16ga???

[pyral]

I am about to invest in another shotgun and am considering a SxS 16ga. My quarry would be quail, dove, squirrels and rabbits only. No form of big game what so ever. My question is will I miss my 12ga when I tote this gun and for the species listed, is there anything that the 12 can do that the 16 can't?

[seattlesetters]

pyral - Although I can't really help you with the rodents, I can tell you that the 16ga is probably the ultimate all-around shotgun for upland birds. There is something special about the balance and feel of a 16ga, something that can only be described as "sweet."

Many folks who carry them (myself included) are fond of saying that the 16ga "carries like a twenty but hits like a twelve."

[Vapodog]

Not only will you not miss anything with a 16 over a 12, you won't miss anything with a 20 Ga over a 16 as well.....there's a reason why the 16 is an endangered species....it's truly not needed.....sure, they're a great gauge.....for the species you listed a 20 ga will do everything a 12 or 16 will do.....

[A5Mag12]

The 16 and the 20 are both potent enough guns for what you want. But the 20 won't pattern quite as well as the 16. And unless shooting 3" the 20 lacks a bit of the range of the 16. So just do like me and get both.

[TScottW99]

I love the sweet 16 also. Get some Kent loads http://www.kentgamebore.com Their pheasant load is a great load.

[Nomercy]

GET THE 16GA!!!! You'll absolutely love it...I sold my last 16ga when i moved off to college because I needed the money for books and didn't want to leave a gun in it's condition at home with no one to clean it regularly-rusted a little after about a month without care...I've been kicking myself since, hoping to get a new one again soon, they're the absolutely perfect load-kick like a 20ga on your end and thumps just like a 12ga on the business end...and there's no reason not to use one on big game either!!! The only bad thing about the 16ga is that the shells cost about $1-1.50 extra per box on cheap stuff and up to $5 more per box on good stuff-but if you buy by the case, the price is pretty well the same.

Like I said, I'm hoping to get another SxS 16ga, and it'd be really nice to get one of the new Rem 870's...the 16ga is the upland load, period.

[mainehunt]

My father and I hunt crows together with shotguns. He shoots a 16 in an 870. I have a Mossberg 500 in 12 gauge.

In my opinion, I have a longer range with the 12, and as someone else said, I save money when buying shells. Also, he can't always find 16 gauge ammo, even at Wal-mart. Many times he has to go to a gunshop to get it, then pay even higher prices.

Another thing that I noticed is since his gun is lighter to carry, it seems to kick just as hard as my 12.