doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com popularity of 16 guage shotguns

I wonder sometimes if opinions about the 16 are affected by geography to a significant degree. East of the Rockies, a 20 is fine for grouse and quail at normal distances. I can see why people there might not see the need for a 16. West of the Rockies however, in the prairies and scab lands where chukars and huns are often had at 30-45 yds, I find a 20 lacking, while a slim 16 with a fast load of 1 or 1 1/8oz of 7's or 6's is the cat's meow.

Oink oink.

As long as a gun throws 1 ounce of #7.5 @ 1220 fps and meets my criteria for the job at hand (fit, handling and pretty wood) the gauge, as long as it's a 20, 16 or 12, is secondary to me. I find none lacking and no magic in any of them. That applies to everything from skeet targets and starlings to ruffed grouse and FITASC clays.

A 16ga was the "Darling" of many an old Southern "Bird" hunter both in doubles & in the early pumps & semi autos. The A5 in Sweet 16 guise was a great favorite of many. To you yanks, in the South Bird means the Bob White quail. Any other species one might hunt was called by name, but when one went after quail they were Bird Hunting. I think the fact that the 16 was skipped in the regular line up in skeet probably had more to do with its decline than any other factor. The 16 could only be shot against the 12s, so if one had a twenty to shoot in that class it simply didn't make much sense to also have a 16.
The vast majority of my hunting has been done with the 12 & 20s, but I do like the 16 as well. For those of us who still like the classical American doubles it is still easier to find a 16 in the 6-6� lb range than a 12 & they are generally less costlier than the same grade gun in a 20. The vast majority of US 12s are over 7lbs, I do realize lighter ones were built, they are not the ones most commonly found.
I do have A Lefever 12ga in H grade with 28" twist bbls which weighs 6�lbs. Also have an H grade 16 with 28" twist bbls that weighs 6 3/4lbs. And "YES" stood up across the room, even looking through my glasses for my less than perfect 74 year old eyes, that 16 still has a neater & trimmer look. Also in spite of its heavier than normal for a 16 weight it was built on the smaller XX frame. I did pay more for this 16 than I did for a 12ga FE, but the fact it was some 20 yrars later was the major factor there.

Or perhaps a 2 1/2" 12 with the same load. (The only reason I specify 2 1/2" is because, on average, they're lighter than 2 3/4" 12's--although you can find some lightweights there too.)

There can certainly be a problem with short-chambered guns that have very short forcing cones with a sharp taper. In some of those, you do need to shoot 2 1/2" hulls. Although one solution--which will not take a gun out of proof--would be to lengthen the cone.

Treblig1958, I reckon your chances of buying a slab of 16 bore cartridges in Africa is the same as Sophie Loren being transported back in time to 1955 and turning up at my doorstep and asking me out to dinner with a happy ending ;)best, Mike

Amen Mike Campbell, though I admire Prince Charles in UK, normally only ever shoots his pair of Purdey 28�s (he calls them his peashooters) and he only shoots high wild driven pheasants and partridge) but he doesn�t miss much ! Mind you, I�d like his amount of practice

Mike, that is what I was afraid of!! Great gauge when you're close to home, but don't leave home with it.

16 gauge shooters learned some time ago that once you step out into the cold cruel world you become self sufficient as far as ammunition goes. That is why I usually pack four boxes of shells with various shot size and charge to cover all contingencies for a one day hunt. I may forget one of my guns, my rain gear, or my dog whistle (couldn't forget my dog because he always beats me to the Landcuiser)but never my ammunition. If you are really paranoid about running out of ammuntion just invest in a couple of 20 gauge chamber mates. Remember P poor planning leads to P poor performance. On the plus side shooting a 16 gauge really keeps your hunting buddies from bumming your ammunition.

TB, Chamber mates? Can someone please clue me in on chamber mates? Will they work on any shotgun of any action type, pump, auto loader, etc?

My experience of 16ga ammo availability differs form those talking about scarcity. I can find the excellant 16ga Fiocchi Golden Pheasants loads in any sporting goods store when I am on the road hunting pheasants and grouse. The bigger sporting goods store have a wide range of 16ga ammo to chose from, as well. I've even been able to find 16ga at gas stations.

That being said, I am very particular about what ammo I feed my guns when hunting regardless of gauge, and thus always buy exactly what I want on the interenet and bring it along. Just like gas for my car, with a little planning I've never come close to running out.