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Joined: Jan 2001
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I just want your opinion. I don't really have one. They both are good, but the 12 has a slight advantage in availability.


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I don't know which is "better," but I can tell you that I sure as heck don't understand why the 16 has fallen into such disfavor!!<P>I hunted with the same 12-gauge Belgian Auto 5 for the last 20 or so years. I swore by that gun. This year, I picked up a Belgian Sweet Sixteen that my Dad had been urging me to shoot, and boy was he ever right! The gun feels handier, but not so whippy as the 20, has great balance, and still shoots 1-oz. and 1 1/8-oz. charges. I made more really good shots this year on quail with that 16 than I had a right to expect.<P>Also, by all accounts the 16 patterns 1 oz. of shot better than the 12 due to the relationship between bore diameter and shot charge length. I never did any scientific surveys, but I can tell you that it sure felt like it when I hit birds square.<P>I love the 16. The 12 has its work cut out for it this year.<P>Rick


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12 is the most common. 16 is for collectors. Stick with the 12 if this is your only gun.

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If reoil doesnt bother you, go for the 12. The difference depends on what game you will use it on. Some prey calls for a more full pattern, or simply more power.

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The 16 is certainly an adequate gun for most upland game situations and, for that matter, most waterfowling. But, the only good reason to own one is if you get a deal on a really nice classic double or over/under in 16.<P>Otherwise, there is nothing the 16 won't do that the 12 won't do better. The 12 has a tremendous advantage when it comes to shell selection. It is worlds easier to obtain components and decent hulls to reload for the 12 than the 16. I am not knocking the 16, I own several, but for the average all around hunter-type person, the 12 is the only way to go.


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For upland hunting, I would submit that the best is whichever you like the best. I love the 16 ga. I have a J.P. Sauer & Sohn SxS double that is lighter than many 20 guages and is pleasure to carry and shoot. One thing however that any 16 ga. fancier will tell you is to stock up on shells whenever and wherever you find them.

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Im also a 16 guage fan. If I could only have one or the other though, Id go with the 12.<P>I do a lot of rabbit hunting and I think the 16 is pretty close to perfect for that.<P>------------------<BR> <A HREF="http://TheSouthernOutdoorsman.com" TARGET=_blank>TheSouthernOutdoorsman.com</A>


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I see quite a few of u guys like the 16ga. but i think that the 12ga. is just about the best shotgun for my use.. Fox hunting, Patridge hunting, and occasionally deer hunting. it works very well for all these animals.. i also like the 12ga.. because of the hard time i had trying to find 16ga. ammunition..im not sayin the 16ga is a bad shotgun but a 12ga. suits my needs better..<BR>YoungHunter


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Just as an opinion from a guy that was in the gun business for 10 yrs. The best gun is the one you like the best. In shotguns I own a 16 citori, 16 Ithaca 37, 20 ga citori superlight, 20 BPS upland, 28 ga Mod 12, 28ga Sav. SS. and soon a 16ga Lefever.

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For waterfowl, I use a 12-gauge Beretta A390.<P>My upland guns are a 20-gauge O/U and a 16-gauge SxS.<P>Which gun is better? Can't beat a 12-gauge for waterfowl where gun weight is not a problem. But, for the uplands, where the gun will be carried and gun weight is important, a 16 or 20 will generally come in with the lighter weight gun. That is their advantage over the 12. <P>1-ounce to 1 1/8-ounce loads will handle most upland hunting situations. In fact, the argument could be made that 1-ounce loads, with the appropriate shot size, will handle everything in the uplands.<P>I doubt that there is little 'practical' difference between a 12, 16, or 20 gauge upland gun shooting 1-ounce loads. Assuming the gun fits you properly, it come down to gun weight. Light enough to carry all day without fatigue, yet with enough weight not to be whippy.<P>Thus, to my mind, the 16-gauge has a slight advantage in the uplands for its lighter weight than the 12 and its larger bore than the 20. [img]images/icons/crazy.gif" border="0[/img]

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If you are hunting upland birds that can be taken with 1oz or 1 1/8 oz loads (practically all of them especially over pointing dogs) why carry the extra weight of a 12 ga. I own both and shoot both, the 16 ga has better handling characteristics to me.

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I love my 16's, but consider this scenario. <BR>It's Sunday and the last day of your hunting trip. Birds have avoided you like teenagers avoiding work. You drive past one last plot of public land, and it is crawling with birds. But you are out of shells. You reach the small town in the middle of nowhere, and see that the gas station carries shotgun shells. Did you only bring your 16? Sonny-boy, you probably messed up real good. That gas station has 9 kinds of beef jerky, but only one gauge of shells. First gun, 12. Second gun? 16!!!


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I can go to almost any sporting goods store in my area and find 16 ga shells, plus since I reload my own 16 ga shells it has never been a problem.

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Irvingdog, as a 16-gauge user, I'd be more likely to run out of gas in my pickup than run out of 16-gauge shells during bird season. <P>Besides, how would I run out of shells if the birds have been avoiding me "like teenagers avoiding work?" [img]images/icons/wink.gif" border="0[/img]<P>I really like that teenagers analogy!

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I never used a 16 so I have no attachment to it I went from a 410 to a 12. I guess the reason the 16 is going down the tubes is because it has the 20 3" eating it on one end and the 12 stepping on it from the other. tom


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The late Don Zutz once wrote that if a engineer with no shooting or hunting experience set out to design the ideal shotgun shell he would probably come up with the 16 gauge. I have owned one 16ga in my life which was an Rem870 back in 1967. I ended up giving this gun to my father when I bought a 12ga 870. At the present time I own 12 and 20 gauge shotguns. I believe if you are going to hunt all kinds of upland game, turkeys, ducks and geese and you only are going to own but one shotgun that you can't beat a 12 ga with choke tubes. If on the other hand you are going to have more than one shotgun then a 20ga or 16ga shotgun is a much better choice for upland hunting. I use a 20ga with 1oz loads for 99% of my upland hunting but if I had a 16ga with 1oz loads to use, I would be just as happy.<P>The only drawback with the 16ga is the limited compotents for reloading it. The shells are usually able to be found at places like Wal-Mart or KMart. <P>Good Hunting,<BR>George


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I don't think the 16 is going down the tubes. There are plenty of folks who love it enough to keep it alive. I started with a Baker double, and wish Dad hadn't sold it to finance his Model 12. Now he's gone and neither my brother nor I can hit the side of the barn from the inside with that gun. I picked up a Cresent Arms double and used it for about 10 years. A friend at work contracted Lou Gerig's disease, and got frightened of his son's druggie friends. I sawed the old thing of to 20" and gave it too him. Last time I saw him, at my retirement, he was still able to use it. I keep looking, some day I'll find another. I think it is the best gauge for someone who doesn't want to own both a 12 and a 20. But if you haven't tried it you'll never believe me. [img]images/icons/crazy.gif" border="0[/img]


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