Home Forums Birds & Dogs Shotguns Anyone else think the 16 gauge is the perfect gauge?

Birds fly South in the Winter.

No

Perfect is subjective. Shrapnel's LW 2.5in 12 with 1oz loads will do everything a 16 with 1oz will do and probably patten better doing it. Due to less shot being deformed going down a larger tube which means more shot should arrive on target at the same time. Shotguns like that are usually not seen when it comes to American offerings.

At one time you could have them made here, but it's been a long time.

CSMC will make you what ever you want right here in the USA! But your going to pay for it.

Many people forget that there's more to a shotgun than just how much shot you can stuff in the shell. 1 1/4oz 3" 20ga shells throw notoriously [bleep] patterns. 1 1/8oz 16 ga shells typically throw about the best pattern anyone could ask for! One major difference between US and Europe, is in the US, most people buy the newest hottest semi-auto whiz bang with super no jam technology. In Europe, they shoot doubles! In the double world, the 16 is still VERY popular, and can be had in every make of double gun. In the US, 12ga is king due to so many people hunting ducks and geese, and in general, we have very poor taste in shotguns. With that said, the 16 is still probably the best bore for upland hunters IMO. Carries like a 20, hits like a 12.... Then again, I have no use for semi-auto shotguns and believe shotguns were perfected about 100 years ago.

Shrapnel has the right idea. I have an old LC Smith 12 ga that weighs 6.5 lbs, and I shoot one ounce loads in it. I would like it just as well if it were a 16 ga, but I don't think I would like it more.

Shotguns are about weight, balance, and fit, hopefully with a really good trigger or (preferably) two. Gauge is just something you need to know when you order cartridges.

Truth be told, I could be happy with either a 12, 16, or 20 from now 'til when they drop me in the ground- you can shoot stuff dead and break targets with them all. There was a time when I preached the virtues of the 16 over all others but since then I've mellowed a bit. All I ask, dear lord, is that it be a proportionately sized double!

I like the 16 but I could do without the hassle of finding ammo. A light 12 is perfection to me, nothing patterns like a bigger bore. A one ounce load patterns great out of a 12 and is quite a bit less expensive.

I think the 3" 20 ga is probably what hurt the 16 ga. But again ammo is more expensive. A one once load of 20 ga is 15 bucks a good load of 1 ounce 12 ga ammo is about 7.

Our local Cabelas always seems to have tons of 16 bore ammo

Have a supplier close to home that sells 16Ga Rio's: 1oz, 1300FPS either 5, 6, 7.5 or 8's@ just over $77. for a flat of 10 boxes.

I find it's easier to call RST and have a flat delivered to my front steps than it is to weed through all the chit shells the box stores sell. It doesn't get any easier to buy shells than a 2 minute phone call. Hell, I don't even need to put my beer down.

Yes I do.

Love those original Auto Five pic's...

For upland, I'll take a very light 20 gauge.
For waterfowl, I'll take a stout 12 gauge.

If the 16 gauge 3" had caught on, then maybe it would be an ideal all-around, but since it didn't, I don't see where the 16 actually fits nowadays.

The 16 fits right up against my shoulder, that's were they fit, all ten 16s in my safes and the two on the way presently.

Yeah, I probably do need an intervention.

What is touted about the 12ga with it's more open bore than the 16 holds true for the 16 when compared to the 20ga.

Since using mostly 20ga and 16ga, it's strange to hoist the average 12 anymore, but I do still use 12ga guns, especially on late season chuckar and pheasants.

Don't know about "perfect" but I certainly enjoy the three 16GA shotguns I hunt with. I also own and hunt with several 12GA shotguns. I mostly use the 16GA guns for upland birds and rabbits and use the 12GA guns for waterfowl and turkey (occasionally I use the 16GA A-5 for turkey). As other's have mentioned ammo is no problem when you can mail order.

My 16 gauge guns:
Browning White Lightning with SD pheasants.


Browning Auto-5 with eastern tom in NC.


Winchester M-12 with downeast rabbits.

The more stuff I shoot with a 16 the more I like it. Im thinking the guys who are not big fans of it simply have not use it much, never heard anyone say they didnt like it after giving it a solid run.

1 oz of #4 crushes late season roosters.

I love the 16

I started with a sixteen 870 back in the day and have always been a fan. I currently have 3 and unless one is after geese and or turkeys I have never found it lacking . Actually a high brass load of 6s would probably do a turkey in quite well. As to ammo I have never had a problem getting ammo despite popular internet legend mostly perpetuated by people that don't own 16s. Having said all of that as Shrapnel stated early on in this thread an oz of shot from a 20 ga works pretty much as well as a oz of shot is pretty much an oz of shot in the field regardless of bore size. All the babble about square loads etc is pretty much in the same realm as the ammo issue mostly an Internet discussion point.

I think a 16 on a 20 frame is sweet. I would love to have a Merkel 1620 with both sets of barrels.

Bought a Dickinson SxS 16 this fall and it's really growing on me. Need to get the triggers lightened but other than that I really like it. Reloading is the best way to get around the ammo scarcity. I load 7/8oz for clay targets, 1oz for small upland hunting and 1 1/8oz-Nickeled 5s for wild pheasants. The trim 16 carries better than my Beretta 391 12 ga the classic lines just seem to belong in the field.