@@normanrea8146 me too! I just added an old Wilkes Barre hammer gun to the safe

@@briannekeenatch8375 I get my primers wherever I can on sale. Brass hulls I mainly get from Track of the Wolf, auction sites or Buffalo Arms

That stinks. I’m sure it’s a pain to import gun parts but they’re fairly available here

I don’t know if they were made with 2 3/4 or 2 9/16 inch chambers. You’ll have to measure the chamber to confirm it’s 2 3/4 inch since modern 16 gauge is mostly 2 3/4 inch ammo. Once you’ve confirmed chamber length, you can have it inspected by a qualified smith to make sure it’s good to go. I personally shoot modern ammo out of my 12s and my 20. I don’t shoot steel through the fixed chokes though. My biggest concern is cracking the wood, so I shoot lower recoiling ammo through mine.

Thanks!

@@twiststeelandsmokeSure thing. Other than the name Batavia hitting my ears wrong, it's a great review of an interesting gun. My family was from that area and I grew up about an hour's drive on 2-lane roads from Ithaca. In 1898 my great-grandfather lived in Chautauqua and commissioned a Model 1898 Damascus barrel. It says "Baker Gun Co." on both side plates and is engraved with hunting dogs, which he raised as a hobby. It is Serial number 60!

@@jamesgray6346 that’s wonderful you have that family history! It still amazes the number of gun works in that area of New York. It was quite the Mecca. I’ve seen quite Bakers in gun shops over the years, but never heard anyone utter the word “Batavia,” so I appreciate the knowledge.

I handload 1 1/8 ounce target loads using red dot. I’m running out of SP10 wads so I’m going to need to experiment soon on a new one

I have a couple of modern 3.5s too, but most of them are 2 7/8 or 2 5/8. They’re a lot of fun! I’m shooting a light smokeless handload here. I don’t shoot a ton of black powder anymore

The adjustability is ingenious. I truly don’t know why it is isn’t standard! I also like his thumb push openers too. This one may be moving on shortly, but I will always have a Lefever around!

I’ve used about 25 pounds of it and it seems to pattern fine. The biggest issue I’ve had is with the pellets fragmenting when they hit game. I’ve switched almost exclusively over to copper plated bismuth because of that issue. It’s a little pricier, but I haven’t had the issue through 10 pounds of #4s. They’re also completely round!

@@twiststeelandsmoke I remember the old heavy shot if you squeezed it very lightly with a needle nose pliers it would disintegrate or shatter too. The stuff was super fragile.

@@tripplebeards3427 I’ve never handloaded Hevi shot or cut apart hulls loaded with it. It stinks that we either have super brittle or super hard nontox options for the most part

That’s a great find! I think I’ve seen your post with the turkey on the cast boolits forum. My best patterning loads all seem to be in the 90 grains of FFG range with lighter shot under 1.5 ounces. Whenever I load over 100-125 grains my patterns never hold

@@twiststeelandsmoke yep I had some pattern testing out to 50 yards with my hundred grain 1 5/8oz load. I’ll have to try ffg. I also want to go rouge and load up some 1 7/8oz and 2 oz loads with 90 and 95 grains of FG and check for pressure signs and patterning some day.

Thanks Rick! I’m glad to hear you’re using yours that widely! I wish I could still use buckshot where I am for deer. Our game commission banned it last season. My guns are now mostly relegated to birds and small game. I may have to start loading some foster slugs and see how the accuracy is out of tight chokes

I bought a craftsman portable drill press,that clamps in a drill, from a thrift store for eight bucks. It sure makes the crimps 1 million times better using.

My best loads have all been between 90 and 100 grains too with 1 1/4- 1 1/2 ounces of shot. I’ve noticed messing with my stack heights and wads can make a decent difference too especially in the 10 gauge brass hulls

Numrich will occasionally have parts as well as some of the auction sites. If you join the Remington Society forum, someone may be able to help there too!

Track of the Wolf, Buffalo Trading, Midway, or a good muzzleloading shop carry most, if not everything, you would need to

Numrich and eBay are two good options. Sometimes the auction sites will have parts guns and parts too

No, they’re bismuth

Price depends on condition, grade, gauge, etc. They can be worth a hundred bucks to thousands. If you use the advanced search on Gunbroker you can find completed items. If an 1889 sold recently similar to yours, it could give you a ballpark. Looking at the asking prices online can be deceptive since they aren’t always selling for that price. They may sit for years. Selling on one of the online sites is a fast option. Local classifieds, gun shops, and gun shows are another. I’ve had good luck selling at auctions and shipping through FFLs when necessary.

They’re awesome guns. All of my Foxes are pre 1913. I need to get a Savage made at some point for a detailed comparison.

I have one of the RCBS die sets that includes the crimping tool, but I don’t use it. I’ve heard it shortens case life since you’re working the brass a lot more

That’s a tough question. I haven’t bought pistol primers in years. The cases after a few reloads are immaterial. Going off current BP rates, it’s about 34 cents a shot for a 3 dram load. I load a lot of bismuth for ducks, so that’s about a buck an ounce. I buy so many wads, I have no idea what the breakdown would be either!

Many thanks for the answer! I don't have experience with shotguns and reloading but it sounds like a good idea :-)

That’s the worst! That’s why some of mine are 209s. I can usually find one or the other

@@twiststeelandsmoke I only have the MagTech brass, all Large Pistol. I’ve seen where they can be modded to accept 209s , but not sure I want to go that route.

@@m1cajah yeah, removing metal is never the greatest option

Also a pistol grip and 30 in barrel

The fastest way is to see if a 12 gauge shell fits or is loose. If it’s loose, it’s a 10. Unfortunately, the distance between the firing pins on a normal 10 and 12 gauge are the same at 1 3/16 inches. If the distance is 1 5/16 inches, it is definitely a 10 gauge (a heavy 10). If it’s 1 1/8 inches, it is a 16 gauge

I use 2.5 inch 12 gauge. I load black powder in brass hulls or low pressure smokeless

Taking a look at the action and hammer shape can be a good clue. A lot of guns have distinctive hammer shapes

@@twiststeelandsmoke I was able to use the serial number and hammers as well as how the receiver joins to the upper to conclude it was a Crescent Arms made roughly 1898

@@jpace123456 I’m glad you figured it out. Sorry for the late response! I just got a few notifications

@@twiststeelandsmoke no problem man, thanks

I fireform for my 43 Spanish with 348 win cases. Good luck!

@@twiststeelandsmoke any advice on fire forming. Aside from annealing the case first. This will be my first attempt.

@@Riven1974 I don’t really have much to add to the videos and articles on it already. Since you’re going to a shotshell, trimming to length won’t be an issue. It’s fun to do!