Old 16 ga.

[ligonierbill]

If'n a fella grew up shooting 16's, and had his Dad's Hunter Arms double (not an Elsie...marked "The Fulton"...boxlock, not sidelock), what should he look for in another old 16? Browning "Sweet 16"? Remington 11-48? Looking for a shooter, not a collector.

 

[drcook]

What are the requirements ?

SxS, O/U, semi-auto ? pump ?

for a pump gun this is my recommendation, other folks will give you theirs....

really nice Ithaca 37 16ga guns are available. that is what I hunt with. one main consideration is pre or post serial nbr 855,000.

pre- the barrels are individually fitted to the gun

post- the barrels are interchangeable

pre- up to about 1954/55 the stocks were more graceful, then there was a change.

regardless, pre-855,000 guns are light and easy to carry and handle like a dream, they all have fixed chokes. most came with 28" barrels, but you can find 26's occassionally

post- start to get heavier and when the transition to choke tubes happened they got a little heavier yet

HOWEVER I own and hunt with both pre and post and either are great guns

 

[BigD_in_FL]

A nicely used Spanish SxS, say an AyA, in 16, built on a 16 frame, weighing no more than 6.5#

unless, after looking here:
http://www.gunsinternational.com/16-Gauge-Shotguns.cfm?cat_id=1364
at the 259 different 16s for sale, you decide you like that LC or Ithaca NID, or the Parker or the AH Fox - all on the front page...............

 

[PetahW]

.

With a Hunter Arms Fulton in hand & in good shooting condition, I wouldn't be looking for any other 16ga - unless it was a Featherweight Elsie (has an "FW" SN prefix).

The FW's look, tote & shoot like a nice, but more powerful, 20ga.


.

 

[BigJimP]

I understand nostalgia ....but back in the day, a 16 ga gun shot primarily 1 oz loads....and that was its niche....and being lighter than a 12ga ...and nimble, etc.....

but with the advent of changeable screw in chokes in shotguns...meaning you can take one gun and make it perform 4 or 5 different duties ....and then with the availability of different shells....( like in a 12ga ...where getting 12ga loads in 1 oz of 7/8 oz...or now in 3/4 oz ...its taken that 16ga and maybe the 20ga out of the picture).....same thing with a 20ga ...where you can get 1 oz loads, typical 7/8 oz loads and 3/4 oz loads....its infringed on where the 16 ga was as well.....

so the 16 ga gets left out ...balistically at least.....
------------
If he wants a new 16ga ....Browning BPS Hunter model in a 16ga is a very versatile gun....

Browning Citori Lightning series was made in 16ga for a long time ( not anymore ) although they still make it in 12ga, 20ga, 28ga and .410...( Browning has kind of left the 16 ga out as well - because the demand for them just is not there ). But you'll still find a number of O/U's on the used market in a 16ga...

 

[mxsailor803]

I've got a couple of 16ga's and enjoy them very much. I've got a Stevens 311 SXS and a Belguim Browning A5 SweetSixteen. I like the A5 as a collector item that still gets shot but I shoot the Stevens a lot more.

 

[Ricklin]

A Winchester Model 12 in 16 gauge is something special. It's on my admittedly long list of guns I need to add to the accumulation.