...no funds for it right now. Maybe one of you have such green... http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=519378914
Very nice, but it looks to me like it's been restored. And it has a full choke. I doubt the bidding will go higher than $800.
I only use shotguns for squirrels and turkey, full choke is all I want. Restored? Really? How can you tell?
I'm wrong already, the latest bid is $800.03. But before before a re-blue, the gun must be buffed. The buffing wheel removes metal and makes the markings on the gun looked washed out. Some of the marks on the receiver and barrel look this way to me. The color of the stock is darker than any I've seen on an Auto-5 from the '50s, and the finish looks new. If it was restored, it was skillfully done. And if I'm wrong, well, it wouldn't be the first time!
Hate to say, after looking at the auction, I don't think it's been restored either. Stock coloration is close to the 1953 I had, but darker than my 1956. Looking at the tang, there is also a bit of wear. With a full choke I'd be out of the bidding by now ($850.00 currently).
A 12ga will do everything the 16 will and shells are easier to find at less cost Rarely is there much weight difference
Given the choice between a Light 12 and a Sweet 16 in a dove field or such, I'm picking up the 16ga every time.
I have never shot a 16 gauge but I think the size of the 12 is a bit big and the size of the 20 is a big small.....when I hold my (stealth) 16 in my hands if feels just right! I am eager to shoot me new-to-me one.
I know, I know. I didn't used to be this way. There was a closed rock quarry off in the woods where I used to walk down and shoot and hunt. In 2006 it was bought up by another company that reopened it and put up "no trespassing signs." I knew then I wouldn't be shooting as often and I haven't. I need to do something about that.
No problem if you like your 16 guage - my first shotgun was a 16. Problem is that it's gradually becoming an "orphan" guage. Ammo is getting harder to find and choices of shot size and dram equivalent is diminishing. No problem if you reload your own, but even 16 guage wads are scarcer. Even the number of published loads is growing smaller - check the Alliant loading manual. Possibly because there are no competitive sports that have a 16 guage class - skeet, trap, or sporting clays. Having said that, a friend shoots a sweet sixteen in competition - in the 12 guage class.
The 16 is less of an orphan than it was. Cabela's sells 16 gauge ammo for the same price as the other gauges, usually less than $60/case. The hulls are Cheddites, and reloading recipes abound. BPI sells all the wads you'll ever need. I also reload Remington hulls, and those wads seem to be sold everywhere -- even places that don't carry 16 gauge ammunition. Since Herter's became available, I quit reloading 2 3/4" shells. I use a Short Kit and reload 2 9/16" shells for my older 16's. The last time I checked, this saves me over $7/box.
^^^ This. Academy carries 16g Remington shells, as does BPS. They are not common like 12g or 20g is, but the big manufacturing companies are still producing. Unfortunately, the 16g shotgun was largely phased out for a while, and only a few manufacturers produced a shotgun in this gauge. I blame this partly on the recoil-reducing technology that makes today's semi-automatic 12g shotguns such as the Beretta A400 Xtreme that feels like a 20g. Ammunition manufacturers tend to go where the money's at and produce the most popular gauges first. Because of this, shells were much harder to find. Now there are however, signs that the 16g is making a comeback. Browning is set to reintroduce the A-5 16g this Spring (which will no doubt wear the coveted "Sweet-Sixteen" designation). An inertia/kenematic-style semi-automatic (such as the new A-5) in a lighter 16g should be a fantastic little shotgun to shoot!. Hopefully this will push for more shells on the shelves. Long story short, I would not hesitate to own a good 16g shotgun. Would it be my only gauge, however? No.
Well I managed to find some #4 Remington shells and shoot my 16 gauge a couple of weeks ago. OMGOSH IT WAS GREAT. It was more fun to shoot than my 20 gauge Auto 5 and I think I am hooked. Money is tight but I really want a Sweet 16 now. Really looking forward to a squirrel hunt this fall.
