[erneste821]

The 16 ga. versability is unbeatable. Loads from 7/8th's to 1+1/8th factory loaded. Just hard to find. Of course if you are one of those guys that have to shoot 2 oz. of shot into the next county it's not for you.

View attachment 1928625
A Fox will get the game....

I shoot mainly 16 for all disciplines, trap, skeet, spc.
Play mostly the trap game. Never had a problem keeping up with the 12 gauges. Even at the back fences.
Have had many guys give me boxes of factories that they had from years ago. One box in piticular was kleebore 16 ga 1-3/8 oz Remingtons. Full unopened box. Would love to try them in shootoff but don't have the heart to separate any from the box.

 

[erneste821]

I too am enamored of the 16ga. We have 14 of them. 10 Ithaca 37's, 1 Savage 755A (basically an A5 clone) and 3 Citoris.

I restore/rebuild/reconfigure Ithacas. I have 2 set up for my wife, both with 13" LOP (she's 5'3"), 1 with a 24" vent rib, choke tube barrel, the other with a 26" VR CT barrel (but I also have a buttstock for me in case I want to hunt with it).

1 of the Citoris is getting its stock shortened for her and I am re-inletting older Citori 525 buttstocks to my new guns because they have a tighter grip curve (I can't hold an open grip curve due to a hand injury).

I will be hunting, and am going to try sporting clays with one of the Citori 16's. I just bought a Mec Sizemaster so I can do reloading as $20 (or more) per box to buy factory 16 ga loads around here is too expensive when you go through 150 rounds at the sporting clays course that is closest to us.

I am also going to start shooting trap and will alternate between a Citori 12ga (fitting a 625 stock) and one of the 16's just to be different.

Before my hand got so bad, I had harvested lots of rabbits, squirrels and pheasants with my Ithacas.

I play the trap games for 50 years. Started with M12- 16 as a teenager. About 25 yrs old switched to 12 ga. Thought I needed something bigger. Switched back and forth fron 16 to 12 ga. Said if I ever found the 16 I really liked I would probably never shoot the 12 again. Then came the 525 16ga with 32" bbls. Got one 5 or 6 years ago and haven't shot the 12 since on trap games or sporting clays. Never had problem keeping up with the big boys on trap regardless how far back on shootoffs. 16 ga will do anything the 12 will do plus quicker pointing . Guess I'm partial to the 16.