Where have all the 16g shotties gone?

[BehindBlueI's]

I wonder why this round has fallen by the way side? Fewer people hunting small game or what?

Its a lot less recoil and not as tough on the meat as a 12g but can reach up into the tall trees better than a 20g or .410. When squirrel hunting in hilly terrain, the 16g was about ideal.

Me and my dad were talking about it today and I don't see anyone still manufacturing a 16g shotgun. Are there any new ones out there?

 

[SERparacord]

I haven't seen any recently. My first shotgun was a 16 ga. Wingmaster, wish I still had it.

 

[model60]

My Browning A5 Sweet 16 has been in my hands for many years, perfect pheasant gun, will never give it up.

 

[03A3]

I'm a lifelong fan of the 16 gauge. When I started hunting as a kid I used my Great Grandfathers 16 ga. Iver Johnson.
Browning has the BPS in a few 16 ga. variations. I want the 16 BPS Upland in a bad way.
There are some current production double barrel 16's around too though I don't recall the make right now. Good looking guns with a good rep.
Generally if I buy a shotgun it is an older gun so I'm no expert on current offerings.
And I don't get why people say 16 ga. shotshells are hard to find. I can easily find more than I can afford, not that they are outrageouly priced.

 

[captpaul]

Modern 20 gauge loads are close to the 16. Ammo is outrageous and selection is limited. I vote for the ammo companies killing it by focusing on 12 and 20 shot shells. Nice round nonetheless.

 

[rimfire_crazed]

They're all collecting dust and rust in the back of our grandfather's and uncle's closets...

 

[localone]

I actually picked up a 16g bolt action with a 3 round mag(not familiar with them so the lingo is off) for $100 off a guy at work. Very clean and for $100 i would buy anything

 

[03A3]

Modern 20 gauge loads are close to the 16. Ammo is outrageous and selection is limited. I vote for the ammo companies killing it by focusing on 12 and 20 shot shells. Nice round nonetheless.

Then you have a lot of experiance with the 16?
Outrageous ammo prices? That's not my experiance and I've been consistantly buying it for 4 decades.

And your vote doesn't count. I just nullified it. Sorry.

 

[Gunaria]

Last year I seen a brand new Remington 870 in 16ga at a local gun store. I should have popped on it for $250. I sometimes find 16ga shells really cheap cause people are just not buying or shooting them up. Or stores phasing them out.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Ammo is outrageous and selection is limited. I vote for the ammo companies killing it by focusing on 12 and 20 shot shells. Nice round nonetheless.

Brownells has 18 varieties of 16g ammo in stock, and Remington game loads are only about 80 cents per box of 25 more expensive.

While not as varied as the offerings for 12g or 20g, I can find a load for any common game, and at $0.80 to $1.50 more per box, having trouble seeing it as a significant difference in cost to shoot.

 

[03A3]

I don't own either one, but I think the 16 ga 870 is/was built with the 12 ga receiver while the 16 BPS is made with the smaller, lighter 20 ga receiver.
I'm going to end up talking myself into buying the BPS. It's been coming on for a good while now.

 

[jim b]

I know where some of them have gone, to my safe! A properly scaled 16 gauge gun is a joy to hunt with. A featherweight Ithaca 37 in 16 gauge is the perfect pheasant gun.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

I know where some of them have gone, to my safe! A properly scaled 16 gauge gun is a joy to hunt with. A featherweight Ithaca 37 in 16 gauge is the perfect pheasant gun.

That's one of the things my dad was saying, they are significantly lighter than their 12g counterparts.

The only 16g I've ever hunted with was a single shot (its in my safe right now, but the stock is cracked so its not in the rotation at the moment).

I must be fairly suggestable, now that he's put the bug in my ear I find myself poking around the web looking for one...

 

[Hookeye]

A box of shells aint just a box of shells. Promo loads outside of informal clay busting suck.
How much are premium 16 gauge hunting loads? What is available?

 

[03A3]

That's one of the things my dad was saying, they are significantly lighter than their 12g counterparts.

The only 16g I've ever hunted with was a single shot (its in my safe right now, but the stock is cracked so its not in the rotation at the moment).

I must be fairly suggestable, now that he's put the bug in my ear I find myself poking around the web looking for one...

Something that's working in our favor right now is the fact that most people are concentrating on other types of firearms. In fact during the last few weeks many nice old shotguns have been traded in at gunshops.

 

[captpaul]

Then you have a lot of experiance with the 16?
Outrageous ammo prices? That's not my experiance and I've been consistantly buying it for 4 decades.

I think this sums up the 16, it is primarily guys that have been buying ammo for more than 40 years shoot them

 

[Hohn]

I think there's enough diversity of loads available now for 12ga that it has subsumed much of the former 16ga market.

Yes, the guns are lighter. But no combination of 12ga +16ga is as light as a single 12ga gun. Seems to make a lot of sense to choose a reasonable 12ga and enjoy the variety of loads available.

If one must absolutely have less weight, a 20ga seems more their speed anyway.


The 16ga will probably be around for awhile.

I'd not like it's a 10ga.....

 

[03A3]

I think this sums up the 16, it is primarily guys that have been buying ammo for more than 40 years shoot them

Perhaps we've actually learned a thing or two after years of shotgunning with all gauges and having taken all game animals in Indiana.
A 16 is not my choice for some waterfowl situations, but I have taken several ducks with the 16. And No-Tox 16 loads are frightfully expensive, usually moreso than the 10 and 12 ga counterparts.

 

[mikestripe]

16 guage

I have two 16's. A Remington Sportsman 48 semi auto and a Winchester 37 single shot, I love both, I got a lot of Rabbits with the Remington when I hunted a lot, great guns.

 

[ssdoug]

I have a Browning sweet sixteen and a Browning 16ga. o/u that are some of the best looking guns i own.