In typical fashion, I'm going to be blunt and straight to the point. I like 16 gauge shotguns. A lot. And with good reason.
But sadly, there is hardly any industry support for them. There are only a few shotguns being made today that are chambered in 16 gauge, and unfortunately, they are foreign manufacturers that have price tags well beyond the means of anyone that wasn't born with a silver spoon in their mouth.
I'm just going to tell anyone that has never shot or hunted hard with a 16 gauge, you really don't know what you're missing. Weighing in at around 6 pounds, they are fast to bring to point, easy to carry and with the right payload they are one of the most accurate shotguns that I have ever used and have plenty of what it takes to bring down anything from as small as a ground squirrel and as large as at least big turkey with shotshells and if you can get your hands on some slugs, just about anything on the continent, and quite frankly is near the epitome of what every shotgun wants to be.
It may sound like I don't have anything good to say about anything other than 16 gauge but that's not true. I have a lot of good to say about other guns. But the 16 gauge is one of the best out there and unfortunately, hasn't gotten the press or proper credit that it deserves and I just had to go on record to say as much.
I don't think it's bias either. While it is true that my first shotgun was an old Stevens single shot 16 gauge, it wasn't the first or only gun that I had access to. Some would say that I learned to hunt with a shotgun the hard way. (It was with a .410 gauge that I had to borrow from my neighbor Charlie when I wanted to go hunting).
I have heard many say to leave the hunting with a .410 to the experts, but nevertheless, it was how I learned. I was young and simply couldn't handle the "big" (12 gauge) shotguns that everyone was using, and while true that I had to sneak in a lot closer to whatever I was hunting using the tiny shell, in the long run, I am glad that I did start out with the .410 because it sure puts things into perspective and taught me many of lifes' lessons well.
While I was 13, my Dad bought my old 16 gauge off of one of my uncles' wifes relatives and man, did it ever change the way that I looked at hunting. And made hunting a lot easier and more enjoyable to. It quickly became my most faithful hunting companion.
I dare say that old shotgun has taken more game than everything else in my cabinet COMBINED.
In seeing the writing on the wall and that no domestic shotgun maker has produced a 16 gauge since probably the mid 90's, I realize that it's on its' way out. I have noticed that even getting shells for them in the last several years is difficult at best, and expensive when you do. So, I am going to be taking up reloading them just so I can keep mine going because I don't know if my heart could bear it to have to hang it up on some rusty nails over the mantle.
I recently purchased a Western Field/Montgomery Wards 16 gauge pump just to have in my collection. Yes it's old. Made sometime before I was.
The action is still tight and in serviceable condition. The wood has some dings and scratches from being used so often. The bluing is all but gone in some places. The paint is chipped and it looks like hell, but that's alright. I can refinish the wood if I want to, and I can re-blue it if I take the notion. But as Han Solo once said, she may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts kids.
But sadly, there is hardly any industry support for them. There are only a few shotguns being made today that are chambered in 16 gauge, and unfortunately, they are foreign manufacturers that have price tags well beyond the means of anyone that wasn't born with a silver spoon in their mouth.
I'm just going to tell anyone that has never shot or hunted hard with a 16 gauge, you really don't know what you're missing. Weighing in at around 6 pounds, they are fast to bring to point, easy to carry and with the right payload they are one of the most accurate shotguns that I have ever used and have plenty of what it takes to bring down anything from as small as a ground squirrel and as large as at least big turkey with shotshells and if you can get your hands on some slugs, just about anything on the continent, and quite frankly is near the epitome of what every shotgun wants to be.
It may sound like I don't have anything good to say about anything other than 16 gauge but that's not true. I have a lot of good to say about other guns. But the 16 gauge is one of the best out there and unfortunately, hasn't gotten the press or proper credit that it deserves and I just had to go on record to say as much.
I don't think it's bias either. While it is true that my first shotgun was an old Stevens single shot 16 gauge, it wasn't the first or only gun that I had access to. Some would say that I learned to hunt with a shotgun the hard way. (It was with a .410 gauge that I had to borrow from my neighbor Charlie when I wanted to go hunting).
I have heard many say to leave the hunting with a .410 to the experts, but nevertheless, it was how I learned. I was young and simply couldn't handle the "big" (12 gauge) shotguns that everyone was using, and while true that I had to sneak in a lot closer to whatever I was hunting using the tiny shell, in the long run, I am glad that I did start out with the .410 because it sure puts things into perspective and taught me many of lifes' lessons well.
While I was 13, my Dad bought my old 16 gauge off of one of my uncles' wifes relatives and man, did it ever change the way that I looked at hunting. And made hunting a lot easier and more enjoyable to. It quickly became my most faithful hunting companion.
I dare say that old shotgun has taken more game than everything else in my cabinet COMBINED.
In seeing the writing on the wall and that no domestic shotgun maker has produced a 16 gauge since probably the mid 90's, I realize that it's on its' way out. I have noticed that even getting shells for them in the last several years is difficult at best, and expensive when you do. So, I am going to be taking up reloading them just so I can keep mine going because I don't know if my heart could bear it to have to hang it up on some rusty nails over the mantle.
I recently purchased a Western Field/Montgomery Wards 16 gauge pump just to have in my collection. Yes it's old. Made sometime before I was.
The action is still tight and in serviceable condition. The wood has some dings and scratches from being used so often. The bluing is all but gone in some places. The paint is chipped and it looks like hell, but that's alright. I can refinish the wood if I want to, and I can re-blue it if I take the notion. But as Han Solo once said, she may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts kids.