Home Forums Birds & Dogs Shotguns 16 ga Deerslayer

Stopped by local gunsmith's shop today. He had a 20" barrel 16 gauge Ithaca Deerslayer for sale. Nice little shotgun. Don't need it, don't hunt with slugs, but I kind of want it!

They are a nice carrying slug gun. I've always wanted one. Do you hunt a slug state? Could be a handy backup or rainy day shooter.

-Jake

I like 16 gauge, but not to shoot in any volume 'cause the factory ammo often costs twice of the cost for comparable 20 and 12 gauge factory loads.

Brenneke slugs have worked much better for me than Foster-style slugs.

Since when does need trump want?
There pretty cheap, if you like it but it. Life is short

Haven't hunted much with my 16ga in a good number of yers now, prefer my 28's. But used to hunt with the 16's a lot. Also load 16ga and for new hulls I always bought new factory 16ga ammo. Never seen where it cost more than factory 12ga or 20ga loads. But haven't looked at them in years now. Back then around here 16's cost about the same a inexpensive 12 and 20's. I do notice the price of ammo now and then as I buy 28ga target loads for the hulls and seem's the cost of all field loads is going through the ceiling! Somehow get the idea 28ga field loads just aren't that expensive anymore compared to other field loads.

No, I mainly hunt deer in the northwestern Adirondacks, and it's a rifle legal zone. Of course, slug guns are perfectly ok if you want. One of my cousins who's a lefty used to use a scoped deerslayer years ago when he couldn't find a reasonably priced left handed rifle that he liked. He took deer with it just fine.

Thing is, I seem to be developing a little Ithaca problem. Bought a 16 GA model 37 featherweight about 20 yrs ago. Then over the last few years acquired two first generation 12 ga Deerslayers, one with 20" barrel, the other with a 24" (both smooth bores). Then inherited an old Ithaca 16 GA SxS this spring. Now that 16 GA Deerslayer pops up! Maybe I should get rid of one of the 12 ga guns and pick up the 16...

I'm going to take a couple of rifles over to the smith in a couple of weeks, if the shotgun is still there will have to take a closer look.

I've been hearing for years about how much more 16 ga. shells cost compared to 12s or 20s. Fact is, ten years ago low brass 16s cost only 75 cents or a dollar a box more than low brass 12s or 20s, and high brass 16s were only a bit more than high brass 12s and 20s. Thing is, a lot of retailers carry both high- and low brass 12s and 20s, but only one or the other of 16s, and often only high brass 16s, so naturally the high brass 16s were substantially more expensive than low brass 12 and 20 promotional loads. And, of course, most retailers carry fewer different 16 ga. loads compared to the variety available in 12 or 20.

I did notice though, that after the ammo shortage of the early 'teens eased up. some retailers hiked the price of 16s all out of proportion to the increase in the price of 12s and 20s. Don't know if that reflects wholesale prices, or whether they're just marking up to whatever they think the market will bear.