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Old December 4, 2002, 06:17 PM   #5
Dave McC
Staff In Memoriam
 
Join Date: October 13, 1999
Location: Columbia, Md, USA
Posts: 8,811
I like Remington shotguns and I also like the 16 gauge, but I'm underwhelmed a bit by this news.

Back in the old days lots of 16s were the gotos for American sportsmen and women.Many didn't even own a 12 gauge, but used the 16 for the upland and a 10 or even an 8 gauge for waterfowl.

Then the makers pushed the 12 for everything,and started making 16s on 12 gauge frames, scrapping their assembly lines dedicated to the 16. reducing their parts inventory, yada,yada,yada,

The old Saw carries like a 20, shoots like a 12, was null and void. Now it carried like a 12, and no matter how much ammo improved, the 12 always was more effective, and in a shotgun no heavier.

1 oz loads for the 20 became available, so the 16 was judged superflous by the gun buying public. It was used only by those with old doubles, the fabulous Sweet 16 A-5, and a horde of kids shooting a family single bbl 16 gauge, like me.

It refused to die, just kinds hung in Limbo.

Finally, some folks noted there were some fantastic shotguns out there in 16 bore. The famed Parker "Lost" Invincible was a 16, and as stories by folks like Burton Spiller and Havilah Babcock became popular with a new generation of shooters, lots of good old 16s got dusted off, and folks noted they carried like 20s, and shot like 12s with the oz of shot good for most upland work.

But this new 16 will be as heavy as the 12 gauge version, and with so much 12 gauge ammo at cheap prices around, I see little hope for a 16 gauge Renaissannce.

And while I like the 16 plenty, and have a use for it, ammo logistics here are as complicated as Italian politics now. SO, probably no 16s for the McCs.
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