When I grew up in NE GA back in the stone age (the 1950's and into the early 1970's), a 16-bore was THE gun for all the "bird" (quail) hunters and rabbit chasers in the county. But no one I knew shot a side x side in those days (never saw a Parker until after I was married), they all shot auto shuckers; those considered more well-to-do sporting Browning A-5's (Sweet 16's), and the less well off toting a Remington Sportsman 58. The first "real" gun I ever purchased was 16-bore Rem. 1100 with which I bagged truck loads of game; but 16-bore 1100's haven't been manufactured in years and are now considered "collectible". I graduated to a 12-bore Browning A-5 because I got into reloading and Win AA hulls and wads were obtainable; whereas components to load the 16-bore at the time were almost non-existant. It was the guys in my generation who graduated to 12-bores; and I vividly remember my father telling me that I was an idiot for trading the best gun ever made (the Browning A-5) for an Ithaca 200E double. I wanted a side by side because gun writers of the day waxed lovingly over "romances" with side x side; and I also wanted a side x side to increase the difficulty factor in my shooting, as almost never missing with the A-5 was making my chosen sport a bit monotonous. I have some great memories afield with 16 bores, and especially with my 16 gauge side x sides; the most memorable event that of scoring a left and right on a pair of grey fox my beagles flushed from a brier thicket (I don't suppose too many doubles have been scored on grey fox?). But alas, those grizzled old bird hunters have now died off along with their beloved quarry, the Bobwhite Quail; and with their demise, so came the demise of the 16-bore as regards popularity in my area so no shooter I know now carries a 16-bore afield. Contemplating all these changes make me a bit sad; but I'm glad to know that the 16-bore is still alive and well in some parts of the country.