Hahaha. That is funny! Well there you have it James, the truth is out and your 16's are not worth keeping. I will be over to pick through the lot of them and give you a generous 20 cents on the dollar. LOL
16 Gauge - Any love for this shotgun from yesteryear?
- Thread starter wyleekyotee
- Start date
Hahaha. That is funny! Well there you have it James, the truth is out and your 16's are not worth keeping. I will be over to pick through the lot of them and give you a generous 20 cents on the dollar. LOL
gunsaholic
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Winnipeg, Manitoba
As will I James but I will pay you in US currency!!!
I'm a newish shooter, so i didn't grow up with a 16ga or anything.
I feel like it's a total compromise. Not as capable for big game as the 12, more devastating on small game than the 20.
And ammo cost/selection is terrible.
CanAm has a dominion backpacker 16ga with 30" barrel for $90. Too bad they don't have a 20ga, that would be a great seller...
I feel like it's a total compromise. Not as capable for big game as the 12, more devastating on small game than the 20.
And ammo cost/selection is terrible.
CanAm has a dominion backpacker 16ga with 30" barrel for $90. Too bad they don't have a 20ga, that would be a great seller...
wyleekyotee
Member
- Location
- Nova Scotia
It's strange they are selling that, and you are right, a 20 gauge version of the would sell like hotcakes.
My feel, is that it's not a compromise if your only big game is deer. That's like saying a 30/30 is a compromise over a 30-06. If you are only shooting deer, and they are not 300yds + out, then you don't need a 30-06. I only shoot deer, grouse, rabbits, and maybe go on a duck hunt once a year if I'm invited. And I do everything on foot, so weight matters, so for my needs, the 16 gauge seems to fit well. I'll know better after a season using it.
My feel, is that it's not a compromise if your only big game is deer. That's like saying a 30/30 is a compromise over a 30-06. If you are only shooting deer, and they are not 300yds + out, then you don't need a 30-06. I only shoot deer, grouse, rabbits, and maybe go on a duck hunt once a year if I'm invited. And I do everything on foot, so weight matters, so for my needs, the 16 gauge seems to fit well. I'll know better after a season using it.
One man's compromise is another man's "sweet spot."
The problem with the 16 isn't its performance it's the gauge's aficionados who ascribe magical and mystical qualities to their pet. They'll drone on endlessly about "square loads," pipe smoke in the woods, the smell of wet setters and the frenzied flutter of wings on a crisp autumn morning.
The 16 gauge is a perfectly suitable shotgun gauge. It puts shot and slugs into the air with the best of them. It has a lot of nostalgia (nothing wrong with that) but there's really nothing special about it.
wyleekyotee
Member
- Location
- Nova Scotia
It's funny. a 16 gauge is very similar to a 20 gauge that takes 3" shells - so for $90 your getting a 20 gauge magnum. That's a good deal.
Regarding ammo - there's always some local guy who deos reloading if you look around. There's a guy here in NS, and as long as you have brass, his reloads are slightly cheaper than store bought - at least for rifles anyway. I'll have to look him up and see if he does 16 gauge.
Regarding ammo - there's always some local guy who deos reloading if you look around. There's a guy here in NS, and as long as you have brass, his reloads are slightly cheaper than store bought - at least for rifles anyway. I'll have to look him up and see if he does 16 gauge.
ninepointer
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Central Ontario
One man's compromise is another man's "sweet spot."...
...the gauge's aficionados who ascribe magical and mystical qualities to their pet. They'll drone on endlessly about "square loads," pipe smoke in the woods, the smell of wet setters and the frenzied flutter of wings on a crisp autumn morning.
Now you've done it!... The 28 ga. crowd should be here any minute! LOL
Interesting...I'd have said "hits more like a 12, carried like a 20" As for my affection for them....all kinds as of this year. Inherited a Model 37 from my late (great) uncle and I'm smitten with the thing. Hard to find shells under about $19 a box...so mine gets used for a little trap and got carried on my first grouse hunt this fall. Didn't shoot anything, but what a pleasure to carry.
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/foru...ts-a-1941-16ga-Ithaca-37-yesterday-**UPDATE**
As for my affection for them....all kinds as of this year. Inherited a Model 37 from my late (great) uncle and I'm smitten with the thing. Hard to find shells under about $19 a box...so mine gets used for a little trap and got carried on my first grouse hunt this fall. Didn't shoot anything, but what a pleasure to carry.http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/foru...ts-a-1941-16ga-Ithaca-37-yesterday-**UPDATE**
1963beretta
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Vaughan, Ontario
Interesting...I'd have said "hits more like a 12, carried like a 20"
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/foru...ts-a-1941-16ga-Ithaca-37-yesterday-**UPDATE**
$19/ box?? Way over priced. I pick up shells from Bass pro for way less then that. And if you want to shoot trap or skeet, you can pick up remington light game loads in #7.5 and #8 (dove loads for US hunters) for about $9/box. Believe it or not, BP usually has plenty in stock....likely because no one buys the gauge anymore!
And I agree...hits like a 12, carries like a 20.....only when the gun is built on a 16g platform. To save cash, manufacturers often built 16g guns that were essentially built on their 12g platform. In this case, yes, the gun would carry exactly like a 12. But for those 16g guns that were built as 16g guns vs converted 12g guns, they do carry like a 20g. What arises from this combo is the increased recoil.
Either way, the 16g is a very capable round that lost popularity with the introduction of the 3" magnum 20g.
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^hmmm...well...I haven't been in the 16ga. "game" that long, but I've NEVER seen 16ga. that cheap. In fact, last time in Bass Pro (Vaughan) wasn't that long ago and I specifically looked. Do you have a link? When was the last time you paid that? With our weak dollar, even el cheapo 12/20 target loads seem to be creeping up fast in price, and I shop BP, Cabela's and Le Baron.
I've spent tons of time with the 28 gauge and sold my last one a few months ago. It's a great gauge but has almost as much myth built up around it as the 16 just not as much dreamy-eyed nostalgia.
I've spent tons of time with the 28 gauge and sold my last one a few months ago. It's a great gauge but has almost as much myth built up around it as the 16 just not as much dreamy-eyed nostalgia.
Come on now. Don't you feel better running them with a 410 or 28ga vs a 12ga
. I know I doIf for nothing else it didnot cost me as much
Cheers
1963beretta
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Vaughan, Ontario
Last time I stocked up up 16g remmy's (#7.5) from BP in Vaughan was in June. I paid $8.99/box and walked away with about 10 boxes. Of course half those boxes didnt make it past the afternoon as I went straight to TITSC to shoot some trap. But it was at the end of June. Cant say if anything has changed, but i'll be at BP tonight so I can report back
One man's compromise is another man's "sweet spot."
The problem with the 16 isn't its performance it's the gauge's aficionados who ascribe magical and mystical qualities to their pet. They'll drone on endlessly about "square loads," pipe smoke in the woods, the smell of wet setters and the frenzied flutter of wings on a crisp autumn morning.
The 16 gauge is a perfectly suitable shotgun gauge. It puts shot and slugs into the air with the best of them. It has a lot of nostalgia (nothing wrong with that) but there's really nothing special about it.
Claybuster, despite loving 16's, I couldn't agree more. They are simply guns that have certain qualities, both good and not so good. Like every other gauge. For reasons that remain unknown to me I have only 12's and 16's and the other gauges I have a hankering for are 10's and .410's. I don't try to analyze it, I just look for the guns.
madtrapper143
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Steep Rock Lake NWO
I don't get the argument that if a 16 is built on a 12 frame i.e.: Remington 1100/870 , Winchester 1200, various Savage pumps and Mossberg 500 then you might as well carry a 12 gauge. I see guys all the time shooting 28 gauges and .410's built on 20 gauge frames and make no mention of might as well carry a 20. I personally like the 16 on a 12 frame. Recoil is nil and the gun swings well. Makes a great water fowling piece. Load some 1 1/4 oz. magnums in a 37 Featherlight 16 and see how that says howdy. The 16 is a great gauge and deserves to be well used when one is owned.
Darryl
Darryl
It may be partly because once you get much below 6 pounds, most people can't shoot them well, so diminishing returns by getting increasingly light.
At the risk of sounding "know-it-all-ish" which I clearly don't, you say you are a new-ish shooter and refer to a $90 gun. I have no idea what kind of shooting you are doing but I would politely suggest there may be more to the issue for many shooters and hunters than you are aware of or have personal experience with. In many circumstances the 16 is no compromise whatsoever...in fact can be the best choice from all gauges. If the market is talking then it is clear......all gauges are compromises and the one that does it best is the 12.
Sixteens were popular where I grew up and my first shotgun was a Cooey or similar 16 G break action single shot. I didn't think it was a small gauge at that time, at age 11 it could really give me a thump, especially because the gun itself was very lightweight. Wish I could find a good quality 16 DBL now, it would be nice to try them out again. When I was looking for one, a vendor explained that they're like 28 gauges in that they go in an out of fashion every 10 years or so.
