After 30 + years of happily shooting a pair of 20 Ga. BSS SxSs, I discovered a 16 Ga. #2 AyA. I had mounted the gun and swung it around the store before I discovered that it was the dreaded 16 Ga. Prior to that time I had never considered a 16 gauge.
I asked the clerk if they had a 20 and they did. The 16 felt much better whereas the 20 felt whippy. The AyA weighs a full pound less than my beloved 20s and I believe that an ounce of shot is adequate for most upland bird hunting.
I think that it is the combination of gun and gauge that has caused me to forsake my 20s and dont doubt that somewhere there is a 20 Ga. SxS that would feel as good as the AyA. A 16 Ga. built on a 12 Gauge frame is not a gun I would choose.
I use my 16 for all upland bird hunting and shoot reloads with the ejecta ranging from oz. to 1 1/8 oz.
I discovered that available 16 Ga. ammo was expensive, lacking in load choices and availability when compared to either 20 or 12 gauge ammunition. Not a problem, because I reload.
I stumbled upon all brass hulls from Rocky Mountain Cartridge, which opened up a reloading choice bonanza. One hull suitable for any gauge specific published load for straight walled hulls.
I have ben reloading since I was 19 years old and I have never had better patterns than the RMC hulls and the AyA produce.
During my lifetime of upland bird hunting, I have never been happier with a gun and its gauge. Below are my pheasant loads of 1 oz. of #6 shot and 1 1/8 oz. of # 5 1/2 shot. Same approximate pellet count, but the 5 1/2 shot gives a little more down range effectiveness.
