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What do you think the chances are, that there would be enough of a revival in 16 ga, that someone somewhere would actually start crafting 16 ga guns with 3" chanbers, with ammo to take advantage of it coming thereafter?

It would seem that the gun and ammo manufacturers would think, given how well the limited number of 16 ga guns they offer sell, that if they offered some 16 ga 3" choices - such that the 16 ga could compete head to head in the steel/hardshot categories such as waterfowling - in the end they'd sell even more 16 ga guns and ammo - and the more they sell, the lower their unit cost is with resultant higher profit.

Mitchell -

I'm sorry, but I just don't think your idea has any merit what-so-ever.

I believe you are missing the whole point of a quality 16 ga., built on a true 16 ga frame. The feel of that sort of gun is what makes the 16 ga. so popular today. But we are a very small niche in the shooting sports market.

If you want to shoot magnum guns, go to a 12 or 20 ga.

If you really want to increase the popularity of the 16 ga., get some official sanctioning authority to bless 16 ga. competions.

Bruce

While the 16 gauge purists are absolutely abhorred by the idea, a 3" 16 gauge would be a useful all around gun. One could very effectively hunt everything from quail, doves and woodcock to ducks and turkey with it. The 2 3/4" shell is a little light for the latter two.

loss-
I'm not a 16 ga. purist at all. That's my point. I shoot the appropriate gun for the task at hand. Right now I probably shoot more 12 ga. than anything else, but I do enjoy shooting my 2 9/16" chambered M12 field gun.

I just don't see a need or even a practical application for a 16 ga. 3" chambered gun that is not already being filled by either existing 12 or 20 ga. loads. For that reason I don't believe you will ever get any interest from either the gun or ammo manufacturers.

Good luck, Bruce

It's a fabulous idea, one that should have been looked at many years ago.

http://www.chuckhawks.com/16_gauge_wakeman.htm

bprater, while I agree that a 3" 16 gauge gun is not likely to happen, I still think it's an idea with merit, especially for the one gun man. Sure the 12 gauge eclipses it, but in a heavier and bulkier gun, and the 20 gauge is not very suitable for duck hunting with steel shot. A 3" 16 could probably hold enough steel to be effective on ducks and would be good on everything else with lead.

By the way, I don't own a 16 either, just 12s and a 20, but I do hope to acquire a nice Sweet Sixteen one day.

Regards.

Mitchell- I believe that a 16 that was stout enough to make 3" shells enjoyable to shoot would lose the "sweet" character that good 16 gauge shotguns seem to possess. Kind of like the 16 gauge 870 remingtons made these days which are as heavy as 12 gauge guns (even though they are now just in standard length chambers this type of gun would likely be representative of a shootable 3" chambered 16). So a 16 gauge for magnum strength loads would not be much different than a 12 gauge, and why not just go with a 12. I do think that my 16 gauge guns have a better feel and balance than my 12 gauge guns.