16 gauge loads + Mossberg question

[wellfedirishman]

I recently picked up a used but decent Mossberg 500 16 gauge for the princely sum of $100. It has a minor crack in the stock, but otherwise is fine.

It has a polychoke (twist adjustable choke) on a 28 inch barrel.

Couple of questions:
1: Anyone have good 16 gauge loads for round ball or buckshot? I can buy or load birdshot pretty easily.

2: Can I put a Mossberg 500A (12 gauge) barrel on this without changing the bolt-face/extractor? 12 and 16 shell bases are pretty close in size.

I was thinking of just chopping the barrel at 19" and making a truck gun out of it. Should this just be kept as a long barrel?

[richhodg66]

I have 16 gauge Ithaca Deerslayer I bought kind of on a whim. Sprisingly, 16 gauge foster slug shells were available locally in my little podunk town at a couple of places, I was surprised. I picked up a few boxes of Brenneke slug loads as well at another shop out of town.

I'd keep it as is. Interestingly, a guy had a 16 gauge Mossberg barrel in the for sale forum he was selling really cheap. Maybe you could cut one barrel and have another one.

http://http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=109365

[northmn]

I have gone through a lot of 16's as I consider that they are what the 20 gauge wants to be. I had an uncle in Missouri that shot everything from deer to quail with his 16 single shot. The problem is that the gun manufactureres more or less killed it off. At one time it was second in popularity to the 12 but over time guns have been made in either 12 0r 20. The 3" 20 ga is a poor replacement as the 20 has to be made heavier to handle the 3" shells and a 16 will do better. Steel also killed the 16 off as there is only a limited selection of loads for it. It is still a very nice gun and should be very effective on deer with the Foster slug up close. As to buckshot, I think it sues the #1 as that is what stacks best in it. Buckshot is best left to a 12 bore.

DP

[Firebricker]

wellfedirishman, If you find a buckshot load using nitro cards and felt wads I have a bunch of 16 gauge that I've been thinking about selling. FB

[wellfedirishman]

Thanks guys, that is helpful. I will probably pick up a couple of boxes of 12 gauge birdshot at my local Big 5 and reload those shells when done.