doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com popularity of 16 guage shotguns

I like the B&P 12 ga. shells and shoot them regularly, but their subgauge offerings are limited unfortunately, esp. their sole 16 ga. shell which I find a little hot to put in a 100-year old Fox (1 1/16 oz, 1280 fps). I wish they would offer some of their softer shooting/low pressure 12 ga shells for subgauges as well.

I have asked and they say they are considering but nothing yet. I would encourage other vintage 16 ga. owners to ask as well.

With the problems, you have acquiring ammo in remote areas or as simple as the lack of planning on the hunter�s part, I see the 16 gauge as more of a nuisance then anything. Younger hunters see the 3 inch 20 gauge as the �NEW� upland game gauge or more to the point their do everything gauge and the 16 gauge as nothing more then the �older generation's has been� gauge.

RCC, who takes their perception of the grace of a gun's lines from the breech end of the barrels of a mounted gun? Slimness of barrel lines is seen along the length of the barrels, especially noticeable nearing the muzzles. The relative slimness of a 16's barrels is obvious, even from across a room.

I can see the difference between my 5.75 lb. 16 gauge Ilsley and my 6.25 lb H. Adkin 12. Maybe not shouldered but the difference is obvious to me.

I hunt with a light English SxS in 12 gauge that I shoot 1 oz. loads. I guess I'm just pretending to shoot a 16

I'm in the market for a English SxS in 16 gauge.

Four of mine.

The first photo has The barrels from a high grade 16 bore Bonehill Sidelock on top of the barrels of the 12 bore Lindner FW. The second has the barrels from a 16 bore on top of the barrels from a 12 bore Wm Evans.

GC,

The barrel lines of light 12s are as slim from across the room as they are no larger than most 16s as you can see from the above photos.

My point is merely that 16s, as delightful as they are, as lovely as they are, are no more so than truly light 12s.

Most of the chest thumping I hear from the 16 gauge lovers fail to recognise that and it just simply not true. The implication being that all twelves are big fat blunderbusses.

The breech comparison and the view from the butt stock are valid in as much as the view from the butt stock is the one we see most with our guns when afield.

I disagree...IF the gun is properly scaled to the gauge, the 16 definitely feels trimmer and will be lighter than it's sister in 12 gauge, presuming similar craftsmanship in the barrel making and actioning. The pictures you point out make clear that's not the case in the example you highlight here - those 16 barrels are far to thick, or appear so. If the 16 must be put on a 12 gauge frame, you are absolutely correct - no advantage.

Although I still own several 16's, I am tending more toward light 12's for a lot of my shooting. I shoot a lot of clays ( 5 clubs at last count) and do a lot of upland hunting and rarely see another 16ga afield. A Beretta Ultralight O/U and even an old 303 are becoming favored guns for western birds; still like the 16, 20, 28 for grouse & woodcock.

I have four 16's--a 0 frame Parker, a #1 frame Parker, a small frame Lefever DS and a Lindner Diamond. All are really fun guns however there's too little difference between them and lighweight 12's to make them distinctively different. One of my favorite upland guns is a six pound even Webley & Scott 12 gauge and another would be my #1 frame Parker 12 at 6 1/2 pounds. Both are on the lower end of what I find to have enough momentum for decent shooting. I just can't be consistent with sub six pound guns. But still, I like the 16's in my stable just for something different. And I don't own a single 20 gauge.