In conversations about shotguns, the 12 gauge is the undisputed king, followed by the 20 gauge. The 10 gauge, 28 gauge and .410 bore follow (in no particular order) for specific uses and for people who are just big fans of a particular gauge for whatever reason. But there’s another gauge we never talk about anymore, although it’s useful enough to have earned its own nickname: The sweet 16, or the 16 gauge.
The 16-gauge shotgun has been around for centuries and was designed as a do-it-all gun that “performs like a 12 but carries like a 20,” and indeed, that’s the gun’s sweet spot: Nestled right between the 12 gauge and the 20 gauge, it shoots excellent patterns with all the knockdown power you need for almost any game, but it’s lightweight and easy to carry, much like a 20 gauge. When properly built on a 16-gauge frame (not all 16-gauge shotguns are; some, like Remington’s 870, are or were built on a 12-gauge frame), the 16-gauge shotgun is lighter than a 12 and produces slightly less recoil, while throwing patterns that are nearly as effective as a 12. I’d call it a great compromise, but it’s really not a compromise in much of anything—it’s more of a best-of-all-worlds scenario.
Though it’s been around for centuries, the 16 gauge hit peak popularity in the middle of the 20th century, but its fate as a mostly-forgotten gauge was sealed before that—it just took a while to catch up. For whatever reason, when the game of skeet was being formalized in the 1920s, the 16 gauge was left out. To this day, registered skeet shooters compete in four classes: 12-gauge, 20 gauge, 28 gauge and .410 bore. And since skeet shooters buy ammo by the case or even by the pallet load, when they weren’t buying as much 16 gauge as they were the other gauges, ammo manufacturers slowed down production so they could make more of what was selling. At the same time, wild bird populations in the U.S. began to dip, and the hunters that were keeping the 16 gauge alive started killing fewer birds and thus buying less ammo. As production of the ammo slowed, fewer people bought it, and the cycle continued.
That said, the 16-gauge maintains a cult following, particularly among bird hunters who love the 12-gauge performance combined with the easy handling of a smaller frame. The major ammo manufacturers are still making 16-gauge ammo, though you’ll probably have to order it online, as it’s seldom stocked in-store. Breakthroughs in ammo production—like the introduction of TSS—have given the 16 gauge even more of a performance boost, and it can easily handle any birds on the continent.
If you’re shopping for a 16-gauge shotgun, your options are limited, but there are a few standouts in the market, depending on whether you want a semi-auto, an over-and-under or a side-by-side.
Autoloader: Browning A5 Sweet 16
Browning recently reintroduced the A5 in 16- auge, built on a true 16-gauge frame. It weighs just under 6 lbs. with a 28” barrel (26” also available), and of course, it’s got Browning’s classic A5 humpback receiver and recoil-operated action. It’s made to shoot clean and to just keep functioning in extreme weather and conditions. This is a beautiful gun that’ll run you about $2,000 MSRP. If you’re shopping for a newly made 16-gauge shotgun, this is sort of the go-to that everyone thinks of when you utter the words “sweet 16.”
Over-Under: Franchi Instinct SL
If an over-under is more your style—and for upland hunting where the 16 gauge really shines, it makes perfect sense—check out Franchi’s Instinct SL. At 5.8 lbs. with a 28” barrel, this gun is made to carry and to shoot. Franchi’s aluminum receiver and satin walnut give the gun a sleek, classic look, and the slim, tapered fore-end is a perfect complement to the 16 gauge’s already svelte lines. It features auto ejectors and comes with three choke tubes at an MSRP of $1,899.
Side-by-Side: Dickinson Arms Plantation
Dickinson Arms makes its Plantation side-by-side in 16-gauge, featuring side plate construction. You can get it with a single or double triggers, with 26”-, 28”- or 30” barrels. These are beautiful guns, with true bone-charcoal case hardening on the receiver and hand-rubbed oil finish on the Turkish walnut. Features include an English-style stock, brass front bead and automatic ejectors. MSRP is around $2,650.
