Quote:
Originally Posted by Rich Anderson
IF your going to use 1oz of shot in a 16 then you might as well carry a light 12. The only 12 I have hunted with in decades is a British light game gun and as it comes in under 6lbs I have only used RST 2 inch shells and 3/4 0Z of 7's.
I used to use #5 for pheasant way back in the day when we actually had pheasants but haven't used anything larger than 7's in a very long time.
Maybe we should think of the 16 as an in between bore, not a large bore but not really a small one either. It is however just about perfect.
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British light 12 bores are a whole different category. I consider the best London game guns to be unsurpassed in every way. The light 12's built by the best British makers and proofed for light loads are wonderful. I have a case of 12 bore Eley 2" shells (full 20 two piece boxes roll crimped) given to me by my grandfathers close friend. His name was Elliot Bell and he ordered a Purdey 2" game gun back in the twenties and killed a lot of game with it including pheasants. When he had the early stages of Alzheimer's, he gave me a case of 2" shells for the Purdey and a light Belgian guild gun that was his knockabout and rainy day gun. I never got the Purdey. His wife sold that even though they didn't need the money. He was the founder and owner of Business Week magazine and was the banking commissioner of New York state in the 30's. I had always hoped to get the Purdey since his only child was a girl not interested in guns, but it didn't happen.