Originally Posted By: L. Brown
16's often handle very well. Some of them, however--mostly American-made guns--were put on 12ga receivers as the gauge began to lose popularity and gun manufacturers were cutting the costs of production. With those, you get a gun that carries like a 12 and hits like a 20.


Pretty mysterious how the 16 carries like a 20 and hits like a 12, but when you add a few ounces it starts to hit like a 20. If anything it becomes more comfortable to shoot heavier loads ... so how does it no longer hit like a 12??

Among my field guns are 4 side-by-sides that weigh within an ounce of 6-3/4 lbs. -- a 12, a 20, and two 16s. That's the weight I shoot best for open country birds, and it's light enough for easy all day carry. Choke and load -- not gauge and not weight -- are the factors that distinguish how they "hit".

Jay

Last edited by Gunflint Charlie; 07/03/12 03:34 PM.