16ga.com ~ View topic

Checked four shops this morning and found this: 1 Western Field and one Savage Browning-patent pump, $199 and $149; one Savage 16 gauge double with the goofy Zytel or whatever stock, $499 less 20 percent on sale; one Stevens 311 with hardwood stock, $260; and one 1953 Auto 5, plain barrel and "broad" forend, $400. Ended up ordering a BPS in 16.

Joined: 11 Jan 2006 Posts: 311

Altho my old man tells me 16 was popular back when he was young used 16's are slim around here too.

Member Joined: 18 Nov 2005 Posts: 398 Location: S Fl

Since neither off you guys show your location in your profile, we have no idea where "here" is.

Pete

Joined: 06 Sep 2007 Posts: 154 Location: Kentucky

I would say it is a regional thing. Here in Ky I have seen several 16's lately. It does seem to be a cyclic sort of thing though. One time nothing and then the next time a store will have 6-8 avaliable.

Pete: Sorry. Amended my profile. "Here" is the Rogue Valley of Southern Oregon.

Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 166

Same here, very rarely see any 16s. There is a decent Mdl 12 with polychoke at the local shop for $400, but just can't get past the poly. Other local shop has two beater Ithaca 37s listed at $400, they're maybe $200 guns with either rusted barrels or receivers.

Joined: 11 Jan 2006 Posts: 311

Joined: 18 Mar 2007 Posts: 280 Location: Southern Ohio

Fellas, you're going to have to face the fact, as much as we like the 16 bore, the 12 bore is THE gun of choice, it was 100 years ago, it is today and will be tomorrow.. They're harder to find because they don't make as many.. Gunmakers have to go where the money is.. MDC

M D: That doesn't explain the phenomenon that 16 gauges come out of the weeds when: a) I am not seeking them; or b) when I am flat broke. There's another, more mysterious force at work here, I firmly believe.

Joined: 18 Mar 2007 Posts: 280 Location: Southern Ohio

Baden Powell: That's the 16 bore Fairies at work, They don't just single you out, they get all of us at one time or another.. MDC

I think there may be another factor in play; 16's are cool these days. True, there's fewer of them to start with, but they don't last long when they surface - especially nice ones.

Member Joined: 17 Sep 2005 Posts: 134 Location: TEXAS

I posted this on the "guns" forum the other day:
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So, when I saw this Win Model 12 in 16ga with full choke lying on a table at the gun show yesterday, I had to fondle it. It has some wear, some discoloration of the blueing (from something applied to preserve it, I think), and a different front bead from the original, but it ca-chunked like a Model 12 is supposed to, so I put it down and let it lie there while I toured the rest of the show.

Well, to finish the story, and to end the suspense, I checked back 3 hours later, and it was still there, unwanted and unloved. I couldn't bear to see it get packed up and taken back to wherever dealers take their wares between shows, so I brought it home with me.

So far, so good. It shucks shells, both live and empty like it should. Some of the stuff cleaned off the frame and some didn't. There is a funny cut in the wood near the back end of the forestock, and it looks like something was brazed in that area, but I believe that I have me another shooter.
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Actually, I think it is nicer than the above description, and it was $250 out the door. Sometimes the blind squirrel finds an acorn. Very Happy

HHH

Joined: 06 Sep 2007 Posts: 154 Location: Kentucky

if anyone is looking Cherry's has a couple of decent looking model 12's on their website. For their age etc. they look pretty good. They are in the $450 range but that seems to be the rate for a model 12 these days.

Member Joined: 31 Aug 2007 Posts: 238 Location: Lodi, CA

100 years ago?

I seem to remember some Parker stats by serial number and gauge that pretty much confirmed that the number of 16s being produce was near equal to the number of 12s and far exceeded the number of 20s for many years around the turn of the century.

The "shift" from 16s to 12s and 20s if I remember correctly occurred in the 1930s...

Due to a similar scarcity in my area, i try to look at just about anything. Lately it has been cheap single shots. I can't quite bring myself to buy a Model 12 with a "thing" hanging off the end of the barrel when I have a perfectly good one with a "normal" barrel. Only Ithica i've seen was when I was broke from buying a Colt earlier in the day. Haven't seen another. Then ther eare the 6 new Remington 870's at Gander Mountain for $299..maybe they'll go on sale or get marked down.....

rayb