From the above, is it safe to say the 16 never fell out of favour for strictly hunting upland or most duck shooting within 30 yards from a blind although shell availability says otherwise?
King, it's probably best to look at the 16 as a very versatile UPLAND shotgun. The nontoxic options are very limited for waterfowl, but because you can shoot up to 1 1/4 oz of lead through a 16--or at least through SOME 16's--it will handle any upland needs with no problems.
As noted above, the exclusion of the 16 as an "official" skeet gauge certainly hurt. So did the advent of the 3" 20ga. So did American manufacturers cutting corners and building 16's on 12ga frames. I think it will retain popularity especially among sxs shooters. We're clearly a niche market anyhow. But a properly proportioned 16 is an excellent upland gun.
