Handloads: 16 Gauge Spreader Load

by
posted on January 25, 2022
16 Gauge Spreader Load

Not that long ago, sporting goods store shelves contained an adequate selection of 16-ga. shells. The last few years, however, barely a box of any 16-ga. shells can be found anywhere. But that’s of little concern to those with a shotshell-reloading press, such as the MEC 600 Jr., close at hand.

16 Gauge Spreader Load specsThe 16 gauge is normally loaded with 7/8 oz. to 1¼ ozs. of shot. For decades, an ounce of No. 6 shot has worked well in several 16-ga. guns for our family hunting birds—from blue grouse to pheasants and sage grouse. Shotgunners after smaller birds, like Hungarian partridge and ruffed grouse, may want to switch to No. 7½ or No. 8 loads for clay-target shooting.

You’ve heard that the 16 gauge produces excellent patterns. Well, here’s proof—the light modified choke in a Remington Model 870 Wingmaster placed an average of 83 percent of an ounce of No. 6 shot in a 30" circle at 40 yards, with an average of 39 percent of the pellets landing within the 15"-diameter center of the patterns.

That pattern is too tight for shorter shots, however, like ruffed grouse in a creek-bottom thicket. Spreading shot for wide patterns at close range can be accomplished by inserting a Ballistic Products X-Stream spreader insert into shotcups with the shot. I take a less-expensive approach and cut index cards into rectangles, make a cut halfway up the center of each piece so two pieces slip together to make a “+” and fit them into a shotcup with the shot. A card 0.60" wide and 0.88" long fits into the shotcup of a Winchester WAA16 wad. The card spreader insert increased the usable pattern diameter by 4" and spread 30 percent more pellets out of the 15"-diameter center of the patterns at 20 yards.

—John Haviland, Field Editor

Latest

250 Years Of U.S. Infantry Ammunition
250 Years Of U.S. Infantry Ammunition

From Paper Cartridge To PMAG: 250 Years Of U.S. Infantry Ammunition

Any survey of military firearms isn’t complete without also discussing the development of ammunition across this past quarter-millennium. From a conceptual standpoint, very little has changed.

Review: IWI Carmel

Initially introduced in 2019 to the international military market in a select-fire format, the IWI Carmel is a modular, durable and thoroughly modern sporting rifle.

Ruger Reaches New Milestone In Support Of Youth Shooting Sports

Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc. became the first Blue Diamond level sponsor of the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF) in 2024 by supporting the youth shooting sports program with more than $75,000 a year.

KelTec’s PR57: Thinking Outside The (Detachable) Box

KelTec has brought the stripper clip back with the thoroughly unconventional PR57—a carry pistol with an uncommon chambering, an unusual action and no box magazine.

The Armed Citizen® June 9, 2025

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

More Western States Opening Large Shooting Ranges

A number of states in the western U.S. have opened or are planning to open large, versatile ranges to serve the growing need for publicly accessible shooting spaces.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.