doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Why not the sixteen

I love the three barrel shotgun.

I have an affection for three barrel shotgun/rifle combos and the 16ga is perfect for them.

1926 Wilkes drilling 16ga/16ga/6.5 x58R Sauer, one of my favorite coyote hunting guns. 2.5" handloads with 1 oz of NP BB's or 2's.



I have a Mec 600 16ga set up with a short shell kit. 3/4oz of ITX 6's for waterfowl and 3/4 oz Lead 8's for clays and a good supply of Brenneke 2.5" slugs

I dug out my one and only 16 gauge to show off. A Stevens 235. It's an ugly duckling compared to the beautiful guns pictured. I suspect it put quail, rabbit, squirrel and maybe a duck or two on some family table back in the depression days.

I've not shot it - yet. Having more time, yesterday I bought a box of Magtech brass. I've corrected primer pocket problems with the brass and getting ready to load. The old gun has an easily repairable hair line crack in the buttstock behind the action. I need to get some Acraglas to make that repair before I shoot it.

It feels like a toy compared to my big 10 gauge shotguns.

Oskar, do you use any f these recipes for the ITX?

HULL: FIOCCHI 16-gauge 2.5�
PRIMER: FIO616
PROPELLANT: IMR 800X 20.0 Grains
WAD: Z16 (Mica dust the wad) +1/8 cork 20 in wad base
SHOT: 3/4 ounce (328 grains) ITX#6/#4
BUFFER: none
ROLL CRIMP: N716 card on top of shot
Result: PSI 8300 FPS 1270

Load# 110418-2979
HULL: FIOCCHI 16-gauge 2.5�
PRIMER: FIO616
PROPELLANT: HODGDON INTERNATIONAL CLAYS 18.0 Grains
WAD: Z16 (Mica dust the wad) +1/8 cork 20 in wad base
SHOT: 3/4 ounce (328 grains) ITX#6/#4
BUFFER: none
ROLL CRIMP: N716 card on top of shot
Result: PSI 8300 FPS 1280

Load# 110418-2980
HULL: FIOCCHI 12-gauge 2.5�
PRIMER: FIO616
PROPELLANT: IMR SR7625 20.0 Grains
WAD: Z16 (Mica dust the wad) +1/8 cork 20 in wad base
SHOT: 3/4 ounce (328 grains) ITX#6/#4
BUFFER: none
ROLL CRIMP: N716 card on top of shot
Result: PSI 6800 FPS 1130

Bibbyman, I would love to own a 16 like that one.

Thank goodness for the lowly stepchild sixteen gauge. It allowed me to pick up a wonderful straight hand, two trigger, SxS for half the price listed for the same gun in the Cabela's gun room.

The fellow bought it new and discovered that the local gun shop would not offer him much when we went to sell it. They simply did not want it sitting on the self for years waiting for the right buyer.

I was in the right place at the right time. I shoot a 1 oz. load for skeet and love it.

I once bought a 16 under similar circumstances, RPr. In college, I happened upon some classmates looking at a shotgun. One guy said it was for sale, but no one there made him an offer. He said he was going to the pawn shop in town to sell it. I asked to ride along, and he agreed. He had no price in mind for the Remington 11-58, and said he would take whatever the pawnbroker offered him for it. It was a clean, little used gun so I "made him an offer he couldn't refuse". "Whatever he offers you for it, say "No", and I'll give you five dollars more". He agreed and the pawnbroker offered him $30. He declined and as we were leaving I told him he had $35 coming for it. The shop owner heard me, cussed us both out and ran us out the door. I called home that afternoon, got Dad to wire me the cash, and I brought it home that Friday afternoon.

Nothing like being in the right place at the right time.

SRH

I sold a gun that didn't fit me that way. Was talking trade at the gun shop when a guy showed up looking for a gun. Asked if he could look at mine. We completed the deal around the corner. Worked out OK for the shop as well, because I used what I got for mine to cover most of the price on the gun I bought from them.

I like L.C. Smiths and have a few 16 gauges. They are all short chambered 2 9/16". A few years ago you could find Kent game loads in 16 ga. 2 1/2" which I bought at Cabela's. I then decided to reload my own but could not find any loads for the pie crimp 2 1/2", so I roll crimped them and just used the 16's for hunting.
Now there are recipes for Cheddite 2 1/2" hulls 6 crimp that are a pleasure to load especially with the new primed hulls you can buy.

About 7 years ago Cabela's near me had a Fabrique Nationale d"Armes 16 ga. 30" Krupp Steel barrels, lt. mod and imp.mod, side clips, greener cross bolt and monte carlo stock. Gun weighs 6 lbs. 2 ozs, Gun was underpriced in my opinion. This became my go to gun for bird hunting.

Thought I would add another gun that I used for bird hunting, a 16 ga. F grade L.C. Smith. This picture was the first time I had used this gun. I received it in parts and put it back together. It needed a stock and I was lucky to find one. So being the first time I shot this, the first bird that my friend's Brittany pointed, I missed it with the first shot and got it with the second. The next bird I got on the first shot, and upon opening it, the left barrel was fired. What the heck, tried it again with an empty and sure enough front trigger fired left barrel. Come to find out when I got home that the left barrel was opened more than the right, hence front trigger left barrel. I wonder if some previous owner was left handed. It is still that way now, left it alone.

The LC Smith 10 gauge I just repaired the buttstock on also, in my limited testing, shoots a much tighter pattern with the right barrel.

The triggers are on the conventional sides. The Cowboy Action Shooters sometimes swap sides with the triggers thinking it makes trigger transportation faster. I use two fingers so I don't have to worry about at split second.

I'm thinking that a David McKay Brown in any gauge would be a joy to hunt with. When you get to that level of quality does it really matter what gauge?