Ramble on! I can't get away from thinking about why the 16 gauge shotgun is not a popular gun for hunting and clay sports. I have read many forums and internet discussions about the 16 gauge and find it puzzling that so many writers have a very positive opinion of the 16 gauge but manufacturers and clay associations don't respond to an open lucrative field for sales and competitive possibilities.
Here are some of the problems they could address that would open up the 16 gauge as a more competitive gun.
- Make a 16 gauge gun on its own lighter frame, both in double barrels and semiautomatics. New manufacturing techniques have already made the 12 gauge much lighter and easier to carry. An unbelievable amount of calibers and setups are available from the same companies making rifles and handguns.
- Create a chamber for 3 inch loads for better hunting situations. 12 and 20 gauge already have been produced this way.
- Mass produce more 16 gauge shells causing the price of this ammunition to be more reasonable.
- Produce more lead free loads for use during hunting.
- Actually research and publish the facts about the "sweet 16" having a better shot density and structure than a 20 gauge or 28 gauge. (If it indeed exists.)
- Make barrels with screw-in chokes more available. Then one 16 gauge gun would be adjustable to bird hunting as well as clay shooting.
- Create a separate competition class in skeet, sporting clays, and trap for the 16 gauge. Why has this division been so long over-looked?
- Sell the gun with a list of 16 gauge reloading recipes and recommended reloaders. Partnering with companies that produce reloading components would really increase the sales of new guns if the buyer had confidence that they could purchase such needed items. Why not include sales certificates and/or samples packaged with the new gun? Computer companies have long realized this fact.
- Advertise, advertise, advertise.
Ramble on! Did you ever get tired of the 12 gauge recoil or get weary carrying around that 12 gauge cannon all day when hunting? I did and do. Are you bored with that old 12 gauge? Does a 1 ounce 12 or 20 gauge load perform as well as a 16 gauge 1 ounce load? Do you lack confidence in the 20 gauge bringing down that perfect pheasant, quail, dove, or other game bird? Do you trust the 20 gauge on a typical sporting clays course? Do you like to take the less traveled path and be a little different? Do you enjoy reloading your own ammunition for the best shooting performance and comfort customized for only you? Have you ever shot a 16 gauge while hunting or during clay sports? Questions and more questions! Obviously I don't have all the answers.
As I have gotten older, I realized that the only reason I shot the 12 gauge was for the "Tim the Toolman" factor. More power; bigger bang! The 16 gauge is a joy to use while hunting pheasants. I can break more clay targets more consistently (or as consistently) with the 16 gauge than any other gauge shotgun, especially at the end of a 100 bird shoot when fatigue and loss of concentration increases. I see a lot of competitors shoot a 28 gauge or 410 for a second round of clays and wonder why they laugh off misses they attribute to less amount of shot. Why would they want to have the chance of breaking fewer targets?
Enough ramblings for one article. I hope you have had some of these thoughts too. My advice: Unrust that old 16 gauge and bust those birds and clays and have fun!
"When a strong man, fully armed, guards his house, his possessions are safe."
- Luke 11:21
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