As far as the lack of ammunition goes ....... which came first, the chicken or the egg? IOW, did the lack of ammunition come about because of the decline in popularity of the 16, or did the 16 "fall out of favor" because of a lack of ammunition? IMO, it is the former.
I think gun writers helped the decline along, whether by commiseration or not, I don't know. Today, there are a huge number of hunters who want one gun to do it all, especially younger hunters. It makes no sense to buy a 16 for that. A 12 will do it all, literally. No other gauge is as suited for all types of hunting as the 12. Waterfowl, upland, deer, clays ...... It can handle anything. A 16 is a handicap for a man who wants that. How many 16 Brit guns do you see?, even fewer than American. Is that because of some conspiracy? Of course not. It is simply because the Brits recognized that the lightweight 12 game gun is a superior instrument for upland.
IMO, as much as I enjoy my 16s, they will never return to their former glory.
SRH
