issues with the majority of the load data. If you compare the same loads on different web sites, books you will see a difference in grains, and psi. Ballistic products is a place where you will see this. Bottom line use common sense and it will go bang and you will live to tell about it again and again. Just for reference cause I was the one that ask for this category to be added. Here are the saami pressure per gauge for 2 3/4: 12-11,500 psi 16-11,500 psi 20-12000 psi 28-12,500 psi Now 410 2 1/2 12,500 psi If you have a few hours and wanna learn a lot about pressure and how they measure it then go to Saami website.
So back to your original question. Most, not all 2 1/2 inch shells will be lower pressure then 2 3/4. Some of my 2 1/2 shells go down to 5000-5200 psi. In the old 16 a5 with 2 9/16 chambers I shoot loads around 6000-7000 psi. In my LC Smith they don’t go above 5800 psi. Never had any issues. Hope this helps. Sorry for long post. Very hard to explain when posting. If you have any questions just ask. I have reloaded for shotgun for over 30 years. I do all the gauges except 28. Don’t have one of those yet. Kind of girly to me but the older I get the more I’m moving that way.
Thanks. I noticed years ago the vast difference in loadings when you compare reloading manuals. Keep in mind I have never even glanced at shotgun reloading data, but I have seen rifle and pistol charts---some manuals list a near maximum load for a particular bullet and powder combination, and in another manual, that loading would be almost a starting load! I have my eyes on (which honestly and in reality means it's going to happen, it's just a question of how soon) a couple of 16 A5s, both with short-chambers. Both are from the 30's. Part of me thinks converting them to "standard/modern" ammo is the way to go, but the purist in me........................... Thanks.
In my opinion I like the old 2 9/16 chamber guns. I reload though and don’t mind it. Very relaxing honestly. You can buy shells from a place called RST for your A5 that you will soon be buying. About 110 a flat. Great shells and they are reloadable. Many moons ago I use to cut my 2 3/4 shells down to 2 1/2 and reload them. Works great but more time involved. I just ordered a special pre crimper and final crimp from Italy that will hopefully prove a good deal. It was expensive, but I am looking for more consistent pressure and patterns. I use to spend lots of time( when I had it, before kids) patterning loads and collecting data, for the most part I load and shoot now. I shoot a lot of 410. Reload the Win AA HS with H110 or 296 if I have to. I would like to have a load with universal powder, as it burns much cleaner, however, there are no load data for that powder. It’s a hot powder and it kills the shells. I can get about 7-8 reloads on the AA’s depending on what they are shot out of. If you use a hot powder, you may only get 1 before it splits the case. It’s a give and take and since reloading is particularly about saving money for me I guess I’m stuck with dirty powder.
So here are some of the loads. Please let me know if you can see these. When you click on it, you may have to scroll to left or right. Thanks
The biggest difference in shotshell loading vs. metallic is that you are supposed to follow recipes exactly. Shotgun shells don’t show signs of overpressure the way rifle and pistol cartridges do. That said, anything that decreases pressure, like a smaller payload, is OK. As to low pressure loads, RST and Polywad do sell them, but they’re intended for older doubles and probably won’t cycle an Auto-5. Both companies offer more powerful ammo that will. I’ve never heard of an Auto-5 blowing up, so I feel safe with target loads even out of my 100+ year old guns.
The ones I shoot are about 6800 psi. Not sure what your calling low pressure, but for me I’m usually around 11,500 on the normal stuff.
It’s the Polywad Vintager shells that say right on the website won’t cycle most autoloaders. Their Spred-R loads will. https://polywad.com/vintager-shells
Never shot those. When it comes to 2 1/2 inch shells or low pressure shells, in my opinion, you can’t beat RST.
I moved these posts here. The announcement topic on this section will be going away soon. Thanks for taking interest in this area.
