I live in southwest Louisiana where duck and goose hunting is big business. I have it now and it sits in my gun safe. My dad loved his Winchester model 12 in 16 gauge. If you could only afford one shotgun… the Sixteen was indeed sweet. The advent of Sporting Clays, which revived the shotgun market as much as “home defense” did, aided the demise of the 16 gauge. 410 and 28 gauge.Ĭertainly ammunition selection was part of the problem, yet I believe the makers also contributed as why sell you a lone 16, when I can convince you that both a 12 and a 20 are necessary? The owners, particularly of a fine shooting slug-gun, were fanatic about both the shotgun and loads.Īlas, even 3 decades ago, the 16 was becoming a cult gun, not unlike the. I’ve shot a dozen makers of 16 gauge shotguns, some after repair, some fitted with scopes or rifle sights for whitetail and black bear. “I’m no can buy the 16 gauge… so I needa the twelve.” When you come through the door asking in sing-song Calabrese-inspired English for “slug-eh” for the “Browna-gun” I always handed over 16 gauge Brenneke. One fellow actually apologized… looking shamefaced at having a “Browna-gun” in 12 gauge. A few with factory short-barrel (not NFA) Beretta SxS “lupara” with factory sling mounts, which had a supreme balance, and IC/M chokes. Nearly all hunted with Browning 16 gauge semi-automatics. I lived at one time in an area which had a great many first and second-generation Italians. That, my friends, is what the Sweet 16 is all about. That’s fine the Sweet 16 doesn’t have to be a Browning and these shotguns are light enough, easy to use well, and offer real speed in the field. This old Remington Model 11 is still functional and works just fine with 16-gauge field loads and buckshot.
Iver johnson champion shotgun 16 gauge cracked#
But one of my favorite 16s is a Remington Model 11.Ĭomplete with a Weaver adjustable choke and cracked stock, the old Model 11 keeps shucking the shells long after its heyday. I have owned and used a beautifully made French double shotgun in 16-gauge. Fiocchi offers excellent field and target grade 16-gauge shotgun shells. If your Sweet 16 doubles as a home defender or for use against predators on the farm, there is good quality buckshot available. That’s OK because the 16 is an excellent choice for upland birds. The 16-gauge isn’t going to be effective against waterfowl because it isn’t stout enough for steel shot. Load much over that and recoil becomes a problem. The 16-gauge is a great shooter with 7/8 ounce field loads. The factory actually went a bit backward with the 16-gauge loads ( Fiocchi is an exception) and made up powerful loads that performed in 12-gauge territory-with all the recoil. Left to right: 12-, 16- and 20-gauge shotgun shells. Not incidentally, components for loading the 16-gauge were not as good or as available. Powerful 12- and 20-gauge loads were developed, but the 16-gauge was left by the wayside. Also, the ammunition companies did not pay attention to the 16-gauge. Part of the reason the 16 lost a lot of appeal was the abandonment of the 16 for skeet. A 12-gauge at six pounds is just too much.
The 16-gauge is a pretty interesting shotgun and handles light and lovely at six pounds. My 12-gauge shotguns outnumber the 16 four to one, so not certain where that leaves me, but I understand the appeal of the 16-gauge. The 12-gauge, it seems, is everyone’s shotgun, while the 16 is a gentleman’s gun. This French Fowler makes the author a gentleman at times! How the 16-Gauge Shotgun Lost Its Appeal
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