Parker 16 ga.
 

Does the Parker 16 ga. have much interest and a good following of buyers. It seems that they don't have the same desirability as the 20 ga. and don't move as fast when they come up for sale even though their probably more scarce than the 20 ga. I have never owned a 16 ga. in any shotgun but am looking at maybe purchasing a Parker 16 ga. and thought I better get some thoughts from some Parker people on the site.

Well I’ve got six I believe . Had to search awhile for my nicer VH 30” and the Grade 0 30” hammer . But I would think a 20 might be more desirable of pricey in the same condition as a 16 . I’m watching for 32” 16’s hammer and hammerless but someone told me 32” 20 was easier to find than a 32” 16 in the hammerless variety .

Seems to be more interest now. You may find a buy in a 16 from time to time. I have three and my 0 frame is really a great gun to carry and shoot. They were not sought after for a while and one of the Invincibles is a 16 and it bounced around for a time when no one was really interested in it I have read.

I have recently purchased two, both VH . The first because it was so much more affordable than a 20. The second because I loved the first so much and it is on an 0 frame and 28” barrels. Quite a difference in the way they feel.
Thankfully I called my good buddy David Boyles and he said Yes, that is a deal.
I had her checked out today to confirm chamber measurements at 2 3/4” and find out what it was choked. Which I wanted to ask, what are the most common combinations. She is right.020 and left .07 which would be Mod and between skeet and IC. I have a number of 20 ga in different makers so was happy for a change. When you think how close 16 and 20 on bore diameter, they’re only .007
Difference . I absolutely loved shooting the first on Quail last year and can only imagine this new girl will be that much more fun.

The twenty gauge guns will always demand a premium over the sixteen in my opinion. They are a delight to carry, shot shells are normally always available, they offer plenty of fire power for most hunting situations and they didn't produce many of them. A Parker 20 is the best all around shotgun ever made! Having said that there is nothing wrong with a nice 16 and others will argue that they prefer the 16 over the 20.

Actually the difference between the 20 at .615” and the 16 at .662” is .047”






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You are correct sir, I thought something didn’t sound right about that. I really liked the idea of this information on the back of someone’s business card but not much help if the information is wrong. Thank you for the correction.

I have favored 16s for a long time. My favorite grouse gun is a 0 frame P grade w/26" barrels, a wand! There are three others including a GHE. And then the other makes, LCs, Fox, and an Ithaca. Then the very nice guild gun made for Wm Read & Sons. But I guess they aren't popular

Sorry Greg - yours is a misprint.


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I've hunted with 16 gauge for the last 30 years: Carries like a 20 and hits like a 12. I believe for upland game gun it's the ultimate gauge. I'd like to add two more 16 gauge guns to my arsenal both with 30 inch barrels: 0 or 1 frame Parker G and Stephen Grant side lever.

I love the 16’s. I have kept 5 or 6 Parker 16’s and have sold probably as many and still have seller’s remorse over a couple of them.

I have only ever bought one of them on the 1-frame size, all of the others have been on the 0-frame and all of those had the lightening cuts on the water table.





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I love hunting upland with my 16s. I have a few Parkers and Lefevers and enjoy them all.

As far as price differences, I figure a 16 has about a 1.5x premium over a 12 and a 20 a 2x premium over a 12.

I've been saying for years that if I had to get down to one shotgun- "It would be a 16ga"

That statement can be expanded to "It would be a Parker 16 on a 0-frame or an Fox with 3 or 4 weight barrels. I prefer the just right length 28" barrels but more importantly the gun needs to weight somewhere around 6.5lbs. The beauty of both the Parkers & Fox sixteens is you can find them in weights as low as the high 5 to the low 6lb range which makes for a wonderful package to carry all day in the uplands.

The ever present problem with the sixteen here in America is it's considered the red-headed stepchild gauge. I believe a lot of the reason for that is it wasn't included in the official gauge line-up when the game of skeet came around.

Unfortunately the 20ga will always overshadow the 16 here in America.

This 16 ga. gun has the number 1 frame instead of the 0 frame that I would prefer. Does the number 1 frame hurt the value much? Also the gun has 30 inch barrels.

One weekend in Vegas (how many good stories start out this way?), I purchased 3 16ga's from Ivory Beads. They were high condition Grade 2 and 3, 28" and 30", English and PG stocks. The 30" zero frame is a dream to carry. As they say, carries like a twenty hits like a twelve. I was about 20g's lighter that weekend. I told the spousal unit I blew it on hookers and blow as she gets really annoyed when I buy another Parker.

Spin

:biglaugh:





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In keeping...I have 7......4 O frames...a Trojan..O frame Grade 1 hammer with cuts..and a 32" VHE..Hard to pick a favorite..

I have a 16 0 frame GHE three barrel set 24", 28", and 30", all factory, that is, obviously, my favorite. However, there are a few more 16s that I treasure in my collection. Lately, I have been shooting my Grade 2 hammer gun, 0 frame, milled receiver, and having a great time. It is tubed to 28 gauge by Briley, and I'm thinking about having Briley tube my Lindner 16 hammer gun to 28 gauge also.

16 Gauge
 

For the original poster..

I have a one frame VH 16 that has 28" barrels IMC and full chokes..

It weighs 6lbs. 3oz.

All letters to the gun.....

The stock's pistol grip fits my hand perfectly......

I have a very nice VH 28 and 20 that I like very much but to me they just don't fit me or feel as nice....

BTW the 20 is heavier and the 28 isn't that much lighter then the 16...

JMHO ......Look for a 16 like that....should be in the 2-3k area maybe more through a dealer

Good Luck....

Doesn't it say something special about the 16 that it is the only gauge with its own dedicated online forum?

http://www.16ga.com/forum/index.php

John, stay away from 16s. Ammo is hard to find and you can never get your money back out of them. I've been trying to save folks from the risk and trouble of owning a 16 by buying as many as I could. I guess it's my good deed to the shooting public. (Is there an emoji for a "wink" and "tongue in cheek?")

I have always shot O/U 20g Citoris or Berettas for grouse, or an LC 20FW. Going to Maine this year and bringing three Parker 16's. A VH on 1 frame, a VH on 0 frame and GH on 1 frame (being sold this year for a variety of reasons) to fund another 16 on 0 frame if she comes along. I wouldn't mind a 20 Parker, but would snap up a 16 over one almost any day. The way I look at it, you can do anything with a 28 and 16g or 12 and 20g, I prefer the former but 16's are becoming a thing with me. I have four now and need about four more. A buddy handled my 16 on 0 frame and said "that is a beautiful 20..." Porsche 911 from the early 70's comes to mind. Not fancy, but nimble and does it with style and puts a smile on your face.

If you are considering purchasing a 16, I recommend buying one soon. Absolutely great guns. I love my 16 ga. DH w/ 28” barrels. I also have a Fox A grade 16. Wonderful!

I have lost count on the number of 16's I have and I am fine with that. One is on the way now, as a matter of fact.

Favorite Sixteen’s
 

Sixteen’s are my favorite, because when I pick up a 12 #2 frame it feels somewhat burdensome by comparison. Weight matters, and the 16’s are just ergonomically more appealing. Not saying the heavier guns in the stable aren’t useful, just aren’t my first choice. Finding nice 16’s that fit my budget is a difficult task, though I admit I enjoy the hunt. Adding a nice Parker to the collection gives me so much joy it is hard to explain.

I have 5 Parker 16's, 3 Fox 16s, a Lefever G, Ithaca 4E, Fair Rizzini, and a neat German 16 hammer gun, plus a beat up set of 34" barrels for a hammer gun. For years I shot pretty much nothing but 16s, until I picked up an old VHE 20 which is now my favorite grouse gun . Ammo is always more difficult to find, but years ago I bought a huge supply of 16 ammo from a friend who had died, and then started reloading.
Marty, a 1 frame 16 at 6lbs 3oz is lighter than many O frames, great gun.

Harold inspired me to check my records for 16s in the safes: 5 Foxes, 2 AyA, 1 Cogswell & Harrison (a less than 5 pound 30 inch Damascus hammer gun back action), 4 L.C. Smiths, 1 Lefever, 1 Meriden, 7 Parkers, and 1 Remington. I like 'em.

I'm enjoying this discussion immensely because I have always liked 16's. They are generally nicely balanced, light weight and can be used for a wide variety of game.

Now, regarding Mr. Mobirdhunters's collection I would like make one observation. If I'm reading this thread correctly, yesterday he stated "John, stay away from 16s.". This morning he provided us a list of his 16b collection, which included 20, that's right, 20 shotguns. And he stated "I like 'em".

Hmmmmm! Kinda makes you think........ :) As he hinted, he's a hoarder.

Have enjoyed all your replys on the 16 ga. After reading how much you gentlemen think about your Parker 16's- I decided to give Connecticut shotgun a call on a BHE 16 ga.-30" barrels that they had listed as basically a mint original gun. To my dismay-it was already sold. Maybe somebody on the site purchased the gun and will give us some insights about it.

People talk about 0 frames vs 1 frames, but I have found barrel length makes a big difference. I have a GH 1 frame with 26" barrels and it handles as well or better than some 0 frames

That particular BHE 16 has been listed a few months now. It appeared to be a very nice Parker and the 30" barrels appealed to me. The price tag wasn't very appealing at $39,995! I thought it was overpriced about $9,995.00. But apparently someone thought otherwise.

I have considered a few different shooters from CT Shotgun, but they have not been open to "offers" even as the guns sat there at prices higher than I thought they should be (both Parkers and other brands). I bought one gun from them, a VH 12 and admittedly it was in finer condition than I anticipated by a large margin.

I thought the price was high too but was going to try and talk them down since it had been for sale awhile. Actually-according to the salesman-the gun has been sold for some time. For some reason Connecticut shotgun won't take the guns off their website or Guns International after they have been sold. He told me he was taking this gun off as we spoke yesterday but it is still listed. I bought a pair of 28 gauge nickel plated snapcaps off them recently that was listed on Guns International(I think they still are) and they held my money for two weeks before I called them to find out the status of my purchase and they informed me that they were out of stock. Dealers need to take sold items off these websites as soon as possible.

Two of my 16's

Bought another 16g Parker today. A 1927 Trojan 30" 1 frame 6lb 6oz with great dimensions. I have plans for this gun. It'll be ready for the Spring Southern. Just sayin'.

That sounds like a beauty Mike

Wow, a 16 gauge Trojan with 30” barrels - now THAT’S a rare bird!!





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Uh-Oh, I think I'm caught! Well, Jeff, you got me, but remember that I have altruistic intentions in buying 16s. (And, for Harold, I forgot I do also have an early Flues 16, a wonderfully light bird gun choked open-tight).

Here's one of my favorite 16s -- a Parker CHE with Bernard barrels. Don't buy those Bernard barrel guns, either. They just can't take being shot 100 years later. So, call me if you see one and I'll try to get it off the market.:bigbye:

Which just goes to show you don't have to have an 0 frame 16 to get a lighter gun. That sounds like a winner, Mike.