The revered 16

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oldandnew

Active member
One of the thrills of the off season is shopping for more, new, and better guns. Having sold off an arsenal of Vintage, ( heavy), 12ga. Parkers, Smiths, and Ithaca's. Flush, money burning a hole in my pocket, and fearful that I might waste it on additional savings like the kids college accounts,( there's still Pell Grants and Scholarships afterall), or retirement, ( I'll probably die young anyway). I am gunshopping. So having read the numerous glowing reports here and elsewhere of the 16 ga., I have been researching the topic, and found that it's probably the ideal gauge for my wife and girls, currently shooting Ithaca flues 20ga. doubles, with 21/2" low recoil loads 3/4ths to 7/8th's ounce of shot. perfectly adequate for quail, but they get fair chance opportunities at pheasants, that they pass due to range and fear of crippling. I have seen that I can find 16's with nearly the same weight, 6 pounds, as the flues, ( about 5.5 to 5.75# dripping wet and loaded), weight is an issue, as all the women folk are small, ( girls 5' 1" and 80#s apiece at 14). The 16 would throw a 1 ounce pattern with better distribution, without much weight or recoil consequences, might give them an edge, Oh yes I should say I saw a couple which sure looked like they would fit me too! What do you think?
 
In my humble opinion; you just can go wrong with a 16 ga. You find poorly manufactured guns, but the gauge itself is about as perfect as it gets. If you can find a quality shotgun O/U or SxS in 16 ga; at or around that 6 lb mark for under $1000 let me know so I can beat you to it :D

the 16 will produce an excellent shot string with a 1 oz load; the gun may not pattern worth a darn but is guess that is no different from any other gauge

if your serious about the 16 ga and want to accommodate a young or recoil sensitive shooter - polywad makes an excellent 2 1/2" 7/8" oz called the vintager, they are $11/box but they are a joy to shoot

good luck in your search, let us know what you decided

I went 16 gauge about 10 years ago and have never looked back, for me it is the perfect gauge for the upland
 
If you are thinking 16 bore I would suggest going to 16ga.com forum and read awhile.

All dedicated 16 shooters with a wealth of experience and wisdom at your disposal. Read the many threads and reports and you will probably be sold on the 16!

I use mine for 95% of my upland/casual clays shooting and love it.

BobM
 
I have a 16 UGARTECHA that I used probably 50% of the time last year. Nice boxlock for the price, new about $1,400 Lion Supply tho I picked mine up with little use for $900.00.
I also have an AYA Round body #2 which I have only put 13 rounds thru. An expensive gun that is a joy to carry, but I only take out on a very relaxed hunt with no chance of beating it up, not one little scratch. I have only fired one round from that gun that did not kill bird, all pointed over a Pudelpointer.
The Uggie is just as agile and effective. I was in Kansas and did the running in place thing with it falling on my butt in some slippery cornfield mud and put a good dent in the stock and was glad I did not have the #2. You can shoot up to 1.25 oz. loads if you can find them, but I usually shoot the 1&1/8ths. These guns swing perfectly for my tastes and I think the 16 perfect for pheasants over pointing dogs. My second most used gun these days is a 20 sxs tho. I do run some 1&1/8ths thru the second barrel late season.
 
I picked up an UGGIE grade III 16 gauge last summer...weighs in at 5 lbs. 12 oz....27" barrels...had it opened to sk1/sk2....really nice gun to shoot and carry...first time I shot sporting clays with it I broke about 7 targets more than usual (out of 50)....really points/shoots nicely. Have a Citori gran lightning 16 as well, which I like alot, too....just don't seem to carry the o/u as much anymore since I got hooked on s x 's!!!!
 
Depending on how much "disposable income" I make in the coming months, I plan on buying a Browning Citori in 16 ga. early this fall. I've been hunting long enough now that I "need" a gentleman's gun. :D

A buddy of mine has a sweet sixteen with a poly choke on it that I love to shoot.
 
I own 12s, and 20s, but I shoot one of my 16s. I have shot geese with them as well as huns and of course pheasants. I believe it to be the ideal pheasant gun. I will probably add a sweet 16 browning in the near future.
 
-Wildcat- said:
Depending on how much "disposable income" I make in the coming months, I plan on buying a Browning Citori in 16 ga. early this fall. I've been hunting long enough now that I "need" a gentleman's gun. :D

A buddy of mine has a sweet sixteen with a poly choke on it that I love to shoot.
Click to expand...

I've got a 16 ga. Citori White Lightning with 26" barrels that I love. It's probably about 6.75 lbs. but doesn't feel an oz. over 6 lbs. Great balance and carries like a 20. Get one and fall in love. :)

FYI, I see a number of used ones on GunBroker.com.
 
I like the 16.

It's my dad's fault. I grew up watching him kill all manner of game with his beloved Sweet 16, including deer. Shot my first pheasant with that gun and still carry it on occasion.

This is my current battery.

P5170508.JPG



The Grade V Ugart gets 90% of the use. It's choked Sk1/Sk2. On the rare outside chance that I feel like I need more choke, I grab the Grade I that's choked IC/M. I keep the Citori Grade III around on the outside chance that I have to shoot non tox. Used to have two of them but finally came to terms with the fact that I just don't shoot a Citori well. Too blocky and high ribbed for my likes.

There isn't much worth doing in the uplands that an ounce of lead at 1200 fps won't do. And there's nothing that throws an ounce like the 16 gauge, anything more than that just sowers the 16.

All that said, if I had it to do over again, and had to have only one gun. Well, I'd choose the 16 again. :D The 20 is a close second and one day I'm going to add a svelt 5 pound and change 28 ga for the grouse woods.
 
I carried a Browning A-5 12 gauge for years. Then one day I picked up a Sweet 16 and the light came on. It'll do anything the 12 will at about a pound less. Since then I've also added a Fox Sterlingworth 16 and a Rem 11-48. I think the 16 is the perfect pheasant gauge. You can go to 1 1/8 oz of shot if you want, get nice patterns and don't have to carry an anchor all day. I reload so ammo is never a problem.
 
I've carried a Model 12 16g for as long as I can remember. I'be going to retire it very soon. I have a 16g Citori Featherlight on the way.

!6's are the perfect all around gun for both Phez and quail.
 
I picked up a 16 gauge J P Sauer SxS a year ago, but really haven't shot it(box of shells is all). It had at one time belonged to Larry Brown and he had told me about it. Not sure if I will keep it or trade it. I just have not had time to shoot or hunt much with my medical issues. I was hoping to get to Flatwater(a little shoot in Nebraska coming up) and take the gun so Larry could at least shoot it again, but it looks like I won't make it to Flatwater.:(

Here is my Sauer 16

IMG_0951CC.jpg
 
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Find one of the Browning special-run Citori 16's and you won't be disappointed. I bought a Gran Lightning last year in time to take a bunch of mid-season birds. The 16 GA ammo selection is also getting better all the time.
 
I too have used the 16 with excellent effect. I have hunted with it in Europe (Luxembourg and Germany) and seen it kill (by others) huge wild pigs with slugs. I have a JP Sauer drilling in 16/16/&7x65R. I never used a slug on a pig but flattened many with the rifle barrel. I had Briley put choke tubes in a Sweet 16 so I could use steel shot in the public areas in Iowa. Stick w/ steel 2's in the 16. It will crush roosters. I have 2 16 ga Parkers and I feed them a steady diet of either 1 or 1 1/8th oz lead 6's on private land. If I go on public lands w/ those then it has to be Bismuth or another soft no-tox. I have never felt under gunned if I did my part. Behind a point it is deadly.
 
I had an ol' Model 12 16 ga. when I was a kid, traded it when I was about a junior in high school for a 16 ga. Rem 870 and shoot that until I was 30. Two years ago after being away from a 16 ga. for 33 years I bought a Citori White Lightning and fell in love with both the gun and the 16 ga. A year ago I added a BSA 16 ga. SxS which I've decided to sell if there is a taker. I'd sure be interested in a Sweet Sixteen if I could find the right one. My 12 ga. Benelli sure hasn't gotten much use the past two years since I went back to a 16.
 
I've about given up on ever shooting anything other than a 16 ga. I can kill anything in Kansas and Oklahoma with my 16's. I'm dying to buy a good, tight Model 12 in 16 ga. with a 26 inch barrel and I/C! The guys I hunt with just don't understand the attraction. Maybe thats half the fun.
 
I have a Winchester model 12 16ga with a 28" mod choke, a Browning Sweet Sixteen A5 auto with a 27.5" vent rib Mod choke and a American Browning 16ga A5 auto with a 26" Imp Cyl.
 
That's tough, I have a love for both the Sweet Sixteen and the model 12. I would have to say the Sweet Sixteen, since it took me 20 years to finally find the one I wanted and could afford(with a bit of luck).
 
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