Safe non-tox loads for older 16 ga side by side ?
 

Hi, I don't post much, but read on here almost everyday. I want to shoot a goose with my Grandfather's old 16 ga side by side, Stevens, I believe, and want to get some safe shells for geese. They have to be 2 3/4 inch, it shoots nice on squirrels and rabbits,but that is with lead. Any advice on what make I should go with ? Waterfowler for for over 45 years and I know the limits on decoyed birds.I have taken them with a 20 ga before right over my layout blind. Thanks Jim in Ohio.

Bismuth shot will not hurt those barrels. It is all I use in my side by sides for waterfowl.

Thanks Oldtimr I will check those out

Boss Ammunition makes some good bismuth loads for a 16g.

how old is this shotgun
does it have good steel barrels or Damascus barrels?
as that might make a big difference on shooting steel shot thru it with modern powders!
age matters on materials used in build and in ammo being shot thru it!

I don't think it is damascus ?
 

I think it is steel and i will get the serial numbers or what is on the barrels and be right back !

16 ga Stevens
 

Ok, on top of the left barrel it says(High Pressure Compressed Steel-Barrel and Lug Forged in One Piece) then on the right side of receiver it says (J. Stevens Arms Company,Chicopee Falls , Mass.Patened April 20 1915 USA) left side of receiver has a goose flying over some weeds. does that help ? Jim

16 gauge Stevens numbers
 

There are some numbers under the wooden fore arm they are ( H7832 )

That gun is safe for Bismuth shot or any other proper length shell. The numbers on the metal under the forearm are probably a match to the serial numbers on the barrels.

Odds are then you should be fine with modern ammo
but as for steel shot, if it has a full choke, I might not want to use it thru that barrel

and I am pretty sure I own a like gun
Only in a 20 Gauge, but mine is a single trigger version of the 3111-315"s which were much more common place
(mine is a single trigger different model,, and was only made for two yrs, but they pretty much used the same receivers

But here is a pic of the one I have!

mrbb, mine looks just like that but has double triggers

I had a Mod 311 in 12 gauge, Mod and full. I used steel shot in it when that was all that was available and it did not hurt my barrels, no bulging in the area of the full choke. I would not use steel in my high end doubles though.

yeah I figured it was a double trigger gun
they made about a million of them with that engraved receiver , but only a very small percent were of single trigger versions, as only made them for 2 yrs of the decades of production they had on the rest!

steel shot is one of them things, it just doesn't compress and shouldn;t be shot thru full chokes
yes many have and do , do it without issue's
but it can and has been proven to damage some barrels too!

its one of them risks you have to decide if its worth it or not for you!

as I said, if it was me, I personally just wouldn;t load the barrel with the full choke on it, as they say, better safe than sorry!

since this gun I gather is more a sentimental valued gun over just any SHOTGUN to hunt with

but that's your call! your gun!

and I would be sticking to LOW powered shells too, w
your talking about a gun that is almost a 100 yrs old pending when made, and they came a LONG way with modern powders and pressure they can make!

as I said, this is a more sentimental valued gun, no?