The Forgotten 16 Ga. (good article)

[cshold]

My all time favorite ga.
Hope I did this well enough that it's readable.

[Streetstar]

Sweet 16 --- growing up in somewhat rural Arkansas in the 80's, every kid in the neighborhood seemed to either have one, or wanted one - while i had to "make do" with dad's 20 gauge.

Never had any experience with a 16, but id like to rectify that

While not exactly the days of bringing your shotgun on the school bus with you, as some have written about, --- i well remember the schoolbus and schoolyards full of kids talking about their guns, hunting activities and other miscellaneous outdoor things. I doubt that goes on much now---- my once rural town is now a suburb as i found out when i drove through a few years back

[gamekeeper]

I'm a member of The 16 Gauge Society, they have a friendly forum too.
I've had a few 16 bores over the years but I'm down to only one now, my trusty Stevens 94m with a 32" barrel.
Acquiring ammo is my only problem, not so much choice in 16 gauge over here.

[Blaine]

Once ammo became scarce, and expensive I went with 12. I don't upland game hunt anymore, but if I do, I have a nice light Baikal 12 SxS that carries all day and is perfect with those cheapo WallyWorld
100 pacs.....

[Old Ironsights]

All I have for shotguns anymore are 410s and 16s.

My Drilling is a 16x16 with 2-1/2" chambers... so findng ammo was REALLY a problem until I got hooked up with Polywad corp and their "Vintager" shells.

My old Western Auto bolt gun will take OTC 2-3/4" ammo though.

[Walker]

Thanks for the article! It reminded me to get my old (1934) Fox Sterlingworth out and wipe it down. Not much chance of my going bird hunting out here any more, so it doesn't get used. Nice dimensions though and it only weighs 6 lbs.

[octagon]

Had a chance at a clean 870 last summer in 16. The barrel was VERY shot and had a polychoke- I passed.

Streetstar my 13 yo boy assures me that boys still talk about (at school) whats in season, what gun they are using, and how many of what species they are getting. I am glad he is still slightly more interested in guns than girls, though that trend seems to be slowly reversing itself. If some of these boys are to be believed, they have never missed a bird in the field.

[AmBraCol]

Picked up an Ithaca Champion in 16 bore years ago at a yard sale. It sat at the gunsmith's for a long time waiting for a spring. Had my brother pick it up and gave it to him, I THINK it's functional now. Maybe someday I'll come across an LC Smith or Purdey or ??? double for a song at a yard sale. One can dream. Yes, that was quite readable. Thanks for sharing.

[6pt-sika]

Forgotten ? Hmmmmm if you count drillings I have seven or eight SxS 16's . As far as I'm concerned the 10 gauge 2 7/8" , the 16 and the 28 are all the gauges I really need . Well need is such a over used word ! Let's just say these are the three gauges I like playing with the most . I was told years ago that the Short Ten with 1 1/4 ounce , the 16 with one ounce and the 28 with 3/4 ounce are the three most ballistically efficient shotgun rounds period .

[6pt-sika]

I lied I'd like an 8 gauge Parker as well but dollars and cents are a hindrance for me to get one of them .

[6pt-sika]

Picked up an Ithaca Champion in 16 bore years ago at a yard sale. It sat at the gunsmith's for a long time waiting for a spring. Had my brother pick it up and gave it to him, I THINK it's functional now. Maybe someday I'll come across an LC Smith or Purdey or ??? double for a song at a yard sale. One can dream. Yes, that was quite readable. Thanks for sharing.

I'm kinda looking for an LC Smith Ideal grade 16 myself . Also a Philly Sterlingworth in 16 !

[cshold]

Picked up an Ithaca Champion in 16 bore years ago at a yard sale. It sat at the gunsmith's for a long time waiting for a spring. Had my brother pick it up and gave it to him, I THINK it's functional now. Maybe someday I'll come across an LC Smith or Purdey or ??? double for a song at a yard sale. One can dream. Yes, that was quite readable. Thanks for sharing.

"or ???" Go Parker girl, you'll never look back

[Ray Newman]

I have a Stevens 311SXS, 16g, received as a birthday gift in 1962.

Always think of the Old Timers said of The 16 -- "Swings like a 20; hits like 12"....

[tman]

Introduction of the 3" 20 gauge magnum made the 16 obsolete. Too bad

[Marlin32]

Have quite a few 16's myself, not forgotten around here. Couple of Sweets, Parker, Win 24, and a citori.
Great upland guns, hard to beat
Would like a Merkel, Fox too, will some day. Shot a Merkel while at 86er's, but had no 16ga shells, shot the 20ga barrels. Stock too long for me, but made to have fitted and would have. I kick myself a little for not buying that gun then.

I have seen and handled an 8ga Parker, local gunshop. Loved it, out of my price range I am guessing, would make a great turkey and goose killer if legal.

[octagon]

6pt that 16 with one ounce sounds like sweetheart dove setup. When I get to be an old dude (like Mescalero) I'll have to check into that setup.
Oddly, the more of your replys I read on this forum, the more stuff I realize I need. Thanks.

[6pt-sika]

6pt that 16 with one ounce sounds like sweetheart dove setup. When I get to be an old dude (like Mescalero) I'll have to check into that setup.
Oddly, the more of your replys I read on this forum, the more stuff I realize I need. Thanks.

You want a really sweet dove/quail setup get you a little Superposed 28 gauge or dare I say a Parker 28 ! A friend of mine has a son that's almost grown now , but that young man can shoot the heck out of his little 28 gauge O/U in the dove field .

[6pt-sika]

Octagon back when I still kept setters I had a pair of Browning Citori's in 16 gauge . One was the Lightning version with 28" barrels that I used for dove and sporting clays . The other Citori 16 was the Upland Special version with 24" barrels that I used for Grouse . I truely liked thoset two guns and sometimes wish I still had them !

[octagon]

6pt my Dad had a 101 set with 410, 28, and 20. I loved the 20 and never tried the other barrels. The wood was gorgeous, and after many sessions of begging by an old and elderly friend, he finally traded it to him I am a die hard 12 shooter, but one day I may have to scale it down. Recoil has never been a deal for me. Any one ever make a o/u in ten?

[6pt-sika]

6pt my Dad had a 101 set with 410, 28, and 20. I loved the 20 and never tried the other barrels. The wood was gorgeous, and after many sessions of begging by an old and elderly friend, he finally traded it to him I am a die hard 12 shooter, but one day I may have to scale it down. Recoil has never been a deal for me. Any one ever make a o/u in ten?

Yes they did but generally they were Spanish and kinda bulky and heavy . There are other issues with recoil besides whether you can handle it or not . Recoil over time causes fatigue and fatigue can cause misses . I have several friends that go to South America every year for a week to dove hunt , typically they all take gas operated 20 gauges , usually all are ported as well . These guys average about 800 shots a day . They're tired after doing that with à 20 I can just imagine if they used a 12 gauge double .

[Lefty Dude]

Last Year at a Garage Sale I picked up 10 boxes of Winchester 16 Ga. # 6 shot in WW AA type hulls, $2.00 a box.
I have several 16's, my favorite is the Remington 870 made in 1954.
Last Week I chased down a Fox Sterlingworth 16 SXS with a Friend, He bought the piece for $275.00. It was on Craig's List. We had to make a 250 Mile round trip. The piece was clean, no stolen or bad S/N.
The bonus, the owner also included 4 boxes of Remington vintage shells.
After a complete tear-down and clean, the piece is in excellent shape. Furniture is good and no cracks.
He is thinking of sending it off to Turnbull for a full restoration.

[Bill in Oregon]

My first shotgun was an early Model 12, Nickel steel barrel, in 16 gauge.
Just this week, I bought my first Model 31, a last-year-of-production 1949 with steel trigger group and receiver, 26-inch barrel, improved cylinder, rat-tail forend. I'm taking this 16 grouse hunting at the earliest opportunity.
Gamekeeper, I just put my BPS Upland 16 in the classifieds over at the 16 Gauge Society. I post as Baden Powell, as that is my name. What is your handle over there?

[gamekeeper]

My first shotgun was an early Model 12, Nickel steel barrel, in 16 gauge.
Just this week, I bought my first Model 31, a last-year-of-production 1949 with steel trigger group and receiver, 26-inch barrel, improved cylinder, rat-tail forend. I'm taking this 16 grouse hunting at the earliest opportunity.
Gamekeeper, I just put my BPS Upland 16 in the classifieds over at the 16 Gauge Society. I post as Baden Powell, as that is my name. What is your handle over there?

Gamekeeper, the same as here, also rimfirecentral.
I haven't posted much lately although I use my 16 gauge quite a bit on crows and pigeons.

[OldWin]

Love the 16, always have. It's perfect for "thunder chickens"

Got three SxS's, two old Savage/Browning auto's, and an H&R single.

[Mike Hunter]

Once I found the 16 I will never consider the 12 again.

Handled properly the 16 will do everything the 12 will do, with lighter weight and less recoil.

[Old Ironsights]

I still am a member of the 16ga society/monitor 16ga Forum too... but don't post much...

[otteray]

When my Father-in-law passed away in the 80s, while cleaning out his closet there were two long guns discovered way back in the corner. A 1952 Win Model 70 and a 16 ga. Rem 11-48 from the same era, both unused. Mother-in-law said to just get them out of the house immediately!
I had no problem doing just that.