Way back when I was a kid, I used a mid 1920s Winchester Model 12 in 16 gauge for hunting. Two years ago, I had a choice of inheriting this shotgun or a similar 12 gauge Model 12. I took the 12 gauge but I do sometimes think I should have taken the 16 gauge for sentimental purposes.
I have a Fox Mod. B in 16. Took the money I made from my first year priming tobacco and got it wholesale through an uncle who ran a country store. Cost me the whole $100 I made that summer. Killed my first deer with it and still have it.
lasttombstone, If i am not mistaken i think my dad used tobacco money also , to buy his stevens 16 guage. I will have to ask him about it again when i see him. I have shot a few doves with it. Sometimes we trade off guns for a while if they are flying good.
I carried a mdl 12-16 ga from the time I was 8 to I was 16. I couldn't even imagine the number of squirrels, rabbits, ducks, doves, and one deer with it. My father talked me into trading it in on a Browning O/U 20 ga. Great trade, but I wish I had the mdl. 12 back. I have one just like it now, but it isn't 'that' one.
From ages 7-11, I hunted with a 20 ga single barrel...I still pull the hammer back with both thumbs. $85 of tobacco money bought a used 16 ga Browning. Standard weight, no gold trigger, no vent rib. The Browning comes out once a year for opening day doves.
Had a rem mod 31. Killed a truckload of rabbits with it back in my beagle days. It's not a "must have" by no means but wouldn't mind a browning O/U in a 16.
Still have my great-grandfather's J.C. Higgins 16 gauge side-by-side. Papa toted that for years till it got to heavy for him as he aged. Both my father and me killed our first deer with that shotgun. Gotta love #1 Buck ? Bill Gates doesn't have enough money to buy that gun off of me…
I have a Stevens made jc Higgins as well. I bought it a few years ago from an older fella who said it belonged to his father. The gun looks and locks up like new, I still can't believe the man would sell his daddy's gun. It's the first 16 I ever owned but now it's my favorite gun , you really can't beat those older guns in my opinion.
Got a LC Smith field grade SxS 16ga, a Ithaca Flues grade 1 SxS 16ga, a Savage 720 (copy of JM Browning 1900 A-5 patent, Remington also made a copy called the model 11) 16ga, and a Winchester Model 12 in 16ga. I can't remember the last time I shot any of my 12ga's, as I have been shooting 16ga for the last 10 year at least.
Right now I am mainly shooting Rio 2.75" 3 dram 1oz #6 and 2.75" 3 dram 1oz #7.5. Me and a buddy bought 12 cases (six each #6 and #7.5) a few years back and split them. I still have 4 or 5 boxes of Winchester Super-X 3 dram 1oz #8's, as well as a couple boxes of Federal 2.75" #1 Buckshot.
Very cool guys. Just don't hear much about this gauge. Acutally you hear less about this than a 28 gauge.
I am looking into adding one on the cheap just for the novelty of it. FYI, Found that Cabelas has cases of Herter's 16 ga ammo ranging from 65-80 bucks a case. Not a bad price by my research!