Is the 16 gauge going extinct?

[Big Boomer]

I have an old Browning Belgium Sweet 16 that is very nice, but costs a king's ransom to shoot!

Some of my family also has 16's and have stopped shooting them because of the cost of the ammo. I know there are still quite a few out there but I rarely see a shotgun chambered in this anymore.

I know the 12 is better for most purposes, the rounds are cheaper, more selection, more firearms chambered in them. But why the loss? What happened to it? I like it better than my 20 gauge.

Are we likely to see ammo dry up on this in say the next 10 years?

 

[TAB]

I'm a 16 ga nut... I've been reloading since hs, only way I could aford to shoot it.

 

[alpha43au]

I have picked up old (and I mean old) Eley ammo from a gun show or two.
Otherwise have you tried RIO ammo for the 16 ?

 

[ArmedBear]

But why the loss? What happened to it?

Modern manufacturing and metallurgy rendered it unnecessary.

Beretta 12 Gauge O/U, all field models steel receiver, about 7 lb. or a bit less.
Franchi 12 Gauge O/U, Renaissance alloy receiver, 6.3 lb.
Browning 12 Gauge O/U, Citori Superlight Feather alloy receiver, 6.4 lb.
Ithaca 37 12 Gauge Pump Ultralight alloy receiver 6.4 lb.
Remington 870 Wingmaster LC 12 Gauge Pump steel receiver just over 7 lb.
...the list goes on and even modern semiautos weigh in at near 7 lb., sometimes lower...

You don't need to use an oddball bore to get something that "carries like a 20, shoots like a 12", when the 16 never really quite did either one. That slogan came from an era where a 12 Gauge was an 8 lb. beast, maybe bigger, and sluggish. A few guns like that remain, but one needn't buy them. If you want a lighter gun that shoots like a 12, you can get a 12. If you want a quick little upland gun, the 20 Gauge guns and the ammo are better than ever, with incredible variety in both, and a gun for every preference.

It will probably hang around forever for those neat old guns, but it's not "coming back". Why would it?

 

[PJR]

The 16 gauge will probably never be extinct. There are enough shooters out there using it and ammo while hard to find won't dry up entirely.

I agree with Armed Bear but it's a viewpoint not expressed often around the 16 gauge fans. They are very defensive, almost to the point of fisticuffs, about their pet gauge. If you have one, use it and love it. If the used sxs of your dreams comes into view don't reject it because it's a 16. But in a new gun it's probably the last gauge I would consider.

 

[foghornl]

I have been hearing of the 16-Ga going extinct since 1970 or so.

 

[Okiecruffler]

I think of it rather as the gauge that just won't die. Folks have been writing that obituary for a long time. I think there will always be goofy folks like me who keep one around and use it for nostalgic reasons. And then there are those Sweet 16's out there that are as about as fine a gun as has ever been made (can't believe I'd say that about something handicapped with just one barrel). Someone has to keep them fed.

 

[sagebrushjim]

As the Proud owner of 3 16ga guns I hope it never dries up... Best source I have found for ammo is Bass Pro Shops...

 

[Dave McCracken]

Lots of really nice 16s out there. Few get used for heavy clays activity, most are hunting guns.

I've no 16s here and doubt I'll get any. If I do, I'll probably start reloading for the gauge.

 

[Rem-brent-browning]

I began my shooting with my dad's Remington Model 11 16 bore, in 1962. I have owned and shot 16 bore guns in every action type made. In my opinion, it is the most versatile bore size for all shotgun disciplines with the exception of waterfowling.That being said, I will also admit that the 12 and 20 bores have more loadings available. The majority of shooters will do well with either a 12 or a 20 bore. I do own and shoot them as well; however, not as much as my 16.

With judicious shopping ,you can find factory shells from Remington, Federal, Winchester, B&P, Fiocchi, etc. that is affordable and pattern well in most 16's. My last purchase was Remington game loads in 1 oz for $4.99 a box one month ago- I got 3 flats. You can also reload, which is safe and economical- although not as economical as it was 30 years ago!

At this time, many of the gun manufacturers are currently offering 16 bore guns. Browning, Remington, Connecticut Shotgun Manufacturing, Rizzini, Huglu, Stoger, Baikil, Zabala, Fausti, and a host of other high end double gun manufacturers offer 16 bore guns. There is more interest in 16 bore guns in the used gun market at this time than in the past 40 years.

The 16 bore is a niche bore- like the 28 and .410. It will never be extinct.It offers many advantages to the knowledgeable shotgunner, and is currently enjoying much deserved publicity in many of the shooting publications.

You might want to visit the 16GA.com website for more information. It is a good source for lively conversation and a good overview about the history of this unique bore.

 

[ACP230]

It will not be becoming extinct around here.

I have my old Winchester Model 12 in 16. My dad gave it to me for a high school graduation present. I hunted grouse with it most of grouse season last year and it worked as good as ever.

Also have a Marlin Model 90 in 16. Neat old over and under.

My brother left his Savage 311 in 16 here when he moved out to the gunless Pacific. If I make it to a cowboy action shoot this summer that is the shotgun I'll "campaign" with.

I am a bit short on 16 gauge shells at the moment but they should be on sale somewhere before the next bird season.

 

[Seafarer12]

I don't see them totally dieing out but there isn't much use for them anymore. I will admit I am not a 16 fan. I also don't see much use in a .410. I feel a 12 or a 20 will do just about anything needed. I am suprised there aren't more odd ball shotgun rounds coming out with all the odd ball rifle/ pistol rounds coming out.

 

[TexasRifleman]

16 is all I use, and I still see lots of them for sale in stores around here so I'm not worried.

It's a bit harder to find and the loadings are not quite as varied so I just stock up when I find it.

 

[MCgunner]

Walmart has 16 and even 28 here and it ain't all THAT much higher than 12 and 20, a little. It ain't going extinct, but it's not been really popular since I was little, been on a steady decline. But, I think that's leveled out. When I was a kid, 28s were few and far between, but I knew a guy that had one. They never died out, either, quite, and have come back to a little more popularity since. I hear they make fine guns for lawyer hunting, if nothing else (Dick Cheney reference).

Really ain't much needs doing that can't be done with a 12 or 20, so I guess that's the reason for the decline. America has settled on the 12 and the 20. Steel shot brought the 10 out of oblivion to a degree. There's really nothing, though, that a 16 can do that the 12 can't do better. That right there is the problem. Any difference in the guns is nuance INHO. Oh, I have a soft spot for the gauge as I hunted with an Ithaca 16 featherweight when I was a kid and still have the old single shot 16 my uncle gave me, but I mean, all my hunting now days is done with 12s and a 20. I don't feel the burning desire for anything else just for the sake of being different and I reckon most other hunters/shooters agree with me.

 

[BigG]

The 16 gauge has been going out of style longer than I've been shooting. Shells were scarce back in the late 1960s and I don't think they are any more prevalent today.

When I was in Germany I learned the 16 was considered the standard gauge there. 16 balls per oz, 1 oz shot, etc. Most of those old WWII drillings are 16 ga, rather than 12.

Here in USA when I started shooting c. 1968, you had basically a choice between 12 and 20. You have always been able to buy a .410, too, but that was mainly a novelty.

The shells usually cost more than 12 bore which means I'll stick with 12 because of price and availability. YMMV

 

[TrapperReady]

But in a new gun it's probably the last gauge I would consider.

This is absolutely true. I own and hunt with several 16ga shotguns. However, I bought them used and got them "just because". If I was being practical, it probably wouldn't even make the list.

Although I still like the idea of a 16x16x30-30 drilling.

 

[mswestfall]

I see a lot of value in the 16 gauge as a collectors item.

They tend to increase in value more than SOME of the other gauges because there were fewer of them made.

Historically, Drillings were/are 16 gauge. That alone will keep a small segment of the market going.

At least half of my Midwestern hunting friends have and use a 16 gauge.

I hope the gauge stays around. It's a romantic part of our history. <= go ahead and make fun of that comment....

 

[mswestfall]

Although I still like the idea of a 16x16x30-30 drilling.

Ditto that TrapperReady

 

[Bud Tugly]

Back in the 1960's most of my hunting buddies and I could only afford one gun. The choice of loads was more limited than today, at least at the local sporting goods store, and lead was still legal for waterfowl.

The gauge you owned mostly reflected your primary interest. You owned a 12 if you mostly hunted ducks and geese and a 20 if you were mainly into grouse and rabbits. The 16 was the perfect compromise if you wanted to do both. Carry a 16 with some 2's, 4's, 6's, and 7 1/2's in your pockets and you were ready for anything.

These days more folks can afford more than 1 gun. Far more loadings are available so gauges overlap more than they used to. The compromise niche that the 16 used to fill has pretty much disappeared.

IMO that's why it's lost popularity as a new gun, but will always be remembered by us old-timers.

 

[RNB65]

The 16 Ga. has been going extinct for a half century now and I suspect it will continue going extinct for at least another half century or two.

 

[TCB in TN]

I have had and still have a couple of 16's I have always loved them, growing up they were lighter and easier to carry than those huge ole 12's and they had a bit better range than the 20. In fact I just bought an old Savage sweet 16 copy that shoots like a dream.

 

[axeman_g]

16g is my favorite because for some reason I trust it. I shoot 12s as well, but they are not as pleasant to shoot as a nice 16g. I dont think 16g is going extinct, but like wild quail are getting harder to find.

I look at shoping for 16g shells as an extension of the hunting season.

 

[buck460XVR]

I have an old Fox SxS 16 that was the first gun my Grandpa bought when he returned home from France after WWI. It's the gun I learned to shoot on and it still is my most accurate scattergun. Almost gave up on findin' shells years ago, but surprisingly around here they're gettin' as common as most other shells. Wally World, Gander Mountain and even the mom and pop bait shop in town has 'em and they're about the same price as 12's or 20's.

Long live the sweet sixteen....................

 

[Jaenak]

I'd have to say yes. I don't know of anyone that chambers a gun for it anymore and I don't know of anyone that makes ammo for it anymore. I've been purposely avoiding the 16 guage because I completely expect it to go extinct in the next decade.

 

[marksman13]

Jaenak, look around. Wihchester is pumping out 16 guage ammo every day. If I can get it at Wally World, it is not in any danger of extinction any time soon.