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Researcher
PostPosted: Fri Apr 13, 2018 2:22 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 13 Jun 2009
Posts: 695
Location: WA/AK

We have pretty good numbers for the Fox doubles built in 12- and 16-gauge. From the introduction of the smallbore Fox doubles circa 1912, they produced about 28481 Sterlingworths and 3875 graded guns. During that same time frame they produced about 81835 12-gauge Sterlingworths and about 16280 graded 12-gauges. So, 98115 12-gauges to 32356 16-gauges.

From the old Remington factory ledger we can compare 12- and 16-gauge Model 11/Sportsman production from the introduction of the 16-gauges in July 1931 to June 30, 1942. The numbers show a total combined Model 11 and "Sportsman" 16-gauge production of 67484. During that same time period they put 106469 12-gauge Model 11 and Sportsman into production. These numbers may well be skewed as it appears they built up a big inventory of 12-gauge Model 11s and then put the production line over to 20-gauges (introduced in 1930), 16-gauges and 12-gauge Sportsman, so for the first three years only a few hundred 12-gauge Model 11s were put into production.

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Woody402
PostPosted: Fri Apr 13, 2018 4:36 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 25 Aug 2014
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Location: Finger Lakes

It’s seems like the 16 was really popular in my area. Everyone had a 16 ga ithaca deerslayer years ago and they were a ton of Lefever nitros and model 12’s in 16 in my area. Talking with my dad that is what most used for pheasants in his era. Late 50’s-60’s.
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gunsrus
PostPosted: Sat Apr 14, 2018 4:54 am  Reply with quote
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I would say late 1940's through the1960's . I base that on my Dad's and all his friends. All shot 16 gauge shotguns .
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jswanson
PostPosted: Sat Apr 14, 2018 12:25 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 03 Feb 2008
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Location: Adirondak Mtns

don't actually know but when I was in high School there were as many 16's as there were 12's. The 20 were for the girls. That was in the front half of the 60's. In fact I can't remember any of guys using or at least admitting to using a 20.

Joe

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kgb
PostPosted: Sat Apr 14, 2018 5:43 pm  Reply with quote
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In the late 70s my dad's boss hosted a day of shooting and hunting at his camp and the majority showed up with 16s. When we ran out of shells the boss loaded us up and took us to a shop where he bought several boxes of CF Winchester 16s to keep us shooting.

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bobski
PostPosted: Sat Apr 14, 2018 6:27 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 18 Feb 2018
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Location: va, ct, mo

hard believe in the late 1800's, anyone caught using a 12ga was considered a wuss....when the 10ga was boss.

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WyoChukar
PostPosted: Sat Apr 14, 2018 9:12 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 16 Jul 2015
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Location: Hudson,Wy

Well, the 10 bore was only carrying an ounce or a little more shot back then.

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jswanson
PostPosted: Sun Apr 15, 2018 5:51 am  Reply with quote



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Just another thought. My dad's legion Post use to have turkey and ham shoot very spring and fall. They had cases of both 12 and 16 I. Pretty much equal amounts. Not a 20 insight. This was in NY in the lower Hudson valley.


Joe

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double vision
PostPosted: Sun Apr 15, 2018 7:36 am  Reply with quote
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My dad used to rave about the 40's and 50's pheasant hunting in western, WI with a little more emphasis on the 40's. He also mentioned that the 16 was the "bird hunters" gun or something like that, once. He had a single shot Winchester 37 and a Stevens 12 ga. pump. Other than that I have no idea when the 16 ga. was top gun.
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fin2feather
PostPosted: Mon Apr 16, 2018 7:01 am  Reply with quote
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In 1950 and my dad decided he wanted a new shotgun. The Korean was had just begun, and guns were hard to get, at least out on the Nebraska plains. A guy told Dad he had a line on a couple so Dad bought them both; when they arrived they were both in 16ga, Savage 775a's. Dad said he'd assumed they'd be 12 gauges, but he went ahead and took them; Dad took one and my oldest brother the other. Growing up that was the only gun I knew, and I just naturally became a 16ga devotee. If it hadn't been for that gun I might be over on the 12 gauge board today Very Happy !

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Dave In AZ
PostPosted: Mon Apr 16, 2018 2:48 pm  Reply with quote



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I do recall that in 1991-1995 in West TX, all the stores I bought ammo from (WalMart, K-Mart), had more 16ga dove ammo on the shelves than 20ga. The 16ga was much more in supply than it is now-- I'd say about half as much as the 12ga. Now when I look, in AZ, there are only ever a few boxes of #4s or such.
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bobski
PostPosted: Mon Apr 16, 2018 3:43 pm  Reply with quote



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Location: va, ct, mo

around 2006-2007...i spoke with walmarts in ark and va and they told me they were dropping 16ga ammo. i started buying everything i could get my hands on. those rem 16ga 1oz loads. i stocked up. glad i did.

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Pine Creek/Dave
PostPosted: Tue Apr 17, 2018 9:02 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 17 Mar 2017
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Location: Endless Mountains of Pa

Gentlemen,

Having my own Grouse Hunting Camp in Potter/Tioga, Pa I will tell you this, every man who comes to our Grouse Camp has a 16 Gauge gun, most more than one. Some of the guns are new, some have been passed thru families for generation. In the Grouse hunting world, the 16 is still the gun to own. kgb has a real nice LeFever 16 Gauge double gun, that he brings along from out west, just to hunt the Grouse here on our mountains. In our Pa mountains it's almost part of our religion to own a 16 Gauge double gun. In most cases the fine 16 Gauge Double Guns cost more money also.

Thru most all generations here in our Pa mountains, you can tell a hard core Grouse Hunter just by the 16 Gauge Shotguns he or she owns.

Remember however we have more birds and animals here than we do people.

Pine Creek/Dave

Most of us own more than a few of them.

[URL=http://www.jpgbox.com/page/53861_800x600/] [/URL]

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top_cat
PostPosted: Tue Apr 17, 2018 12:27 pm  Reply with quote
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In Minn during the 50s, if you were a bird hunter you shot a 16. If a duck hunter, a 12.
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fin2feather
PostPosted: Wed Apr 18, 2018 7:12 am  Reply with quote
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Pine Creek/Dave wrote:
Gentlemen,

Having my own Grouse Hunting Camp in Potter/Tioga, Pa I will tell you this, every man who comes to our Grouse Camp has a 16 Gauge gun, most more than one. Some of the guns are new, some have been passed thru families for generation. In the Grouse hunting world, the 16 is still the gun to own. kgb has a real nice LeFever 16 Gauge double gun, that he brings along from out west, just to hunt the Grouse here on our mountains. In our Pa mountains it's almost part of our religion to own a 16 Gauge double gun. In most cases the fine 16 Gauge Double Guns cost more money also.

Thru most all generations here in our Pa mountains, you can tell a hard core Grouse Hunter just by the 16 Gauge Shotguns he or she owns.

Remember however we have more birds and animals here than we do people.

Pine Creek/Dave

Most of us own more than a few of them.



Great pic Dave; beautiful guns. The 16 is pretty rare around these parts, but some of us do indeed own a few of them...


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