16ga

[Victor Wasylyna]

My love for the 16ga is fading. I now feel that 10ga guns are for waterfowl, 12ga guns are for clays (if desperate, waterfowl), and upland birds deserve a 20ga or, even better, a 28ga. 410s rock, and should be used whenever reasonable.

-Victor

[6pt-Sika]

Originally Posted by Victor Wasylyna

My love for the 16ga is fading. I now feel that 10ga guns are for waterfowl, 12ga guns are for clays (if desperate, waterfowl), and upland birds deserve a 20ga or, even better, a 28ga. 410s rock, and should be used whenever reasonable.

-Victor

I’m kinda of the 10 for everything school but I’ve pared a bunch of stuff off and my smallest gauge is a 12

[6pt-Sika]

I had a very nice VHE 0 frame 26” double trigger 16 that was a lovely quail gun , I had a quite nice VHE 1 frame 26” straight grip single trigger BT skeet gun that was a joy to shoot . But the best clays 16 I ever had was a DH 16 2 frame 32” gun that was if memory serves 39/1000’s in both barrels . Had a nice VH 1 frame 30” tightly choked that I killed a fair amount of December dove with . And last but not least I had a Grade 0 TL one frame 30” that did very well on the clays course .

[SXS OHIO]

I started hunting roosters out in Kansas in 2008. I had added a set of Merkel 16gauge barrels to my DT-PG-SF Parker reproduction 20 gauge. Galazan had them made and I sent my gun to them, and they fitted up a set and numbered them to my gun. These are great barrels be the way! Choke is very important for my rooster set up. I had them open the right barrel from mod to IC .009 and left the full barrel as it came. The full barrel is actually .031 or X-full in 16 gauge. I like them over the Kreghoff barrels because the full is only .024 of choke and that is .002 under spec for full choke in 16 gauge. This gun comes in at 6lbs-4oz with the 28" 16-s in place, SWEET. This gun fits me and swats down roosters.....(-: I shoot Fiocchi 5# HV and don't bother switching shells when we find Quail as the 5-s do a great job, have never shot up a bird with 5-s in the IC barrel and by the time I shoot the x-full barrel the birds are out there anyway. I have shot 2 true doubles on wild Quail in Kansas and a true combo of a rooster and a Quail. I do not think a lesser gauge would perform like my 16 does in Kansas on them tuff to kill roosters. Great news after several years of drought in Kansas the birds are back!!! I love those Kansas combo hunts with the wild quail. If Kansas has a good hatch and the weather cooperates, I will be out there tromping the fields with my two young setters this Nov/Dec 2026...(be the Lord willing). SXS Ohio

[Brett Trimble]

Victor,

Cheers to you and I wish you many happy days afield with the bigger and littler guns!

Brett

[BRDHNTR]

I grew up shooting my grandfathers/dad's 16 ga Parker VH. Had Larry DelGrego restock it some 13 years ago. Still my favorite bird gun and it brings back so many wonderful memories

[George "Scott" Davis]

My 1913 Fox 16 gauge with 28 inch barrels has been my hunting partner for over 30 years across many Midwestern and Western states. It'll be in the in vault been I pass!!!

[MrBojangles]

Originally Posted by George Davis

My 1913 Fox 16 gauge with 28 inch barrels has been my hunting partner for over 30 years across many Midwestern and Western states. It'll be in the in vault been I pass!!!

I believe that’s the first year for the 16 ga Sterlingworth, starting with number 350,000. The first shotgun I ever owned was 350,038. I only sold it because the stock was pinned. It was affordable to me at the time I acquired it.

[Jeff langbehn]

The old adage “ caries like a 20 and shoots like a 12” still rings true. Welcome to the dance

[mobirdhunter]

I admire the 16 for many reasons and have more than I need. For me it's a more direct link to the past...and it's sort of the "odd man out" in today's shooting world. I like that.

My Parker 16s include composite barrel examples in all grades up to BH (higher is above my pay grade). My most cherished is a Bernard barreled CHE built on the 0 frame weighing in at 6 lbs. It doesn't get out much to hunt, but it gets admired a good deal.

Long live the 16!