Home Forums Birds & Dogs Shotguns 16 Gauge

Fitting perfectly between the 12 Gauge and the 20 Gauge is the relatively obscure 16 Gauge...The shotgun equivalent of the .40...12 gauge would be the .45ACP and the 20 gauge the 9mm...for those of you who weren't around for the .45ACP VS 9mm arguments...they went like this..the 9mm wasn't powerful enough (supposedly) and the .45ACP was too much (supposedly)...the point of this post is it really deserves to be far more popular than it is...

My Dad tried to convince me for years to shoot a sixteen gauge, but I loved my 12-gauge Auto 5 so much, I never considered it.
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<br>Then I took a Belgian Sweet Sixteen quail hunting a few years back. The 12 doesn't see much use anymore, boys, and I shot that shotgun for 20+ years. I listen to Dad a lot more these days!
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<br>The best sixteens, if you ask me, are the ones that are built on true 16-gauge frames. I often find twenties too whippy, and 12's are usually just OK in the responsiveness department. The Sixteen is perfect!
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<br>I love my Sweet Sixteen!
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<br>Rick
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<br>PS:
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<br>I hear that Remingtons new 870 in 16 is based on a 12-gauge frame. If it's true, what a BAD move on Rem's part! If it's not true, I will be buying one!

Rick you have hit the nail on the head as to why the 16 is the forgotten gauge. American gunmakers just use(d) the 12 ga frames to build them on. So you have a gun of the same weight and dimensions but a smaller gauge. There are other reasons too:
<br>The 16 is not used in any of the formal "shotgun games" so is not called for much except by the few who use it for hunting. Therefore not much R&D has been done on loads.
<br>Also the three inch 20 gauge (there is no such animal in 16 ga) will do anything a 16 will do and a bit beyond on both high and low end of the scale.
<br>Also many of the european gun makers used a chamber length of 2 9/16 instead of the standard US 2 3/4 chamber so unless you rebored the chamber american shell gave you a lot of pressure and did blow up guns on occasion.
<br>The 16 is a wonderful gun if itis built to true 16 scale. I learned to shoot with a Win M21 in 16. Wish I still had it.
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<br>BCR

I'm a "dyed in the wool" 16 ga. fan. Now I'm using one of the old type Baikal SxS , with double triggers.
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<br>For an in-expensive gun , you get alot for your money.
<br>I paid $150 Can which works out to $95 US.
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<br>I use it for partridge (ruffed grouse) up here in N.Ont.
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<br>Works great , I recommend one for someone looking for something different.
<br>I too have my own sad story of good guns lost .
<br> 25 yrs ago I had a nice Belgium Browning Auto-5 , didn't know what I really had then and sold it.
<br>However , I do know where a Win M12 is in 16 ga. is. Thinking seriously of picking it up.
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<br>Regards , Bob
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In Remington's newest catalog they say they went back to the original 16 gauge "purpose built" frame...not in so many words...They alluded to it..
<br>I hate advertising...They don't have to tell you the truth as long as they don't lie to you..

I have two 16's one a old fine Ithaka 37 and another a Sauer drilling.
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<br>Elmer Keith said that the 16 is the perfect upland gauge.
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<br>I just ended up with these guns as they are just right. I am not really a shotgun guy but I use them.

The Browning Sweet 16 is still the shotgun of my dreams. I finally got my hands on a good used one, but somebody wanted it more, and didn't mind breaking the law to get it in their possession. I have not be able to replace that shotgun since. It was a class act on quail and rabbit both to my thinking. Maybe someday I will come across one in a pawn shop or gunstore, but it's been 20 years and I haven't seen as nice a one yet.

I was thinking about buying the Ithaca model 37 in 16 gauge

Gentlemen,
<br>The 16 ga shell deserves more popularity. But I haven't a clue as to how you could entice a generation of shooters to take a look at it without comparing numbers with the 12 and 20 that have stolen the market from it. The only thing I think might give it a fighting chance would be if several youth or ladies models were introduced, along with a low recoil upland load that largely duplicated the 20 ga standard payloads. With such a load it should out shoot and out pattern due to the shorter shot column and larger bore. AW

Ithaca has a Turkeyslayer "Storm" in 16 gauge...I've been looking for one...

What hurts the 16 ga. is a good selection of factory loads was never developed since plastic hulls became the norm. That and there are no good mid priced double barrels on the market now. I am very suprised that Rugger has not filled that void. Remington has brought back the 16 ga. 870 but I don't see the 870 as an upland gun. It is better suited for waterfowl. It also hurts when the factories produce 16 ga. guns that are just a 16 ga. barrel on a 12ga. action. If you have to carry a gun as heavy as a 12 ga. you might as well shoot a 12 ga. A 16 ga on a 20 ga action makes more sense for upland hunting. It may also help if those 16 ga guns were made with three inch chambers. Let it crowd the 12 ga a little.

I personally love the 16 i have 3 mod 37 ithaca's.i agree the bullet selection is big thing hurting the 16ga maybe if they went 3 inch that might help a little to intice interest.i shot my first deer when i was 9yr old with the 16ga and will die before i give them up.

I have 3 16's and am considering the 870 in 16. The local gun store said it was a youth model(shorter stock and barrel than standard 12) and it fit rather nice. I do not have a 870 in 12 but I do have one in 20 youth and the 16 seems to be just a touch bigger.

I hope you regulars won't mind a new guy chimeing in but you've found one of my favorite subjects. I grew up with a 16 Ga. Lefever double and never felt handicapped in the presence of either 12 or 20 Ga. shooters. I now use a 16 Ga. Flues Ithaca for everything but geese and don't believe there's a finer gun for the all around hunter.

Several other respondants have bought up reasons they feel the 16 lags behind the 12 and 20. I have to disagree with most. The idea that a 3" 16 would better compete with the 12 has been around for a long time but it just doesn't hold up. Such a round would kick like a mule a defeat the purpose of a light 16. If you need more than 1 1/4 oz., get a 10.

The idea that 2 9/16" chambers are dangerous with 2 3/4" rounds was thoroughly proven to be false by Sherman Bell in the "Double Gun Journal" series "Finding Out for Myself". No increase in pressure- no danger. (Assuming the gun was made for modern pressures- if not the problem is the normal pressure generated by the load, not the chamber length.)

Lastly, low pressure loads are marketed by Cabela's and many others. If you want to experience the joy of a 16 in the uplands, shoot the low pressure loads in a light double. You'll never want another gun.

'Lonzo

I like the 16 gauge to.

And if someone (as Remington) will start offer 16 gauge shotguns with 3" chambers and ammo i think it will be a bestseller! Not for that i need 3" most times but some time it's fine to have some reserve.

Here in Sweden the 16 still hold some ground and if it could came some nice new weapons for it it will gain some ground to.

A Sixteen Gauge Defense

It is indeed a rarity, and a unique pleasure to be able to offer a divergent perception of a particular gauge from the Volcano of Knowledge. I am referring, to the lowly 16 gauge recently left swinging lifelessly from the end of the Shotgun Oracle&#8217;s high quality compression formed rope.

It&#8217;s not that the Treasure Trove of Knowledge gave bad information, it&#8217;s just that the commentary was just, err, too technical. Certainly, a 16 does not &#8220;shoot like a 12, carry like a 20.&#8221; A 16 gauge doesn&#8217;t taste like chicken, either.

Granted, world travelers might wish to stick with easy-to-obtain ammo gauges. They might be advised as well to stick with guns that seldom break, have no O rings, and drink bottled water as well. If large bore enhanced patterns were all that mattered, maybe we would all be shooting 10 gauges . . .

Perhaps the march of time has diminished the Technoid&#8217;s feeling for a particular gauge / gun combination. Once in a while, it is good to remember how good that morning was, how sharp your dog performed, and how great those pheasants tasted. And, that Sweet Sixteen laying next to the pile of roosters is an integral part of the picture! Have the years diminished the Sultan of Shot Cloud&#8217;s appreciation for the little things that make a difference? If you can&#8217;t get emotionally involved with your guns, and your hunting experience, why not save some money and buy a Mossberg . . . Of course, having a few inferior 16 gauges makes it easier to blame the missed doves on the pathetic choice of gauge, rather than the shooter. It also makes it easier to get on the &#8220;Jerry Springer Show.&#8221;

Anyway, why a Sixteen gauge? Aside from the simple viva la difference, there are technical advantages. A Sixteen gauge can, of course, outpattern a 20 with the common 1 and 1-1/8 oz. loads. The Browning A-5, and many side-by-side double guns are noticeably quicker, more streamlined, and crisper handling in 16-gauge configuration for field use. The smaller shells weigh less than a 12, leaving more room in your pockets for the sandwiches that Mom made for you. While a plethora of factory loads do not exist, they are far easier and cheaper to obtain than a 28 gauge, in example. But, I&#8217;m a 28-gauge fan as well . . .