16 ga. Why or why not

16 ga. Why or why not?

  • I would not reommend a 16 ga.

    Votes: 35 42.2%

  • I would recommend a 16 ga.

    Votes: 48 57.8%
  • Total voters
    83
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Dr_2_B

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I have never liked the king: the 12 ga. For whatever reason (I think it has something to do with my problematic shoulder), I am not bothered by sharp recoil in pistols, but HATE the recoil of the 12 ga on my shoulder.

Who has experience with the all-but-forgotten 16 ga? Any thoughts? Positive? Negative? Pointless?
 
IF you are talking about having 2 shotguns for nothing but upland hunting, the 16 and 28 get the nod - no question, ESPECIALLY if the 16 is on a 20 gauge frame.

What doomed many 16's after WWII was they were built on 12 gauge frames - why haul around the weight without the advantages?

A 15/16, 1 oz, or 1-1/16 oz load from a 16 does fine for every upland need where lead is legal, and even today, there are many excellent loads for large birds
 
I voted for it but it is conditional. A 16 gauge that is built on a 12 gauge frame isn't worth the effort. You can easily load or buy 12 gauge rounds equivalent to the 16. On the other hand guns like my Winchester 24 are 16 gauges built on 20 gauge frames. The smaller lighter frame makes it a great upland game gun, fast and lively in the hands yet a heavier, denser pattern without having to go to magnum shells.

Reading oneounceload's post...wasn't up while I was writing my reply...

"What he said!"

My standard 12 reload is a 7/8's load using Lightning wad from Ballistic Products.
 
Last edited:
451 - try the DR XXL pink wads for 7/8.......find a middle to hot load and change the shot to 3/4oz........you will like the result!...............same thing for a 16.....shoot warm with a light load on a 20 gauge frame and the patterns should be awesome
 
I tried dropping to 3/4 but the pattern just wasn't there on the longer sporting clays shots, I chipped a lot of birds. My Model 24 is the 26 inch version, factory choked IC/Mod.
 
A big heck yeah for the 16. Love my old stevens 311 for clays. It gets a lot of attention at the gun club too.
 
In my limited experience the 16ga has little to no noticeable difference in recoil over the 12ga. If a 12ga bothers you a 16ga probably will to.

I currently have one 16ga and I will say that ammo is pricey, at least around here. For me I would stay away from the 16ga simply because of ammo. If the 12ga recoil bothered me and ammo availability or price isn't a real factor I would go with the 28ga.
 
The 16 ga was a great all around gun for upland game-until the 20 ga 3" was introduced. 20 ga mags will do anything a 16 will do, the gun is usually lighter, and ammo is infintely easier to find. If you have, one shoot it, and enyoy it. For waterfowl a 12ga mag is much more useful, for upland a good 20 ga mag is as good and more versatile.
Steel shot and the tendency to use a 12 ga receiver for a 16 ga gun doomed the 16.
 
i think it depends if you reload or not if you dont with your bad shoulder i would use a 20
 
If you can find a "Sweet 16" or one built on a smaller than 12 ga frame, get it.

The only negative I can think of is the scarcity of shells.

I prefer a 20 ga with a 3" chamber for most all uses, but use a 12 ga. 20" Coach double barrel for Home Defense.
 
I voted for the 16ga, but its really dependent on what you are doing with the gun and how into reloading you are.

I've shot probably over 10,000 rds through my Sweet 16 and have found it to be fully capable of anything you can think to do with a 12ga, albeit at a slight reduction in range due to only being able to shoot 2.75" shells. Also, my Sweet 16 with its 28" FC barrel seems to have the perfect balance I like in a gun. Its not muzzle heavy and swings with a very fluid motion & feel.

However, those pros come at multiple drawbacks. The Sweet 16 is recoil operated and it kicks like a mule every shot. I can't number the times I've come home from the range after a case of shells and seen the FN logo from the buttplate bruised into my shoulder. Lighter loads cure this issue, but then you might need to adjust the recoil spring in order to ensure the action works properly.

Ammo will be expensive if you don't reload. A case of Federal Game Shock Hi-Brass 1.125oz rounds that I shoot clays with is $120-$140 ($12-$14 a box) and its nearly $300 a case ($30 a box) for the Federal Wing Shock Magnums I hunt with, but you can find shells from Winchester for clays & birds for about $76 a case ($7.60 a box). I wish I had spent more money & time learning to reload than ordering ammo.

Chokes are going to be an issue. If you want a different choke in the Sweet 16, you have two options: buy a full set of barrels each with a different choke or call FN and have them custom make an Invector-Plus barrel with a full set of choke tubes for the gun. Neither option is cheap.

Cost of ownership is another issue as well. Parts for a Sweet 16 aren't exactly easy to find and they are going to cost a lot to buy either from someone or have FN remake it.

The only gun I like as much and have shot as much as my Sweet 16 is my Gold Fusion 12ga. It suffers from none of the drawbacks of the Sweet 16, but its not as balanced or swings as fluidly as I would like. Its gas operated and has a recoil pad in the buttstock. This kills almost all of the recoil from even heavy 3" mag deer slugs. Ammo is dirt cheap as you can go to Wal-Mart and buy a case of shells for about $30 and the action needs no adjusting for light or heavy loads. The gun uses Invector-Plus chokes so its next to impossible to not find a particular choke for it. And its new enough that you can find parts for it readily from Browning.

I can't comment on other manufactures 16ga's. Hope you find this helpful:)
 
I've got a 16 gauge wingmaster and I love it!. It's one of my "From my cold, dead hands" guns.
Pheasants seem to fold and fall from the sky from just the sight of it in the field.
And I totally disagree with those who see little/no difference in the recoil between 16 and 12.
A well balanced and smooth swinging 16 is, as the nickname implies, sweet.
my advice would be beg/ borrow one and see for yourself before you buy.
Also there's another thread with a guy trying to unload a sixteen Wingmaster that hasn't been used in 21 years.
 
I am a dyed-in-the-wool 16 ga fan as well. If recoil is the issue I think 12 vs 16 is not wherein the solution lies. I believe getting assistance is getting a proper fit is step one.

Ditto Deep South, esp. re: 28 ga
 
If built on an appropriate sized frame, the 16 gauge is a delight. I have a Winchester Model 12, which has a 20 gauge action, and a 1915 L.C. Smith, which has a 16 gauge frame. Both handle more like 20s than 12s, and they are a delight in the field. One could argue that a 20 gauge would serve just as well, but I disagree. A 16 gauge patterns a one ounce load better than a 20 does. It will also pattern a 1 1/8 oz load a lot better than a 20. Beyond that, I'd go with a 12 gauge.

Sixteen gauge shells aren't as readily available as the 12 and 20 gauge shells are, but they're out there. Both of the Wal-marts in my area stock them. If you reload, components are available too. While not as popular, the 16 gauge is far from dead. There are enough guns and those of us who love them to constitute a viable market for the shotshell manufacturers. :)
 
Sixteen gauge shells aren't as readily available as the 12 and 20 gauge shells are, but they're out there. Both of the Wal-marts in my area stock them. If you reload, components are available too. While not as popular, the 16 gauge is far from dead. There are enough guns and those of us who love them to constitute a viable market for the shotshell manufacturers.
Click to expand...

Where I live all the farm stores carry 16 gauge shells as does the Wal-Mart. Oddly it is gunshops that they seem rare.
 
I voted yes. I have an affinity for the 16. I own five of them, four pumps, and a semi-auto. It was my Grandfathers gauge of choice for his only shotgun, a Winchester Model 12. I don't consider the 16 vastly superior in any way, they're just neat. Ammo is no problem with internet shopping, mine gets dropped off at the front door by the UPS man.
 
16 ammo

I have a couple of 16 gauge side by sides and a Model 12 Winchester that I really enjoy shooting. Two weeks ago Dicks's here in Maryland had a full shelf of Remington 16 gauge 1 oz boxes of shells (7 1/2 and 8s) and were selling them for $5.88 a box. I bought about 50 boxes at that price.

Tom
 
Rural King in my hometown carries #4's, 6's, 7/12's as well as several brands of slugs and non toxic. Online makes it even easier. Perhaps it is regional.
 
Unless you have some nostalgic or sentimental attachement to a 16 guage shotgun go with a 12 and tame the recoil by:

1 - Use a gas operated semi-auto

2 - lengthen the forcing cone to 4 or 5 inches

3 - backbore the barrel

4 - port the barrel (I like Lazerports because it reduces recoil, muzzle rise and doesn't bother other shooters in close proximity.)

My 12 ga. Rem. 1100 has the above mods and with 1 oz. loads it shoots like a 28 ga. with 3/4 oz. loads
 
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