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< 16ga. Guns ~ Shotgun weight |
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Posted:
Sun Mar 25, 2018 5:19 pm
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Joined: 26 Apr 2010
Posts: 3177
Location: NCWa
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Three guns that I have access to vary from 5# 13 to 7# 11; with the lightest being used for labor intensive birds and the heavy for waterfowl. But the gun that gets used the most is the middle gun @ 6# 11oz. It is used for clay targets and any flatland birds. All are SxS and I don't notice a great deal of difference in shooting them. I'm not an expert with a shotgun, so maybe I'm just not qualified enough to notice the difference. |
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Posted:
Sun Mar 25, 2018 5:25 pm
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Joined: 28 Jan 2014
Posts: 66
Location: Wyoming
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To me, weight is not important. Certain guns just have the right "feel". I have guns that weigh between 5 lbs. 8 oz. and 7 lbs. 3 oz. All of them feel similar and are in the same ball park for measurements. There is a lot of talk about balance on the hinge pin, but I can say with certainty that I shoot better with the weight slightly forward of the hinge. Balance is often overlooked in favor of weight and barrel length. There are 26" barrels that balance like 30 inchers on another gun. Finding what works is fun... |
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Posted:
Sun Mar 25, 2018 6:50 pm
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Joined: 08 Feb 2009
Posts: 1310
Location: Western WA
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Opinion: All other factors (handling, fit, grip, sighting, etc) being equal, the lighter shotgun is preferable for upland game, while the heavier gun, to a limit, is better for pass shooting and clay targets. |
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Posted:
Sun Mar 25, 2018 8:16 pm
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Joined: 16 Jul 2015
Posts: 2126
Location: Hudson,Wy
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"Labor intensive birds". That is code for "chukars" if I ever saw it! |
_________________ Only catch snowflakes on your tongue AFTER the birds fly south for the winter... |
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Posted:
Mon Mar 26, 2018 1:13 pm
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Member
Joined: 09 Dec 2009
Posts: 1370
Location: Cheyenne, Wy
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let's see, ever since I joined this August group, I have heard how much lighter and svelt a 16 ga gun is compared to a 12 ga.
Many guns are derided because "they weigh so much, might as well buy a 12 ga".
NOW, all of a sudden, you come out of the weeds, with tears big as horse turds in your eyes, extolling heavy guns, "they swing better", and other drivel.
What will the opinions be next month, next year?
It doesn't take too much thought to appreciate a lighter gun when you are older and cobbled up such as I am. In my youth, I could carry an 8 lb gun all day, no more.
Believe it or not, everybody doesn't shoot clays, and are hunters only. I know that is hard for some of you to comprehend, but true.
Dale |
_________________ One man with courage makes a majority.
...Andrew Jackson... |
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Posted:
Mon Mar 26, 2018 1:19 pm
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Member
Joined: 08 Aug 2011
Posts: 1946
Location: Central CT
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I didn't start the thread to poke fun at or embarrass anyone. I just thought it would be fun to know everyone's thoughts.
My apologies if I have offended anyone.
Thanks to everyone who has replied. |
_________________ Mark |
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Posted:
Mon Mar 26, 2018 2:08 pm
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Member
Joined: 04 Mar 2008
Posts: 1943
Location: Lowcountry Ga.
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Over 40 seasons ago, I hunted turkeys "run and gun" style carrying 10 gauges. My Ithaca Mag 10 auto weighed 12.75 lbs. loaded. My 10 ga. NID 3.5" weighed 11 lbs. My other 10, a Spanish double, about the same. The older I got, the heavier the 10's got. Now, 40 years later, "run and gun" has gone to "hobble and wobble" or "stumble and bumble". My guns of choice for turkeys are a Yildiz .410 single-shot weighing 3 lbs., 5 or six ounces and a Baikal MP-18 single-shot, at 5 lbs., 7 ounces. I kill just as many birds with them as I did a progression of 12 gauges from a Mossberg Ultimag 835 to a Benelli SBE. During dove season last year I enjoyed shooting my 16 ga. E&G Higham at about 5.75 lbs. It handled marvelously with it's 29" barrels and I shot it about as good as any dove gun I've owned. Piss poor to be exact compared with others on the field.
For woodcock and quail, I shot my MF 302 Clunkerette, 5 lbs., 11 oz. just fine. It was a pleasant gun to carry and shoot in thick cover over my Abby and Willa, aka, the MuttPak. Late season, once I got the barrels opened up, the Darne R10 20 was a pleasure to carry and shoot with it's 25.5" barrels and weight of 5 lbs., 11 oz. Faddish or not, under 6 lbs. at my age and condition, works for me. Gil |
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Posted:
Mon Mar 26, 2018 3:59 pm
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Member
Joined: 06 Apr 2007
Posts: 3373
Location: The Great Northwet
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If you've ever had to climb an 1200 ft mountain after chukars, you'll quickly agree that every pound matters. |
_________________ Gun art: www.marklarsongunart.com
Gallery art: www.marklarsonart.com
The man's prayer from the Red Green Show: "I'm a man, but I can change, if I have to. I guess." |
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Posted:
Mon Mar 26, 2018 4:34 pm
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Joined: 16 Jul 2015
Posts: 2126
Location: Hudson,Wy
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Don't worry DC, offended or riled up is the only way that Dale ever feels alive anyway. You gave him something to live for. |
_________________ Only catch snowflakes on your tongue AFTER the birds fly south for the winter... |
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Posted:
Mon Mar 26, 2018 4:50 pm
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Member
Joined: 21 Feb 2005
Posts: 367
Location: Anchorage, AK
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I hunt with all my ten shotguns. I am not afraid to shoot clays with any of them. They 12, 16, and 20 ga all weigh less than 7 pounds, two less than 6 pounds. When I hunt grouse or sharptails I use either 7/8 ounce or 1 ounce load in any gauge. ( I like my french guild 16 at 5 pounds 11 ounces for these birds) When hunting pheasant, Crane, or ducks I use 1 ounce to 1-1/8 ounce loads and like a heavier gun. I usually shoot no more than 4 rounds of clays at one time, so weight/recoil isn't an issue. I would not use 1-1/8 ounce loads in a sub 6 pound gun of any gauge. I have a Francotte 12 ga that weighs 6-1/2 pounds and you wouldn't want to shoot it with 3-3/4-1-1/4 loads! I don't use magnum loads. |
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Posted:
Mon Mar 26, 2018 6:31 pm
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Member
Joined: 09 Dec 2009
Posts: 1370
Location: Cheyenne, Wy
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WyoChukar wrote: |
Don't worry DC, offended or riled up is the only way that Dale ever feels alive anyway. You gave him something to live for.
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I don't believe you know me well enough to say what gives me something to live for.
I certainly don't have a clue as to what makes you tick.
Stick to your hunting stories, you do OK at that.
Dale |
_________________ One man with courage makes a majority.
...Andrew Jackson... |
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Posted:
Mon Mar 26, 2018 8:00 pm
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Joined: 13 Dec 2006
Posts: 694
Location: MN
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Never understood the weight thing. Any gun that comes up right and feels good in my hands is going home with me. When I get so old that walking with 6 oz more is an issue, I'll do more duck hunting. |
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Posted:
Mon Mar 26, 2018 8:51 pm
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Joined: 16 Jul 2015
Posts: 2126
Location: Hudson,Wy
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Don't get your shorts in a bunch Dale. Look at your responses here, there is a surly pattern to many of them. It was only a joke. |
_________________ Only catch snowflakes on your tongue AFTER the birds fly south for the winter... |
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Posted:
Mon Mar 26, 2018 9:34 pm
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Member
Joined: 01 Dec 2005
Posts: 1550
Location: Minnesota and Florida
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How much shot do you want going out the barrel, and how often? That and the "carry" issue -- How much time do you spend holding the gun at the ready? -- are all you need to consider to decide how much your gun should weigh. I still like the old British industry normal proportion of around "6 pounds of gun for every ounce of shot" for a game gun, especially one you carry in pursuit of game.
There does seem to be a practical lower limit to gun weight and moment of inertia, though. The shooter has to feel something in his hands. I don't think most people, no matter how small and low in upper body strength, would shoot a 3 or 4 pound gun as well as a 5 to 7 pounder. Imagine trying to hit a nail with a very light hammer, or trying to hit a baseball with a hollow plastic toy bat. There's a sweet spot in there somewhere for a minimum weight. |
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Posted:
Tue Mar 27, 2018 4:12 am
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MaximumSmoke wrote: |
There does seem to be a practical lower limit to gun weight and moment of inertia, though. The shooter has to feel something in his hands. I don't think most people, no matter how small and low in upper body strength, would shoot a 3 or 4 pound gun as well as a 5 to 7 pounder. Imagine trying to hit a nail with a very light hammer, or trying to hit a baseball with a hollow plastic toy bat. There's a sweet spot in there somewhere for a minimum weight.
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Well put. I think of it as traction.
As much as I'm infatuated by shooting svelt doubles I doubt if I'll ever match my field shooting back when I carried 7+ pound pumps. Was it the weight? Balance? I don't know, but I damned sure can't shoot a 6 pounder like I did those old repeaters. I made myself utterly miserable for about 8 years trying to shoot a fitted and rebalanced Merkel 1620 to that level. Too often I'm a pathetically stubborn, slow learner, but I never could quite get the hollow feeling out of that gun. This Fox I picked up has some reaasuring "traction" up front, so hope springs eternal! |
Last edited by double vision on Tue Mar 27, 2018 4:21 am; edited 1 time in total |
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