Could 16GA ever make a come back?

[JagerDog]

Oh what do you know? Are you a doctor?

Haha.

If you have one shotgun, make it a 12g.

As my collection grew I was shooting (targets and upland) mostly 20g. But with non-tox the 20g's have seen less use. I still need to complete my 3" 20g ITX experiments. Until then it's mostly 12g bismuth for chickens and 20g steel (36) for quail.

[whutsup40]

That all sounds about right!!! Let's see if they push for no lead at ranges also! Calif is going to s**t.

[hermosabeach]

Why

I certainly hope so. It has always been my favorite and I grew up hunting with one. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world...?ocid=msedgntp

12 and 20 overlap so there is no ballistic need for the 16

The 16 was built on 12 frames so it tended to be a heavier gun... either get the full power or 12 and carry it hunting or a lightweight 20 with as much power as a 16.



16 died for a reason.

[k1dude]

Just my opinion based on observing the market, I think we all forget that 12GA dominates all of the shotgun sports worldwide by such a vast margin that all of the other chamberings for shotguns are completely eclipsed almost to make all but 12GA nichy, the clay target sports are such a small portion of the shotgun market that introducing a 16GA event would have only a marginal impact-the vast majority of shotguns are used for hunting and this is true not only of the US market but of the world market. There are certainly objective advantages to the 16GA but those advantages are outweighed by the quality of modern 12 GA ammunition and the quality of modern guns, many manufacturers are capable of building 12GA guns that are only marginally larger than the equivalent 16GA frame and far lighter than the majority of 16GA guns of yesteryear. Gun manufacturers and ammunition manufacturers are also attracted to simplified catalogs that result in good cash flow so there is even less incentive to push 16GA guns. 12GA and to a lesser extent 20GA dominate the US and world markets nearly completely, before the current ammunition situation I think it’s important to note that all of the domestic ammunition manufacturers would only do 1 production run per year of 410 and 28GA to supply the market, while 12GA and 20GA were produced constantly, the Europeans produce even less 28GA and .410. I’ve been to gun stores in Italy, good luck finding anything but 12GA guns on the shelf there. I think 16GA will always be available to those who want them, but the world shoots 12GA and that’s unlikely to change, especially given the March towards non-toxic ammunition, I think we all need to recognize that lead likely will be banned for hunting in our lifetime in North America and it will probably be banned across the EU within the next 10 years-this will make all but 12GA guns even less desirable I think as steel especially is impractical in the smaller gauges. Just my opinion, hope it isn’t controversial

^^THIS^^

Well said.

Edit: Doh! I just looked at your posting name. No wonder it was well said.

[Emdawg]

Have a Remington Model 11. Nice, light balanced gun.

On another note... I have seen more and more new 16ga guns on the market. As well as target loads.

I think Tristar released a couple models in the smaller bores including 16.

[whutsup40]

I have a Tristar 16 gauge and it shoots really well!!

[Vigilante]

The 16 was built on 12 frames so it tended to be a heavier gun

True of some guns, but not true of all.

I believe Browning Citoris, the new Browning A5 Sweet 16, and the Ithaca 37 16 gauge guns are all built using a smaller, 16 GA specific receivers. These guns fit the old saying "carries like a 20 and hits like a 12."

There are probably others out there, but those are the ones that I know off the top of my head.

[md2020]

Question about 16ga guns.... what's the real benefit? I've never shot one before

12ga with a softer load or 20ga with a punchy load... wouldn't these do the same?

Do the guns swing differently?

I'm curious

[captn-tin]

Dove Provider

Inherited a Winchester mdl 12 in 16ga bout 65 years ago. That was my go-to dove gun for many a year.

[Vigilante]

Question about 16ga guns.... what's the real benefit? I've never shot one before

12ga with a softer load or 20ga with a punchy load... wouldn't these do the same?

Do the guns swing differently?

I'm curious

As I understand it, the 16 GA was seen as a more practical cartridge/chambering before the advent of the 3" 20 gauge cartridge/chambering. 2 1/2" and 2 3/4" 20 gauge shells lacked the power and shot payload of a 16 GA, so if you wanted more killing power, but didn't want to jump up to a 12 GA, then you bought a 16 GA.

Also, we have a huge variety of shotgun shell offerings today that weren't available back then, so one can easily argue that a 12 GA or a 20 GA shotgun of today is far, far more versatile than a 12 GA or 20 GA of the first half of the 20th century.

Dudes like me that shoot a 16 GA do it for the sake of having something different. Nothing more, and nothing less. There is nothing wrong with that, in my opinion.

[NapalmCheese]

Question about 16ga guns.... what's the real benefit? I've never shot one before

Before 3 inch shells in any gauge, and before hard, round, shot was easily and cheaply available; the 16 was a GREAT compromise.

The 12 was great for killing things but was often loaded with heavy charges of shot over moderate charges of powder producing slow, but VERY dense patterns. This also used a LOT of shot. If you scale that same concept down to 16 gauge you use quite a bit less shot with very similar killing capacities (this reduces recoil, makes it easier to carry ammunition, AND costs less money). If you scale that down to 20 gauge your killing capacities are starting to more drastically decrease since your shot payload is now getting pretty thin. You could put a 16 gauge charge of shot in a 20 gauge shell, but it was going to be slow. So what benefit does the 16 provide? If all the technologies are equivalent it really does "kill like a 12 and carry like a 20".

However, technologies for 12 and 20 gauge improved over time, along with technologies for every shotgun. The 12 and 20 got 3 inch chambers (or even 3.5 inch in the 12 to compete with 10 gauge) which increased their payload capacities. Smokeless powder and good ammunition meant you could drive these larger shot chargers faster than you ever could before. Given the overlap in modern loads for 12 and 20, and given the lack of 16 in clay sports, the 16 never got the same technological advances.

So now a consumer is left with a hard decision. It used to be that if you could only one one shotgun the 16 was a good way to go as it was the best compromise of killing ability and portability. But now if you're primarily an upland hunter that wants to shoot ducks why not just buy a modern 20 with a 3 inch chamber? Or if you're primarily a duck shooter that occasionally shoots quail why not just buy a 12 gauge and light loads for shooting upland game and 3 inch shells for shooting geese?

What about a 3 inch 16 gauge? Well, that would make 16 gauge a fine compromise gun again (while potentially killing some of the handling compared to the 2-3/4 or 2-9/16 chambered guns), but in this day and age why introduce a whole new shotgun shell that exists entirely in the middle of the Venn diagram of 12 and 20 gauge?

Dudes like me that shoot a 16 GA do it for the sake of having something different. Nothing more, and nothing less. There is nothing wrong with that, in my opinion.

Don't forget that shooting a 16 makes you more handsome, more charismatic, more knowledgeable about fine wines and scotch, and overall just a fine person.

[Vigilante]

Don't forget that shooting a 16 makes you more handsome, more charismatic, more knowledgeable about fine wines and scotch, and overall just a fine person.

I have been accused of being a beer, wine, and whiskey snob. Guilty as charged.

[sigstroker]

Don't forget that shooting a 16 makes you more handsome, more charismatic, more knowledgeable about fine wines and scotch, and overall just a fine person.

Geebuz, I must've been a downright ogre before I got my 16.

[Bullets&Whitewalls]

Before 3 inch shells in any gauge, and before hard, round, shot was easily and cheaply available; the 16 was a GREAT compromise.

Don't forget that shooting a 16 makes you more handsome, more charismatic, more knowledgeable about fine wines and scotch, and overall just a fine person.

I am going to run with this statement from now on and feel as though it rings true on many levels. In fact I am now looking for a suede shooting vest with a matching cap. Whos holding in the market place PM me.

[harbormaster]