doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Has the 16 ga become obsolete?

This is a pointless discussion. What is obsolete understood to mean? Are makers going to turn them out in the numbers they did in the 20's and 30's? No. Are they somehow less effective on the birds we hunt? No. Will those of us who like to use them run out of ammo? No. So, let those who have other preferences enjoy their choices. The rest of us are not affected in any way.

While light 12ga makes more sense. I like 16ga because ammo selection is simple. One ounce lead at 1165fps or 1300fps, 1oz Brenneke slug at 1350fps, for HD #1 BK at 1250fps. What I like is that 16ga Kent Bismuth is priced less than 12ga as it should be.

Don't worry Dziadu will be along soon and make it pointless fur us.

Being irrational and obsolete is still fun.

Jagermeister, you don't hunt and you don't own any double shotguns.

It wouldn't matter much if they were all obsolete to an internet faker and tire-kicker like you.

So what does a guy who doesn't own even one lousy double shotgun use for hinge pin lube?

As others have suggested, its not a straightforward question. "Obsolescence" can only occur in a given context. Bows and arrows are obsolete as mainline military weapons, but that detracts nothing from their usefulness for recreation or hunting.

One thing that's nowhere near being obsolete in the context of upland bird and small game hunting is the 6-pound gun firing a 1-ounce load. There are plenty of 20s and 12s that fit that description, but for many of us, the 16 is optimized for that combination of weight and payload in a way that neither the 20 nor the 12 can claim.

I'm a fan of the 16-gauge in principle and have a couple nice ones. But it all comes down to the relation between a shooter and an individual gun. Just now, I'm more likely to grab a 20 or light 12 than I am a 16, not because the 16 is "obsolete" but just because my Verney-Carron boxlock 20 is such sweet, handy little wand and I'm getting aquainted with two very different light 12s each a great example of opposite ends of the Darne spectrum--a grade 3 Halifax and a V21 (sorry about fingerprints on bsrrels in pics!).
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So 16 gage guns are still being produced and are available on the used market, factory ammo is readily available, and both guns and ammo function pretty much the way they did a century ago. So no, in the context of recreational shooting and small game hunting, the 16 is not even close to being obsolete, at least not in the sense of 8-track tapes or 5.25" floppy discs.

You are developing an eclectic collection of Regis Darne patent guns there, Bill-congrats.
Few people have even SEEN a V21.
Remind me, how is that gun choked?
I think I have seen that Halifax before....

Best,
Ted

The rear trigger on the bottom gun in the pic is so far back it's a wonder it can break clean. Or, is it pulled already? I swear, it appears to be contacting the guard.

SRH

Stan,
It is a Darne. It doesn't work like your guns. You can see the action is open, and the top of the triggers are projecting above the action flat. When the action is closed, the triggers will be pressed forward, into the correct position to fire the gun.
The front trigger on a Darne naturally articulates, by the way.

Best,
Ted

Why is it so different from the rear trigger on the upper gun? I can see the action on it is open, too.

Aren't they both Darnes? Is a Halifax not a Darne?

SRH

My 16 gauge Halifax, grade 4, is marked License Darne. It has a bit more engraving than this grade 3. As Ted said, when the action is closed the trigger will pull.