Shooting the 16 gauge.....

[Destry L. Hoffard]

Finally got around to shooting the 16 gauge VH 0 frame that I'd picked up over the winter. Did two rounds of skeet with it yesterday afternoon. Shot poorly the 1st round with about a 14 score. I'd been shooting trap with one of my heavy frame 12 gauge guns earlier so the little 0 frame wasn't feeling like much in my hands. I finally settled down the 2nd round and broke 18 which is pretty good for me with any gun. I might actually break down and go upland hunting this fall just as an excuse to use the gun.


DLH

[Stephen Hodges]

Destry, it you decide not to go upland hunting this fall just send your 16 gauge to NH.......it will get used:rotf:

[Destry L. Hoffard]

I'll put you on the list right behind Eric, he's got first shot. *wink*

DLH

[charlie cleveland]

destrey i never heard of you shooting so small a gauge of gun other than when you were very young and shooting your grandpas 20 ga...anyway sounds like you have a keeper there...and pretty good shooting too..charlie

[Bill Murphy]

Upland hunting doesn't become you, Destry. I picture you in waders more than a Filson bird vest.

[Destry L. Hoffard]

Oh I break out my 16 gauge Lefever Nitro for squirrels occasionally and since I've inherited Grandpa's little 20 gauge it gets some exercise on doves for opening day. Other than that, I'm a 12 gauge man for everything other than geese.

DLH

[George Davis]

16 gauge carries like a 20 and hits like a 12, it is the ultimate gauge for upland bird hunting. Growing up in Southern Illinois many of the neighbors and locals carried 16 gauges, only wish I had bought more of them in my youth. My only hope is the 20 and 28 gauge craziness will continue and the crowds will ignore the ultimate gauge.

[Destry L. Hoffard]

In my youth (in Southern Illinois) the 16 gauge was dying out a bit, you hardly saw them in the field. My uncle still carried a 16 gauge '97 Winchester for squirrels and I had my ever present Lefever Nitro special but we were the only steady 16 gauge shooters I knew.

My uncle quit carrying his when he went to unload it one day and in jacking out the shells the hammer slipped causing the gun to discharge and he blew the windshield out of his nearly pickup truck. Another uncle was with him and said it was pricelessly funny (to him) once they realized nobody was dead.

The sear was apparently badly worn. He took the gun to a couple gunsmiths and they wouldn't work on it saying the '97 pumps were too dangerous. My guess is that statement was bleed over from the Marlin hammered pump guns that actually were.


DLH