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

Have a Model 12, Ithaca 37, and a Browning 3 shot in this gauge and have never wanted anything more for upland game.

Its hard to beat for upland birds. Carries like a 20, kills like a 12..

I thought I might try that, bought a nice model 12 and a case of shells. I realized that a 20 does carry like a 20 and still kills stuff dead. A 12 still kills like a 12 and I don't have to look for 16 gauge shells.

You would be surprised at how nice an English12 gauge carries with 2 1/2 inch chambers at 6 1/2 pounds. It still kills great and is easy on the shoulder...

I'd go for that. A 16 really is in the sweet spot. At the end of the day though, all you need is a 2 1/2" 20ga with s flat if RST 7/8oz #5's at 1125fps to kill any upland birds in the US.

If that's what floats your boat, then it's perfect for you. The 12 is so very versatile and the ammo is more readily available and much cheaper. I never saw the need for it myself and I guess that was the consensus as the marketplace has relegated it to basically curio status. It can't do anything that a 12 or 20 can do as well, more economically and with less hassle.

That's not why it was regulated to curio status. You can thank the competition world for that. Hunters have always loved the 16, but when it was left out of the competition world, people moved towards the bores that could be shot in competition. That's why there are so many classic 16's on the market compared to today's shotguns.

Yes.

Yes!

How is the competition world to blame for that? One can use a 16 ga in lieu of the 12 in Skeet, trap and sporting clays etc. You can use a smaller gauge in any larger gauge event, you just can't use a bigger one. There is noting stopping you. I know/knew a lot of folks who shot their 20s in the 12 ga events. If anything, one can thank skeet for keeping the 28 ga alive. It didn't kill off the 16 cause there is no rule forbidding them from being used in 12 ga events. There's just no advantage to them. One ounce loads from a 12 or 16 at 1200 fps = broken birds. So, why not shoot the 12, which is far more versatile and less expensive to buy?

A one ounce load in a 16 gauge is about a good as is gets, put that in a Model 12, with a solid rib and you have reached perfection! At least good enough for me....

In 1926, when they came up with skeet, they didn't make a category for 16ga. While it is true you can use a 16 in 12 ga skeet, nobody who truely wants to win would limit themselves. After they came up with skeet, the shell manufactures began dumping massive amounts of money into developing winning loads for each class of skeet. But what was left out? 16 gauge! So ammo became much more available for 12, 20, 28, and 410 bores. That eventually put 16ga guns on the back burner in the US, but they are still widely popular in Europe. In the late 40's, 12ga guns comprised about 50% of all shotgun sales, while 16ga carried about 25%, and all others combined made up the remaining 25%. Now, as far as guns go, unless your talking about 6.5lb English Doubles with 2.5" 12ga chambers, 16 ga guns typically cary MUCH better in the field. A 16 ga gun can be built on a 20ga frame, thus giving you a gun that carries like a 20 but kills like a 12. In the ultra high velocity 3.5" super magnum break your shoulder off world, The 16 will never get any respect, but for those who realize the 16 throws as good a pattern as a gun can throw, and makes the perfect upland shotgun, there is a reason so many double gun manufactures sell a TON of 16ga guns! For an upland hunter like myself, a 12 ga is garbage because of the weight.... Unless we are talking about $100k British Bespoke guns.

Love the write up! Dont really agree with the less than 12 ga in the 12 ga event as LOTS of guys shoot 20's due to recoil.

And we can learn much from the Brits when it comes to shotguns..

Long live the 16!

What truly killed off the 16 was manufacturing consolidation. Starting in the 60s the trend was to use a 12 ga frame for the 16 which gave the 16 no advantage. If one is going to carry 12 ga weight, they may as well carry a 12 ga. Light weight 12 ga guns as well as the hype of the 3" 20 ga did no good but it was the weight issue which sealed the 16's fate.

Then a brief resurgence in the 16 ga occurred in the late 80s and some were built on the 20 ga frame. They carried well and made good upland guns. 20 years later (see kind of a trend?) the 16 popped up again but the result will be short lived. The requirement of non-toxic shot will be the death knell of the 16 as it is not large enough to make good use of steel shot and it is in too little demand to garner the development of affordable non-toxic shot of other types. Even the 20 ga will suffer greatly as it too will have difficulties with affordable non-toxic shot.

Almost exclusively competition shooters are using heavier shotguns than most want to carry in the field. So yes, you can use them in competition, but if you are going to shoot 1 ounce then it might as well be a 12 in the 12 events. Even the other sub-gauge competition events are usually shot with 12ga weight shot guns. The vast majority wanting their sub-gauge competition shotgun to match as close as possible their 12 ga in handling dynamics. Either sub-gauge on 12 frames, tubed or with carrier barrels. As always there are exceptions, but the serious shooters try to match them up.

The 16 shines in the field on lighter weight frames and offerings. There are good shells out there for the 16, but you usually have to order them. Which isn't a big deal. When it comes to good shells Winchester, Remington and Federal are not the place to look.

Some have been predicting the death of the 16 since at least the 60's. It is still here....

There's nothing wrong with the 16 ga per se but the market place has shown that most think the 12 is the perfect gauge and how can one argue that. You can get anywhere from 7/8 oz loads to 2 oz turkey loads. There are plenty of light weight good handling 12 gauge guns out there. It'll do anything the 16 can do and more. If one wants a lighter shotgun there is the 20 which covers the 7/8 oz to 1 1/4 oz load range. The 16 is a good tweener but perfect?? I just don't see how that statement is anything but extremely subjective.

Some think the 20 is perfect with 7/8th, 16's with 1 and 12's with 1 1/8th. Old school perhaps, but I happen to be one of them.
The fact they can stuff 1 1/4 into a 20 doesn't necessarily make it better. Especially when you make a 20 at the weight it should be.

Bore diameter pretty much determines what load is perfect for that gauge in giving full even patterns. With the 16, 1 ounce is where it shines.

Perfect upland gun in the right frame size in my opinion. I am a 16 gauge Model 12 fan. 6.5 pounds or so with 28" barrel and built on a frame shared with the 20 gauge Model 12. Plus Model 12s pattern well and a 16 gauge with Remington Express 1 1/8 ounce 6s or 4s will knock pheasants down way out there.

I am really wanting to get my hands on one of the new Browning A5 Sweet 16s. I am hoping a 5.7 pound gun with a Benelli-esque design will revitalize the 16.

DMD,

I doubt if it will revitalize the 16. Shooters have been brainwashed for too long on the merits of the 20 and 12 for upland duty. Still nice to see them offering a new model in the 16.

The 16 gauge is not perfect for every shotgun use just like no particular rifle or handgun cartridge is.

That's why there are so many.

Every little bit helps, though. I like having an interesting new model out there.