Love for 16ga

[22250Rem]

Growing up in the '50's & '60's I can recall the old timers talk of the 16 ga. as being the "sweet spot" between 12 & 20 ga. when it came to pheasants. Not too big; not too small. That was the gauge my father used before and after WW2 interrupted his hunting pursuits for a while.

 

[DM~]

Oh, duh. It's your drilling. Thought it was a double. All those German actions start looking alike after a night of perusing Guns International and Simpson Ltd..........

You mean it "isn't" a double???

It looks like it has two shot bbls S&S to me...

DM

 

[somethingbenign]

Definitely have a soft spot for my 16ga. No solid reason. It is just as capable as 12 and 20 when it comes to most hunting. Sure factory loads can be slim in variety but when I couldn't find either 12 or 20 last year I could find all the 16 and 28 I cared to pay for, variety is the spice of life definitely payed off. Mainly I like it for the tradition of it and when it comes to a hunting tool that is just fine.

 

[entropy]

You mean it "isn't" a double???

It looks like it has two shot bbls S&S to me...

DM

Indeed it is, and indeed it does. And a bonus rifle barrel!

 

[kerreckt]

I have a Winchester model 12 in 16ga. Made in 1929, I believe. Most of the bluing has worn off, silky smooth action. My dad gave it to me. Told me he bought it from a fellow soldier in 1950, who was being sent to Korea. He paid $25 for it. It is my favorite shotgun. It has had much use. Everything on it is worn to perfection.

 

[bob97]

It’s a little ironic that we invent new rifle cartridges so frequently but we struggle to sustain 5 or 6 shotgun gauges commercially.
That being said its been a few years since i fired a shotgun so i guess I’m part of the problem.

 

[Riomouse911]

Like many kids, my first shotgun-shot was fired through a single shot .410. After a few tries in the mourning dove fields going 0-for, the next season I used my Grandfather’s Model 12-16 gauge. I had much better luck with it on doves and with bobwhites and fox squirrels as well.

I still have that Model 12, along with a 20” Lefever SxS “coach gun” and a Browning BPS in 16.

It’s a little ironic that we invent new rifle cartridges so frequently but we struggle to sustain 5 or 6 shotgun gauges commercially.
That being said its been a few years since i fired a shotgun so i guess I’m part of the problem.

I agree, outside of the 12 and 20 I the others are pretty much niche guns. They’re fun, but due to limited ammo types for non-reloaders they can be rather specialized.

The only shotgun gauge I’ve never owned, and honestly have zero interest in owning, is the 10. My sub-20 gauge quiver is a bit light with 2 28’s and a .410 Rem 1100, but the 20, 16 and 12 gauges are fairly well represented with at least three samples each.

Stay safe.

 

[OlKrom]

Brought my 16ga Ithaca 37 for a walk in the woods a few times this week, unfortunately we were unable to kick up and pheasants.

 

[Poper]

I still occasionally hunt with my dad's Valmet 16ga O/U. He got it as his 60th birhday present in mid 60's, complete with a brass plaque embedded in the stock, and that gun really deserves to be taken out to the field every now and then.

Other than that, 16ga seems nearly obsolete these days. Finding ammo is a real PITA, anything second hand chambered to 16ga gathers dust on gun shops' shelves and it's been a while since I've seen a new 16ga shotgun in person.

Then again, you can pick up nice Browning Auto 5:s in 16ga for little over $100 whereas 12ga starts at about $400, so there's a silver lining in near-obsolescence...

I just sold my 1958 Sweet Sixteen for $600.
Jackpot!

 

[Terry G]

Browning "Sweet Sixteen" was my everything gun for many years. I still have it.

 

[cdb1]

I grew up shooting a very old Montgomery Wards SxS 16 gauge. It was stolen when I was in college. I keep saying I’m going to get another SxS 16 gauge. I also promised myself I wouldn’t buy another shotgun until I sold a couple I currently own. Therein lies the dilemma because I can’t bring myself to sell any of my semi’s, even though some never get shot.

 

[Charlie Martinez]

In the early 50's the one and only shotgun at my house was a Remington (pre 1100, maybe an 1187?) 16 gauge semiauto. My recollection of gun discussions in those days is that the 16 gauge was an extremely popular option for those that didn't want the recoil of the 12 gauge. I wish I still had that old shotgun today even though in later years I read that the 20 gauge had almost totally replaced the 16 gauge for reasons that I cannot recall.

 

[besk]

My most prized gun is a 16ga Parker with 26" IM & IC barrels that was inherited from my great uncle - who purchased it new about 1925.
Looks well used for a reason!

 

[Seedy Character]

In the early 50's the one and only shotgun at my house was a Remington (pre 1100, maybe an 1187?) 16 gauge semiauto. My recollection of gun discussions in those days is that the 16 gauge was an extremely popular option for those that didn't want the recoil of the 12 gauge. I wish I still had that old shotgun today even though in later years I read that the 20 gauge had almost totally replaced the 16 gauge for reasons that I cannot recall.

1148 maybe????
1187 replaced the 1100

12 -16-20 = .44M-.41M-.357M

Those who shoot 16 and .41 know how capable and awesome they are.
Those not familiar will chose the one in the end that most matches their need or what someone told them they need.

 

[Fishingted]

Growing up in the '50's & '60's I can recall the old timers talk of the 16 ga. as being the "sweet spot" between 12 & 20 ga. when it came to pheasants. Not too big; not too small. That was the gauge my father used before and after WW2 interrupted his hunting pursuits for a while.

Cut My teeth on a 16 gauge single shot H&R Topper Full Choke. Best Hunting gun I ever Owned and still regret Selling it. Me and that shotgun put plenty of squirrels and Pheasants in the Pot. Did like the pumps and autos a Bit more for hunting rabbits with beagles. But I Just Never missed Pheasant with that gun. When you got one shot you learn to Bear down. Dad Had a Browning 16 which I Loved. Main reason I don't own one now is that I reload and easier to load for 12 and 20. But I still have an I out for another Topper 16.

 

[tactikel]

My high school hunting buddy inherited a 16 ga Wingmaster (mid 60s). It was a sweet upland game gun, he took pheasant, rabbits, squirrel. Before non toxic shot regulations, it was a legit duck gun over decoys.
The 20 ga 3” killed it, always on a correct receiver, able to shoot 7/8 oz thru 1 1/4 oz. Ammo cheaper and found everywhere. I have 5 20 ga, zero 16 ga.

 

[22250Rem]

Cut My teeth on a 16 gauge single shot H&R Topper Full Choke

.... Those are very similar to the old Iver Johnson Champion, single shot, full choke, 16 ga. that started me out in shotgunning. It was my dad's pheasant gun before & after WW2 and you are correct about the only having one shot philosophy. Dad always said that with the full choke if a pheasant flushed very close to him he learned to force himself to hold off that one shot for a second or two because at close range it was easy to miss the bird because the pattern hadn't opened up enough yet. Still have the gun and I love it; it's light and swings great yet is still easy on the shoulder. I can see why the 16 ga. was once considered ideal sub-12 ga. pheasant medicine before the rise of the 3" 20 ga.. I'm sure you'll see a lot of similarity to that old 16 ga. H&R Topper in this old 16 ga. Champion. They're neat old guns ( in a neat gauge) IMHO.. ..

 

[entropy]

An old H&R (Long before they were called Topper) 16 ga. was what my Grandpa had for a pheasant gun in the early 30's in North Dakota. I got a pheasant with it a few years ago, and now my older son has it for a pheasant gun.

 

[jmorris]

It fills a nonexistent niche between 12 and 20, but, nonetheless, I like the 16ga.

Yeah, it’s kind of the seven cylinder, of engines. Just more popular.

 

[entropy]

I look at it as more of one of those cars with the 8/4 or 6/3 option, where one bank is shut off when not needed. You just load 3/4 oz. shells in when you want light loads, 1 or even 1 1/8 oz. (not very common anymore) for ducks and geese. The 3" 20 ga. was kind of the death knell for the 16, though, because it can do the same thing, in a (usually) lighter gun.

 

[Seedy Character]

Shot many cases of Federal Hi-Power 16ga
3 1/4 Dram 1 1/4 oz 6s and 4s on ducks, geese, turkey and pheasants. Even some #1 buck for high flying sandhill crane.

It is amazing (to me, anyway) that the .410 is still in existence. The 28ga is easier to load and patterns better, yet only survived because of skeet shooters. The 32ga is non-existent and few know of them 24ga.
Yet, move to realm of rifle cartridges and the overlap and duplication of ballistics is mind boggling.

 

[MacAR]

I cut my shotgunning teeth on my grandad's M37 Winchester 16 gauge. That old full choke single shot has accounted for a lot of game through the years. Heck, I still use it to keep the critters out of my garden! To me, regardless of anyone else's information or opinion, the 16 is the perfect gauge for doing any sort of shotgunning short of goose shooting. In that case, I'll take a 10 gauge. Otherwise, the 16 is the one!

It is amazing (to me, anyway) that the .410 is still in existence.

I agree.... I've sold every 410 I've ever owned, because they've turned out to be utterly useless for me. Same pretty much goes with my 20 gauges; only have one old Mossberg left and it only because it was a family gift. Give me my old model 12 16 gauge any day of the week!

Mac

 

[WestKentucky]

If I ever come across a nice SxS in 16ga. I will have it.

Mine showed up at the LGS today. I’m hoping it’s as nice in person as the photos showed. 16 was the main reason I bought it. It’s a classic American gun though from a few generations back so I feel like I bought a piece of history. It’s just a Stevens 311 but that’s what almost every American had or had access to a hundred years ago.

 

[Spats McGee]

I've never quite understood why the 16 ga is not outrageously popular. I've never had one, but it sure seems like it would have been a 'sweet spot' of a gun.

 

[SwampWolf]

.... Those are very similar to the old Iver Johnson Champion, single shot, full choke, 16 ga.

A boyhood friend of mine (Walt) had one (a 12 gauge, choked full) and I remember it having a synthetic ("Bakelite"?) stock. Back in the fifties, we hunted rabbits with an old beagle, Walt using the Champion for running, short-range shots; me shooting at sitting cottontails at longer distances with my trusty Winchester Model 67, single-shot .22 rifle. Rabbits fried in the skillet were a good substitute for the hamburger that our family of nine sometimes couldn't afford (young woodchucks cooked in a stew were pretty tasty too!).

Great times they were and I miss Walt way more than I do his hard kicking Iver Johnson.