16ga.com ~ View topic

Gentlemen,

Although you gentlemen mean well S Long only has so much time to donate to the 16 guage forum, I would advise contact with S Long to help solve the problem.

This is still one of the very best forums on the Net, lets keep it that way.

all the best,

Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith/Westley Richards Man

Joined: 09 Dec 2012 Posts: 904

Joined: 09 Dec 2022 Posts: 46 Location: Washington

Unfortunately we old duffers are dying off, and there does not seem to be the same interest in shooting sports or even the outdoors these days.
I tried contacting 'the powers that be' on here some time back and ended up just creating another account instead of trying to get my old one fixed.
Not sure what the answer is but it truly be a shame if all the data was lost or the site just goes away.

Joined: 09 Dec 2012 Posts: 904

1 month ago on Dec 15, 2025 I sent a PM asking to get a login activated. It still sits in my OUTBOX unread. I check everyday. Once a PM is read, it moves from Outbox to Sentbox (and no it isn't because my Inbox and Sentbox are full, Inbox has 3 PM's and Sentbox has 0).

Add in the fact that it is a pain when the process blows up because there is a bug when a post is made and one of the participants had email notifications turn on (this is what I think, not know for sure).

There are discussions going on about creating a separate 16 Gauge area on one of the other bigger shotgun forums (the one with a good atmosphere).

I suggested at least 2 of the subforums here, Guns and Reloading, as general discussion can happen in the Forum's general discussion and so can For Sale items.
This is what I am pushing for.

The person that was wanting to join/come back (he also created a new login id) just happens to be a Moderator on another shotgun forum and the frustration with this fueled the fire to create another place.

There has to be new blood. In the last month, there has only been a handful of existing members posting anything.

If it happens I will let folks know.

Joined: 04 Mar 2019 Posts: 2146 Location: Central ND

I completely agree and know of the situation that drcook is referring to.

To see this happen doesn't make me happy, because this is a very civil, friendly and informative forum. If folks decide to move away from 16ga.com, the other forum will get inundated with stupidity. I have stopped posting in the reloading forum on another shotgun website because of the stupidity.

We need to appreciate what we have here. Unfortunately, I do not have the skills to help with websites or I would offer to help.

If s_long sees this and is willing to help me out, I would be happy to take some of the load off of his shoulders.

FWIW, I have a message to s_long dated Oct. 4, 2025 still sitting in my outbox.

Before we toss s_long to the wolves, does he have a situation with family or his health? All my previous dealings with s_long have been friendly and polite, there may be more here than we know.

Doug created this forum in June 2004. Doug was member #1, s-long #2, Hagrid20 #3 (that was also Doug; he told me he liked to have an unknown presence to occasionally check on things). I joined as soon as I was aware of its existence - August 2004; I am member #47. When I peruse the list I recognize just one or possibly two members earlier than I who still post here occasionally.

Doug and I talked pretty extensively about the forum early on (we were both Kansans so we sort of had a bond) and I volunteered to help. Doug told me he preferred to be the only moderator, etc. so perhaps he passed that wish on to s-long or whomever is running it now.

Over the years I have seen participation dwindle, particularly after Doug's passing, I've also noted that posts by early "old guard" members often go ignored; I personally have felt the forum to not be as welcoming as it once was. I check in most every day but rarely post anymore.

As to potential new members, let's be honest: it's a new time and a new world. Forums like the Parker, Fox etc. sites support interest in more traditional guns and hunting values, but members are ageing out, and one only has to look at other contemporary forms to see that most of the young folks are not interested in such things, and certainly not in old relics like 16ga guns Very Happy

.

I've seen (and been a member of) several forums that came and went, and most of them were a shadow of their former selves long before they disappeared entirely. That may be the fate here as well., and if so, it was fun while it lasted.

JMHO, and worth exactly what you paid for it.

Joined: 09 Dec 2012 Posts: 904

there is a 16 gauge sub-forum now up and running on ShotgunForums, not SGW.

you can tell that something is happening in the background, health, family, disinterest, tired of paying for the site out of his own pocket etc. people do move on

I would be sad to see 16ga.com go away, but everyone has to prepared for the day it does.

It might even be out of s_longs control if Doug's family made a decision. WHO KNOWS.

I checked on the domain name registration. It expires 3-26-27, a little over 2 years from now. What I can't find out is where it is running at (CURRENTLY). Nor how much it costs (CURRENTLY) on a monthly basis to host the website. We all know prices have gone up.

What I did find was this from 2019, it cost $25.00 a month back then. So $300.00 a year. Is S_long getting that much in donations ? I don't know.

http://16ga.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=208998&sid=9f922ad7e936b25e9c317dc7bcb0fdb7

I know it is hard (using myself as an example) to want to donate money when doing something like changing your email address gets you kicked off and have to go through extra-ordinary efforts to get back on, if at all.

We were getting rid of Spectrum, had old Time Warner email addresses, Spectrum acquired them and costs kept going up. So we got AT&T fiber for half the cost. But lost our decades old email addresses.

I had to have someone contact him to reactivate my account. It was end of July 2025. Took a bit of time.

Joined: 09 Feb 2015 Posts: 924

Joined: 09 Dec 2012 Posts: 904

If you go out and look at the user list, there are lots of new signups. You can scan down through them and determine that a goodly portion are scam or spam or whatever related.

But there are enough there that are real and/or look totally legit and could be taking part here

IF they could get on.

Once someone tries to signup and a week or 2 goes by and their account isn't activated, they are gone for good.

Joined: 04 Mar 2019 Posts: 2146 Location: Central ND

I went to Shotgun Forums, it isn't what we want, at least it isn't what I want. IMHO Shotgun Forums is a rerun of Shotgun World, along with the same players.

You can come here, have a view point, some may agree some may not, but at least it isn't a bunch of folks that have little idea of what it is they are talking about.

The other issue is the 16ga.com Refuge on SF also has 12, 20, 28 and .410 headings. What is that all about?

Anyway, SF, IMO, has a looooong way to go before it can hold a candle to 16ga.com.

I hope we can find out about s_long and get back on track.

Joined: 30 Sep 2019 Posts: 199 Location: Colorado

David, I am very sorry to hear of your health challenge. In the same week one year ago I lost my last hunting friend and my best ever fly fishing partner to the same type of aggressive leukemia. I’m glad your type is slow going but still sad for you.

Over the past year I’ve had the same concerns about this site as you but with no technical ability to offer any help. I’ve been an active member for several years but suddenly last summer I was blocked from access. I don’t remember the exact error message that I was getting but I wondered if 16ga.com had finally disappeared. In the late fall I started being able to get in again. No explanation. (Update: it dawned on me that I had taken a screenshot of the blocking message to send to my software engineer son for explanation. I just found it. It says, “This connection is not private. This website has an outdated security configuration…”)

I use the same moniker on several sites and periodically users would ask me if I could help get them on to this site. I was buddies with Mike (Skeetex) so I would contact him and he’d call s_long and it would get done. Of course Mike is gone now and I don’t know if there is anyone else who has direct access to s_long.

I agree that it would be a great loss (especially the reloading data as well as the character here) if one day the lights were turned off for good. The recent loss of Downrange reminds us that our reloading options, especially for the short chambered 16’s, are dwindling. I have plenty of everything I need to finish out my loading and shooting life but I’m concerned about my grandsons. I will make sure they all have 16ga SxS’s to carry into their futures (Ithacas, of course Wink

) but what are they going to load and shoot in them. And where are they going to hang out with like minded shooters?

I appreciate your desire to see this site saved and transitioned into a new chapter of life. I wish I had a suggestion as to how to do that but I don’t except to say: please continue to try and establish a connection with s_long.

And let’s hope one of the old timers who isn’t so frequent here anymore will see this thread and have a phone number for s_long before its too late.

Joined: 09 Dec 2012 Posts: 904

Trying to get it changed over on SGF.

I am also trying to make you all think. This site is still here based on the whim of Doug's family. I seem to remember a discussion about it with s_long stating that they hadn't determined its fate in the long run.

What are you all going to do if it disappears tomorrow ?

What are you going to do if something (God forbid) happens to s_long ? No one else has access to the keys to the kingdom.

Without the ID's, the passwords, knowing how the site is built, where it resides etc. The site will be DOA if something happens to him. When the lease runs out, the lights turn off. There is no chance to save it. It just goes away.

Yes there are some of the same folks over on SGF as are on SGW, but a lot of those same folks are here also.

There is another person that I have talked to that was (and still is) willing to set a dedicated site up. But once again, the playground is his. We have all seen the fallout when the sole driver goes away.

The optimum solution would be a stand alone entity running and paying for the site and a couple people having access in the background. Is it going to happen? Who knows, the subject has come up multiple times since Doug unfortunately left the party.

Joined: 04 Mar 2019 Posts: 2146 Location: Central ND

If it all disappears tomorrow? I lived without it from 1956 until 2009. I did the reloading/load development without SGW, 16ga.com and SGF. So didn't most of the folks here.

Yes, this is a nice and relaxing way to spend my time now and then, but we can all live without it and do very well in spite of it.

I don't need the internet to enjoy my 16 gauge guns and all the enjoyment they provide.

Unless someone at SGF takes the bull by the horns, it will not be a good replacement for 16ga.com.

I'm still pulling for s_long and hoping that he is OK.

Joined: 09 Dec 2012 Posts: 904

I quite understand if this site goes away tomorrow, the world will go on. 16 gauge guns won't disappear. I will still have a bunch/stack/more than a dozen in the safe to enjoy, shoot, load for

What I won't have is as many people to discuss them with, unless they move somewhere else

I too would rather this one stay. It is ad free. It is free from the issues faced by other forums and the disparate types of people that join. Here at least folks have a common interest to get the conversation started

Joined: 04 Mar 2019 Posts: 2146 Location: Central ND

Here is something I posted on Shotgun Forums (not Shotgun World). This was in response to a thread started by someone that is also a member here. The member is obviously in favor of moving this over to Shotgun Forums.
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"I am 69 years old, and here are my thoughts on the subject. I frequent 16ga.com, SGW and now here.

I am of the opinion that both Shotgun World and Shotgun Forums have too many folks that think they know what they are doing but truly don't. 16ga.com is much different, because when you get an answer there, it is almost always a good solid answer that you can take to the bank. There is also no arguing even when folks don't agree, which is rare in itself.

If 16ga.com comes here it will be diluted with old wives tales, guessing and just plain old BS.

You can call me any name in the book, but unless 16ga.com remains the same with only an update to the software, my reaction to moving 16ga.com here is a strong NO.

FWIW, the only reason I frequent SGW and SGF is for information on new shotguns, ammo and reloading components. The Hunting and Sporting Clays forums are also of interest and forums I will participate in."
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In my opinion, if this place is going to die, let it be with the dignity that Doug insisted on and don't let it be sent to another forum.

I have already stopped responding to the reloading Forum in SGW and plan to do the same with SGF.