doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Has the 16 ga become obsolete?

'...Not a gun I'd pick first for ducks or geese...'

Not a fair statement IMHO. It works just as well as any of the twelve guage guys shooting around me. And I've had a lot of guys shooting around me over the years. Just say'n

This year I used a 20 more than one of my 12s or 10s, can't imagine for the life of me why a 16 wouldn't get it done.

TM

It depends on the gun. Last one I bought didn't even make it to gun shop display rack. I go to Walmart to buy Normandy Salad, Pomi strained tomatoes, and Canadian herring in wine sauce. When they stopped carrying Old Croc cheese I found cheese and butter from Ireland at German store called Aldi. Now I get Chilean Salmon, Canadian apple pie, Canadian honey and few other select items from them to Walmarts loss.

Ok, last time I checked ammo section at Walmart and they had Australian Winchester 16ga 8s, 16ga Remington 1&1/4oz mag 6s along with 16ga 1oz and 1&1/8oz 6s from Federal. That fact should answer your question about where the status of 16ga is.

Those who think the 16 ga. is obsolete should remember that the firearms and ammo manufacturers are not offering new 16 ga. guns, and loading ammo, and the Walmarts are not stocking it on their shelves because they are trying to "re-introduce" the 16 ga. They don't have an agenda to see the 16 make a "comeback". The guns and ammo are offered for sale, and are stocked on the shelves, because they sell well enough that the stores and manufacturers see a profit there. If Walmart didn't sell but two boxes of 16 ga. in the next year it would disappear from the shelves. Enough demand for it is there, or it wouldn't be offered.

All of which means, the reports of it's demise have been greatly exaggerated.

SRH

I'm surprised to hear that Walmart had Australian Winchester 16ga cartridges, because I've been a keen 'wing-shooter' for nearly forty years and I don't know anyone here in South Australia that currently owns a 16 gauge.

Winchester probably loads them for US market there along with those they manufacture for Browning. What is kind of odd from what I have seen only 16ga Winchester and 16ga Browning line shells are loaded by Winchester in Australia other gauge shells stating Made in USA on the box. The Winchester 1oz load costs $9.17 per box at Walmart while Browning labeled ones at LGS go for about $14 per box. Walmart also carries plastic camping utensils made in Sweden. As I said I buy very few specific items at Walmart preferring to get other stuff from different vendors.

It won't slide into obscurity until a lot of these old 16 gauge shotguns wear out. So I figure the 16 gauge will never slide into obscurity as these old guns show no signs of wearing out.

sadly, the passing of upland game hunting in the east pretty much eliminates the practical need for 16 gauge guns...

The demise of upland hunting in the east has just been greatly exaggerated as well as any alleged elimination of practical need for 16 ga. guns. As far as "practical" goes, Chuck H. said it best: "once you pass a Kentucky Fried Chicken on the way to hunt, all practicality is gone."

gls: that is good news...from what i hear, wild game bird populations in the east are so depressed that upland hunting is no longer practical, unless one just enjoys hiking with a good dog, in hopes of flushing an occasional bird...

a notable exception is northern maine, where i understand huntable populations of grouse still survive...

any wild quail left down your way, or is it all put and take stocked birds?