# 16 ga



## baycountyhunter (Apr 15, 2014)

I've got a Belgium Browning sweet sixteen and no it is not for sale.


----------



## skidoojc (Aug 28, 2006)

Bought this last year. 
Ithaca Model 37


----------



## AmericanRepeater (Nov 7, 2019)

nick brown said:


> One of my model 12s is a 16. Wish it had more open chokes for grouse and woodcock.
> View attachment 561951


Sorry for the thread hijack, but third from left, is that a heavy duck with solid rib 32” barrel? Don’t see those very often if so. Great bunch of 12’s. I really like the little guy on the right. What is the 16 choked in?


----------



## John Singer (Aug 20, 2004)

The 16 gauge is definitely one gauge that pays to reloading for. (410 and 28 too).

You can load for much less than the cost of manufactured shells.


----------



## John Singer (Aug 20, 2004)

nick brown said:


> One of my model 12s is a 16. Wish it had more open chokes for grouse and woodcock.
> View attachment 561951


A full choke is simply not that useful with modern ammunition for upland and even most waterfowl hunting.

I have opened the chokes on my 16 gauge guns and my 12 gauge Model 12.

A modified or light modified choke is much more useful than a full choke.


----------



## pgpn123 (May 9, 2016)

I had my 16 opened up years ago. From mod/full to imp/mod. I was mostly after bunnies.


----------



## John Singer (Aug 20, 2004)

hunterdau2 said:


> If i do pick up a 16 i was deciding between a Rizzini or a Dickinson . Anyone handle either brand ?


A friend of mine has a Dickinson and Fair Iside (Rizzini) in 16 gauge. Both are nice guns.

Both are box locks. The Dickinson has false side lock plates. I do not understand why.

The Fair Iside is made by Rizzini in Italy and the Dickinson is made by Huglu in Turkey.


----------



## DanP (Mar 1, 2005)

Fox Sterlingworth 16ga To be my late season gun


----------



## shaffe48b (Oct 22, 2019)

The heavy chokes are I believe a remnant of the poor shells of yesteryear. It'd be hard to find one that's new enough to have swapable chokes but I assume they can be added. I cant think of using full. Can't think of using anything above ic on anything but pheasants. I don't up choke or upgauge: I just get better shells.


----------



## Bondhu (Sep 6, 2019)

I have the Dickinson estate 20/28 combo. Nice shotgun being the first sxs it takes some getting use to.


----------



## DanP (Mar 1, 2005)

Planning on using RTS 2.5 in shells - spreaders to open things up a bit. 

Not that I am ready to say goodbye to summer but the cool temps this morning
gets you thinking about being north on an early morning.


----------



## nick brown (Mar 6, 2012)

AmericanRepeater said:


> Sorry for the thread hijack, but third from left, is that a heavy duck with solid rib 32” barrel? Don’t see those very often if so. Great bunch of 12’s. I really like the little guy on the right. What is the 16 choked in?


.yes it is. 2 1940 heavy duck 32 inchers. One solid one plain. 1950 30 inch field gun that was my grandfathers and a 16 gauge choked modified.


----------



## hunterdau2 (Feb 7, 2006)

Have had other doubles in the past and am comfortable with double triggers. Currently have a CZ Bobwhite in 20 ga and a 28 o/u the 16 is a want not a need that's why the indecision between the 28 or 16 . The 28 would work for 80% of my shooting but the 16 is novel and would work well on pheasant too.


----------



## llauth (Nov 4, 2009)

I have an old 16 Stevens Springfield sxs. Its shoots and points great. Can be a little heavy though if your hunting all day. My uncle bought a New Browning sweet sixteen last year and its really nice and light. As guys have mentioned shells are more expensive and sometimes hard to come by.


----------



## Lamarsh (Aug 19, 2014)

16g is an awesome load, and it's even more awesome now that they have enjoyed a renewed renaissance. 

28g are also great, but IMO are a totally different quiver than a 16.


----------



## birdhntr (Jan 25, 2014)

The 16 gauge has been dying for over half a century.


----------



## tom_the_chemist (Aug 24, 2008)

So, are new 16 gauges being made or everything being purchased used?

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


----------



## hunterdau2 (Feb 7, 2006)

They are making new guns in 16 ! Browning , Dickinson , Rizzini , AYA and a few others i am aware of.


----------



## sourdough44 (Mar 2, 2008)

It seems to me, the 16 ga is a lot more common than the 28 ga. The 16 ga is more useful too, IMHO.


----------



## cedarlkDJ (Sep 2, 2002)

nick brown said:


> One of my model 12s is a 16. Wish it had more open chokes for grouse and woodcock.


Those are sweet!!!
I have a 12 and 16 in Model 12’s.










My Dad got them from my Uncle who used to be a cop and they had sawed off barrels for riot guns.
My Dad had the old poly chokes put on them.
Greatly decreased their value but, have put a lot of meat on the table from woodcock to venison over many years.


----------



## birdhntr (Jan 25, 2014)

I was at Dunham's today and browsed the ammo.I found 2 and 1 between two brands for 28ga but no 16 .
I did see this on sale and it's a bargain price for sure.XLR Remington shells


----------



## TCpat&trout (Dec 6, 2012)

I shoot a pawn shop Lefever Nitro Special 16. It’s light and shoots well. I live about 3 miles from Fieldsport so ammo is easy to find (2.5 inch) but a little pricey. 


Sent from my iPad using Michigan Sportsman mobile app


----------



## MuskyDan (Dec 27, 2001)

Got a Ithaca 37, a Remington semi and bought a citori white lightning last year. I would love a SxS if some make or model someday as well.


----------



## DirtySteve (Apr 9, 2006)

birdhntr said:


> I was at Dunham's today and browsed the ammo.I found 2 and 1 between two brands for 28ga but no 16 .
> I did see this on sale and it's a bargain price for sure.XLR Remington shells
> View attachment 567577


So I just bought my first O/U on gunbroker last night. I was set to buy a 16 ga but the right gun came up that i really liked used and it was a 20. I went to gunshop and looked at a new one to compare. Decided this 20 ga was the one and I won the auction. Tonight i was at a walmart in westbranch and I figured I better stock up on some 20ga ammo as I bought lots of 16 ga in preparation for the season. Went to the ammo shelf and couldnt believe it. About 15 boxes of 12 ga in various brands. 4 boxes of 20 ga. 1box 8 shot 2 boxes of 7.5 and a box of high brass 1 oz 7.5. I bought all 4 so they are sold out at the moment. The kicker which made me think of this thread.... they had 12 boxes of 16 ga and about 20-25 boxes of 28 ga. Those were the most plentiful rounds they had. 

I called my son who is in college in the keweenaw to warn him he better stock up for his 20 ga. He said too late. He has been to 3 stores and has managed one box of 20 ga ammo.


----------



## birdhntr (Jan 25, 2014)

DirtySteve said:


> So I just bought my first O/U on gunbroker last night. I was set to buy a 16 ga but the right gun came up that i really liked used and it was a 20. I went to gunshop and looked at a new one to compare. Decided this 20 ga was the one and I won the auction. Tonight i was at a walmart in westbranch and I figured I better stock up on some 20ga ammo as I bought lots of 16 ga in preparation for the season. Went to the ammo shelf and couldnt believe it. About 15 boxes of 12 ga in various brands. 4 boxes of 20 ga. 1box 8 shot 2 boxes of 7.5 and a box of high brass 1 oz 7.5. I bought all 4 so they are sold out at the moment. The kicker which made me think of this thread.... they had 12 boxes of 16 ga and about 20-25 boxes of 28 ga. Those were the most plentiful rounds they had.
> 
> I called my son who is in college in the keweenaw to warn him he better stock up for his 20 ga. He said too late. He has been to 3 stores and has managed one box of 20 ga ammo.


Dunham's is stacked with ammo.
They had 6 of the 28 ga and 8 of the 16 gauge but thousands of these.







Frank's in linwood was stocked a couple weeks ago but cabelas had nothing.
The Remington xlr's are for pheasant in Michigan and pheasants and quail in Kansas but I can throw them 7.5's at some grouse.At 7.99 a box i stocked up.


----------



## ab5228 (Nov 13, 2009)

DirtySteve said:


> So I just bought my first O/U on gunbroker last night. I was set to buy a 16 ga but the right gun came up that i really liked used and it was a 20. I went to gunshop and looked at a new one to compare. Decided this 20 ga was the one and I won the auction. Tonight i was at a walmart in westbranch and I figured I better stock up on some 20ga ammo as I bought lots of 16 ga in preparation for the season. Went to the ammo shelf and couldnt believe it. About 15 boxes of 12 ga in various brands. 4 boxes of 20 ga. 1box 8 shot 2 boxes of 7.5 and a box of high brass 1 oz 7.5. I bought all 4 so they are sold out at the moment. The kicker which made me think of this thread.... they had 12 boxes of 16 ga and about 20-25 boxes of 28 ga. Those were the most plentiful rounds they had.
> 
> I called my son who is in college in the keweenaw to warn him he better stock up for his 20 ga. He said too late. He has been to 3 stores and has managed one box of 20 ga ammo.


Not to hi-Jack the thread but it’s gun broker today, toyota dealer tomorrow and bedroom rented out on Airbnb by next weekend.


----------



## DirtySteve (Apr 9, 2006)

birdhntr said:


> Dunham's is stacked with ammo.
> They had 6 of the 28 ga and 8 of the 16 gauge but thousands of these.
> View attachment 577353
> Frank's in linwood was stocked a couple weeks ago but cabelas had nothing.
> The Remington xlr's are for pheasant in Michigan and pheasants and quail in Kansas but I can throw them 7.5's at some grouse.At 7.99 a box i stocked up.


Your ammo stash looks alot like mine. Same brands for the most part. I buy a fare amount at dunhams over the summer with their 20% off coupons each time i go ny there. Tough to beat walmart for Federal loads though. $5.88 a box if you buy the 7/8 oz loads or the high brass 1 oz loads doesnt matter. 16 ga are $7.88 a box. My local walmart also carries the Remington XLR in 16ga and they are $4 a box cheaper than dunhams.


----------



## birdhntr (Jan 25, 2014)

DirtySteve said:


> Your ammo stash looks alot like mine. Same brands for the most part. I buy a fare amount at dunhams over the summer with their 20% off coupons each time i go ny there. Tough to beat walmart for Federal loads though. $5.88 a box if you buy the 7/8 oz loads or the high brass 1 oz loads doesnt matter. 16 ga are $7.88 a box. My local walmart also carries the Remington XLR in 16ga and they are $4 a box cheaper than dunhams.


7.99 a box for xlr when I bought them


----------



## Dogbox Bill (Aug 28, 2020)

the old saying tote's like a 20 hit's like a 12


----------



## Dogbox Bill (Aug 28, 2020)

9mm Hi-Power said:


> They're really two very different gauges with different but often over lapping usage. Kinda' like saying I'm looking for a new pistol but can't decide between a .380 ACP or a .45 ACP. Neither gauge will do anything in the uplands that a 20 won't do but if you're looking for something a bit off-beat then either should satisfy you. I killed my first pat and first pheasant about 1959 - so I've been at this game long, long time and I've killed birds on and off with both 16 gauge and 28 gauge shotguns over the years. To be honest with you any gauge loses it's so-called "classic" appeal pretty quickly and after a while what you're carrying around is a nice shotgun as opposed to a "classic" gauge . To my way of thinking the term "classic" is much more appropriate to the shotgun as opposed to the gauge. A 20 gauge Winchester M12, IMO, is "classic" while a 28 gauge Benelli semi-auto is just another ho-hum shotgun.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I think the writer Gene Hill used a 16 in the A M and a 28 in the P M . He was not a fan of the20 ga. when in the grouse woods. May have not been the 20s fault, could be he just did not shoot a 20 that well. I have guns in my safe I shoot better than other's.


----------



## DirtySteve (Apr 9, 2006)

Dogbox Bill said:


> I think the writer Gene Hill used a 16 in the A M and a 28 in the P M . He was not a fan of the20 ga. when in the grouse woods. May have not been the 20s fault, could be he just did not shoot a 20 that well. I have guns in my safe I shoot better than other's.


Yeah could be the gun. You can get the same load as a 16 in a 20 ga with the 3" option. Chokes are adjustable with countless options of choketubes on the market. Same goes for shell selection these days. So many types of shot as well as charge variations.


----------



## DirtySteve (Apr 9, 2006)

birdhntr said:


> 7.99 a box for xlr when I bought them


Yeah I see you have 2 3/4" in 20 ga. I was price comparing the 3" rounds when i was looking. Those were much more expensive.


----------



## Dogbox Bill (Aug 28, 2020)

DirtySteve said:


> Yeah could be the gun. You can get the same load as a 16 in a 20 ga with the 3" option. Chokes are adjustable with countless options of choketubes on the market. Same goes for shell selection these days. So many types of shot as well as charge variations.


I have a16 side by side Ugie and a Belgium A5 sweet 16. The Ugie kicks like a mule, the A5 is all most too heavy to carry all day. I have taken a lot of birds with both. My gun of choice is a Benelli super black eagle 12 ga. It less than the A5 and I seam to hit what I shoot at with it. I ran over it with my 2003 Ford Excursion in the U P in 2010, did not hurt it, still works like new!


DirtySteve said:


> Yeah could be the gun. You can get the same load as a 16 in a 20 ga with the 3" option. Chokes are adjustable with countless options of choketubes on the market. Same goes for shell selection these days. So many types of shot as well as charge variations.


----------



## birdhntr (Jan 25, 2014)

DirtySteve said:


> Yeah I see you have 2 3/4" in 20 ga. I was price comparing the 3" rounds when i was looking. Those were much more expensive.


They were 19.99 a box last year on sale for 17.99
Then this year marked 12.99 then store special 9.99 with a sign say 2.00 additional dollars off.So I did what any money pinching guy would do.i bought 12 boxes plus 3 boxes of Remington copper plated pheasant loads #5 at 21.99 with 2.00 dollars off also.Fell under 200 bucks and was around 37 cents a round for all of them.Not to bad for heavy game loads.I will be good for a while!!!


----------



## Dogbox Bill (Aug 28, 2020)

birdhntr said:


> They were 19.99 a box last year on sale for 17.99
> Then this year marked 12.99 then store special 9.99 with a sign say 2.00 additional dollars off.So I did what any money pinching guy would do.i bought 12 boxes plus 3 boxes of Remington copper plated pheasant loads #5 at 21.99 with 2.00 dollars off also.Fell under 200 bucks and was around 37 cents a round for all of them.Not to bad for heavy game loads.I will be good for a while!!!


was this at cabelas?


----------



## birdhntr (Jan 25, 2014)

Dogbox Bill said:


> was this at cabelas?


Dunham's Waterford mi.
9.99 now.12 and 20 #5 shot,6,7.5 I believe.last year I found 4 shot.


----------



## Tilden Hunter (Jun 14, 2018)

I'm headed out tomorrow with a 16 ga. 870 for grouse. Wish me luck. 1-1/8 oz. #6 and a mod chock. Yeah, it's not perfect, but it's what I have.


----------



## Gnoyes (Jan 23, 2013)

I can’t find 16 gauge ammo to save my life this year. Local sporting goods shop has no 16, usually carry a good selection, and can’t find low brass 7.5 or 8 anywhere on the web. Hopefully it’s just a short term thing.


----------



## birdhntr (Jan 25, 2014)

Gnoyes said:


> I can’t find 16 gauge ammo to save my life this year. Local sporting goods shop has no 16, usually carry a good selection, and can’t find low brass 7.5 or 8 anywhere on the web. Hopefully it’s just a short term thing.


There is definitely an ammo supply problem. Dunham's in Waterford had a few boxes but I think they were pheasant loads.Small businesses and gun shops are a good place to look.


----------



## DirtySteve (Apr 9, 2006)

Gnoyes said:


> I can’t find 16 gauge ammo to save my life this year. Local sporting goods shop has no 16, usually carry a good selection, and can’t find low brass 7.5 or 8 anywhere on the web. Hopefully it’s just a short term thing.


Not sure where you live or travel. Lapeer walmart and dunhams had plenty of 16 ga ammo 2 weeks ago. Each carried 3 brands. Walmart carries federal game loads and federal highbrass for 7.88 a box. Walmart in westbranch had roughly 15 boxes of 7.5 shot federals 2-3 days ago. They had about as much 16 ga as they had 12 ga. Left. No 20ga at all. The walmart in clio has always carried plenty in past seasons.

I also saw fish and tackle grab bag in davison had some 8 shot and some steelshot. Prices were high from what I remember. 

If you live in northern region I have always had good luck buying at skips in grayling in the past. I havent been there this fall to give a report. Maybe call them if you are traveling around that area. 

Bass proshops in auburn hills has never let me down for 16ga.

Thats all i got because I really dont think i have tried to buy it anywhere else. Used to buy it at a couple hardware stores but none of them carry ammo at all now. Same for local bait shop.

Good luck.


----------

