Any 16 ga users out there?

[Cuts Crooked]

Curious because I had a Stevens 311 given to me last year and I'm thinking about checking the pattern for possible use fer gobblers. It appears to be choked mod/full and I have a box of 5s and a box of 4s for it. I'm guessing it will be a 25/30 yard shooter, but don't know until I pattern it.

Anyone use a 16 here?

[curteric]

I use 16's for everything but Sporting Clays. I just took 2 crows yesterday as they flew over the house.
I have an 870 from the early 60's that is a 12ga receiver, and a Citori that is a true scaled 16, with tubes. I use a MEC 650 to create ammo for both of them.

[JonnyReb]

 My great uncle left me a Kessler 16ga. bolt action and somewhere along the way i obtained hundreds of paper shelled 16's of all varieties. I've patterned the old gun with 4's and 5's..its very tight at 20 yards thanks to the full or xfull choke, actually a great pattern to take out a Toms head. The old shells shoot fine and smell wonderful, takes me back to childhood memories sniffing them after a shot but they are VERY quiet, leading me to wonder if they're firing at subsonic velocities because of old powder? not sure and i haven't chronied them but i HAVE taken the old gun on a couple turkey hunts since receiving it. I think a 16 is a fine old loading and 30 years ago they were common on the dove fields here in the south. Common everywhere i'm sure.(16ga.) Not sure why they faded in popularity but they have.  j

[Cuts Crooked]

Well I patterned it today. The right barrel consistantly put seven #5 shot in the brain/spine area of a turkey target, and the left barrel would put 12 of them in there at thirty yards This was with Remington High velocity shells. At forty yards the patterns sucked though! So this is going to be a 30 yard gun I reckon....which is doable!

I also tried some Remington HV #4s but the patterns just weren't dense enough, even at 25 yards!

I think it''ll do. How about y'all?

[Cuts Crooked]

HAH!!!!

I found two boxes of reloads that had been in a box of stuff I bought last year. The guy I bought them from said they were his turkey/goose recipie and he had used that load in his 16 many years ago. (pre steel shot days) So I went back out to the pattern board today.

Holy Moly!!!!!!!!!!!!
At 25 yards they threw a pattern about twice the size of a soft ball and put 16/17 hits on the brain & spine!

So this gun and those loads are definately going turkey hunting this year!

[spruce]

Good deal!
 
The 16 is way underrated, and often overlooked by most people.  That's fine with me as the guns are usually priced cheaper than the other gauges!

[james]

39 years ago I killed my first turkey with a Model 12 Win. 16 ga.  I've killed them with 20 gauges too but with a 3.5" 12 ga. I don't have to let them get as close and I don't have to hide so well.

[Cuts Crooked]

Good deal!

The 16 is way underrated, and often overlooked by most people. That's fine with me as the guns are usually priced cheaper than the other gauges!

This is my first 16 ga, and I have to admit that I was surprized at how well it shoots, low recoil, good patterns, and the 311 is just sweet feeling too!
 

39 years ago I killed my first turkey with a Model 12 Win. 16 ga.  I've killed them with 20 gauges too but with a 3.5" 12 ga. I don't have to let them get as close and I don't have to hide so well.

I've only owned one 20 ga. It was a "no name" single shot break action. I didn't care for it because it had brutal recoil for such a small guage gun.
As far as hiding.....I got me one of them pop up blinds a few years ago and it works great, a bit of a pain to pack in and out of the hunting areas I lurk in, but doable. It is particularly nice for hunting with an uncamoed SxS with a light colored stock! 

[Chenango]

You bet! I have used a Browning Auto 5 "sweet sixteen" with Modified choke for turkeys the past 15 years and have bagged 9 gobblers so far. I have taken them from 20 to 30 yards cleanly. I use Remington High Velocity shells with #4's shot. I will be out there this season as well with it. My Dad bought the gun used for me in 1969 for $60.00 when I started deer hunting and have used it for turkeys, pheasants, grouse, rabbits, and squirrels. Also shot it
in informal trap shooting and ocassionally in formal trap and sporting clays.
  My Dad also used a Remington 870 Wingmaster in 16 ga all his 50 some years of deer and turkey hunting. I do have a Mec reloader and reload strictly 16 ga on it for target shooting
loads and buy commercial for hunting because 16 ga target loads are impossible to find here
in New York State.
 
Chenango

[vabeachman]

I use a 16 ga Ithaca 37 pump modified choke for small game. I would shoot a turkey if I ran into one during the fall season.  I use a 12 ga for spring turkey.

[pastorp]

Cuts crooked,

You can paint that 311 stock camouflage. It's not hard I've done several gunstocks.  best feeling one I did was a Winchester M70 stock. I reshaped it on a belt sander after cutting the LOP and adding a recoil pad and small snobel to the forend.
I used a stair paint for the base coat. Has sand in it to give a secure feel then added two other colors to make the camo. It came out really nice.

You can paint the barrels & receiver as well if you want. I use a epoxy enamel like for stove tops or car engines. Degrease & sand metal and spray several coats on letting dry between coats. Makes a rust proof durable finish.

Regards,

[Doublebass73]

I use 16's for everything. My favorite is an H&R Topper 88. I've killed 2 turkeys with it, both at around 27 yards. It's a Mod choke but it patterns better than the full choke Stevens 94C that I also have. I killed a goose last season at 45 yards with #6 HeviShot using that old H&R. 16 gauge is way underrated.

[.Dirty-.30]

How about it Cuts, did you give ol Tom a facefull from the 16?

[Cuts Crooked]

Aya...from about 20 yards too! Just a jake with 1/2" spurs and a four inch beard but he weighed 20 lbs

Also got a female coyote that came looking fer a free meal. Dumped her at about 15 yards, just as she was about jump on my hen deke. Those #5s played merry hell with her!