16 Ga?

[Hawgleg44]

By "true 16" Gene meant a gun with a 16-gauge barrel on a 16-gauge frame, e.g., the Browning Sweet-Sixteen or Francotte, both manufactured in Belgium

My Ithaca M37 and my friend's 16ga Winchester 1897's (I only have 12ga) are both downsized frames, so I guess they can be called "true 16ga" guns.

[tpdtom]

The first shotgun I ever owned was given to me by my Father when I was 12 , a Browning Sweet Sixteen . The only thing that was ever wrong with that gun was it's 28" Full barrel . My Dad didn't know any better and it was 40 years ago and full choke was normal . I curse myself for cutting the barrel and installing a Poly Choke but it WAS practical . I shot woodcock , grouse , rabbits , quail , pheasants(hundreds) , ducks and geese, and even a deer or two with that gun . I think it jammed once . I still have it , although it's finish is pretty shiny .

Since then I have collected shotguns for these 40 years and still love the 16 . It's weight and size are ideal for upland hunting . I have a Merkel which is too heavy but still sweet , and a 5 lb. 13 oz. Belgian Boxlock SxS which is a masterpiece of the gunmakers art . It has 27.5 in. barrels , double triggers , a hidden third fastener and complete coverage rose and scroll engraving . The spectacular Turkish walnut stock is 14 1/2" to an English leather covered pad and it is choked skeet and light mod . It was made in Liege , at home after work no doubt circa 1925 by Bodson and Sons . Nobody ever heard of Monsieur Bodson but he put all his skills together to create this fine little shotgun . It has an obscure coat of arms in gold on the bottom of the trigger guard . I suspect it was a ladies gun . I think it's perfect for shooting over a pointing dog and I think Mr. Bodson would agree . 1 oz . of hard shot still seems to anchor anything that flies within 30 yards and I have every intention of finishing my shooting career carrying this little delight . My hunting partners carry 8 lb. autos and I just smile ...Tom

[mec]

My dad bought this one in 1957- the year the Russians launched Sputnik and the year Lake Waco dried back to the original river bed. You could walk right out on the lake bed and the big flat chunks of dried mud were kind of rocking around on the muck underneath. The police department couldn't see any harm in us going out there and trying out the scatter gun.

There was plenty of driftwood around and could keep them on the rise with each shot. This was a giant step up because our only other gun at the time was a single shot H&R 410. I suspect the 1905 patent Browning was a modern shotgun at the time. By now, even though it is a self loader, it is neither modern nor new fangled up against the streamlined gas operated shell shuckers of today.

This one saw quite a bit of use. It banged around in a hunting car as we chased Central Texas jackrabbits across the fields, and burned through some very good dove seasons. In those days, there was plenty of habitat. The Texas census read off the total population at 7, 711,532 and most of the farmers had moved into town. The governernment had initiated the Soil Bank program and was paying everybody not to grow anything. There were cottontails and jack rabbits all over the place and the government was in the process of wiping them out with poison. We shot as many as we could.

Though not treated gently, this Sweet 16 has more character than others of the same age and discription I see on the used shelves. For most of it's career, it shot the high brassed #6 and #4 Express rounds and the recoil ring is set at the front of the spring. It is still just as functional today as when new though you have to have it tight against your shoulder to assure cycling with field loads.

The place we shot today has a Sporting Clays Tower with pigeon atalatyls sticking out high,low and everwhere. The Browning has been in semi-retirement for years but I took it out and was very happy with the regularity of my hits. The recoil was much less than I remembered from the old heavy loads and the thing brough back a lot of memories of a different time.