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16 ga 2 9/16 shells?

PostPosted: Sun Jun 11, 2017 7:17 pm
by equin
Hi All,

Very new to Model 12s, and even newer to 16 ga. I can't seem to find any 2 9/16" sized 16 ga. shells for sale anywhere, but have found two places that sell low pressure 2 1/2" 16 ga shells. These are from RSTshells.com and polywad.com. But the following thread seems to suggest 2 3/4" can be shot from a Model 12 16 ga.:

viewtopic.php?f=92&t=1424

Anyone have experience with which brand of 2 3/4" shells might work, preferably in #8 shot and low pressure? Likewise, anyone have experience with the RTS and Polywad 2 1/2" low pressure shells?

Thanks,

Ed

Re: 16 ga 2 9/16 shells?

PostPosted: Mon Jun 12, 2017 8:37 am
by SHOOTER13
Online sales may afford better opportunities for 16 Gauge...

Just search on: 16 Gauge Ammo for Sale in Bulk

I just did...you will be surprised.

Re: 16 ga 2 9/16 shells?

PostPosted: Mon Jun 12, 2017 8:46 am
by equin
Thanks for the reply, Shooter13. I found online quite a bunch of 2 3/4" shot, but so far have only found 3 places that sell 2 1/2" 16 ga shells. Price is obviously more expensive for these, but when you add in shipping costs, it really adds up!

Re: 16 ga 2 9/16 shells?

PostPosted: Mon Jun 12, 2017 9:54 pm
by equin
Well, I feel like a dummy! The gun show vendor who sold it to me told me it was chambered for 2 9/16," but the barrel says 2 3/4" and "Winchester Proof Steel." On another forum I was told Model 12s switched from 2 9/16" to 2 3/4" in 1927. Mine appears to be an early 30's model if I'm reading the Winchester serial number chart correctly, so that tends to further confirm the 2 3/4" chamber size. Now on to search for my first 16 gauge shells in 2 3/4"....

Re: 16 ga 2 9/16 shells?

PostPosted: Tue Jun 13, 2017 9:13 am
by SHOOTER13
Good Luck...

Post what you find...

Re: 16 ga 2 9/16 shells?

PostPosted: Tue Jun 13, 2017 3:11 pm
by equin
I bought the only two boxes left at my local gun shop (Faith Armory) of these 2 3/4" shells:

Image

Re: 16 ga 2 9/16 shells?

PostPosted: Mon Aug 07, 2017 12:30 pm
by ColdWarGrunt
equin wrote:Well, I feel like a dummy! The gun show vendor who sold it to me told me it was chambered for 2 9/16," but the barrel says 2 3/4" and "Winchester Proof Steel." On another forum I was told Model 12s switched from 2 9/16" to 2 3/4" in 1927. Mine appears to be an early 30's model if I'm reading the Winchester serial number chart correctly, so that tends to further confirm the 2 3/4" chamber size. Now on to search for my first 16 gauge shells in 2 3/4"....


Yep you are correct! 1927 was the date that 2 3/4" chambers became standard.

Re: 16 ga 2 9/16 shells?

PostPosted: Mon Aug 07, 2017 4:42 pm
by equin
Yes, the 2 3/4" shells pictured above shoot fine, but once shot, the empty hulls get hung up at the ejection port, almost as if they're too long or the ejection port itself is a tad bit too small. I tried another brand, forget which one at the moment, and they ejected fine, though, when I racked the pump.

Re: 16 ga 2 9/16 shells?

PostPosted: Tue Aug 08, 2017 8:31 am
by SHOOTER13
This is why I stick to mainstream calibers...while a Sweet Sixteen may fill a small niche and be a classic shotgun...the problem always winds down to the availability of that caliber.

All three of my shotguns are 12 gauge...which does cover most of the applications I require it to...

Re: 16 ga 2 9/16 shells?

PostPosted: Tue Aug 08, 2017 12:10 pm
by equin
No doubt 12-gauge offers a whole lot more for the shotgun shooter. It's a shame 16-gauge is such a small niche. This is my first 16-gauge, and now I know why it's called the "sweet sixteen!" It shoots so great! Anyway, it's niche may be why the one I got cost much less than the 12-gauge Model 12s, most of which looked in much worse shape than this one.

Re: 16 ga 2 9/16 shells?

PostPosted: Tue Aug 08, 2017 6:08 pm
by SHOOTER13
What about reloading for it...?!

Re: 16 ga 2 9/16 shells?

PostPosted: Tue Aug 08, 2017 7:24 pm
by equin
There's lots of good reloading info over at 16ga.com, but I don't have any reloading supplies at the moment. For now, though, I can still find 16 shells, just harder to find the target loads locally.

Re: 16 ga 2 9/16 shells?

PostPosted: Wed Aug 09, 2017 9:02 am
by SHOOTER13
Well...good luck with your quest.