I often use a 16ga on wild Ks pheasants. Generally I shoot my reloads of 1 1/8 ounces of fast 5 or 6 shot. Fast being about 1300 FPS.
We hunt over labs, flushers. My chokes are mod and light mod in a Citori or Merkel sxs.

If the guy pulling the trigger does his job, it will drop them stone dead.

Haven't hunted them in years, just don't care to. But when I did I mostly used a 12 ga with 1 1/8th oz of 6's. Used a 16 ga quite a bit also, 1 1/8th oz of 6's. If there ws a difference in the two I haven't a clue what it is. I still have that old 16 just in case the urge to go after then infect's me again some day. All my bird hunting is done over pointing dogs. Oh yea, the 16ga and the old 12ga were both SxS's and both had Mod/Full choke's, the birds didn't seem to mind!

Of course your 16 gauge is just fine. I hunt wild pheasants from ND to OK each year with your exact same set up. While not as popular as 12's and 20's, your 16 will absolutely get the job done. One ounce to one and an eighth ounce of plated 5's will certainly drop the birds.

Don't believe the naysayers. If you fall into the "more pellets per shot" argument, you may as well opt for an 10 gauge or even an 8 gauge. Dead is dead is dead and your 16 can make them dead.

As to a definition of doing a "fine" job, I guess that means that when you shoot a pheasant it falls dead.

OklaMike

Randy always says the 20 gauge is better than the 16. But what he means is the 20 Magnum is. My 1960 20 gauge Auto-5 is substantially less effective than any of my 16’s.

It isn't gauge-related, it is shotshell related. 1-1/4 oz. of buffered #5's beats 1 oz. or 1-1/8 oz. every time. The default for a 20 gauge has been 3 inch chambers for so long, 2-3/4 inch unfolded length hunting load development has essentially ceased.

Federal and Remington both offer 1-1/8 oz. 2-3/4 inch 20 gauge loads . . . only in #4 or #6 shot, not #5.

Sorry Randy, I disagree. I have shotguns over 100 years old, and they’re not close to being worn out. There’s probably millions of 2 3/4” chamber 20’s out there.

If I came to this site new to the sport I’d have been confused by your post. You’re the shotgun expert and as such you should make yourself clear.

Payload is the primary barometer in shotshell and shotgun effectiveness. How much more clear can that possibly be? It isn't gauge.

https://youtu.be/4BDgVmcgydM

You can't prove a negative. Just because something works hardly means it is ideal for the task.

For a few seasons, I carried a 16ga autoloader for pheasant. It was deadly on those birds. Probably still be using it but I don't care to use semiautomatic shotguns. If someone was buying a new shotgun I'd recommend a 12ga, but if you've got a 16 already, and you want to hunt with it, then go for it. If it works for you, then there's no reason to use anything else.

Sure there is . . . when you can use something that works better.

Absolutely! And what works better than a gun that a hunter is most proficient with? Nothing.

That comment represents far too much common sense for a message board world.

Some where, some time, some how, the quest for the utmost in imagined efficiency has blurred the bird hunting reality many of us have known.....replacing it has been the selling of stuff and the building of Internet reputations.
However, I guess we deserve what we get....considering.

Same old discussions, year after year: https://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?t=135431 .

The 'most proficient with' mythology is just that. There are countless shotguns, 20, 12, and 16, that fit me (and most everyone) equally well. These aren't all the same shotguns: https://youtu.be/kyPYZMXoDyY .

Of course Randy. Get rid of what you like just to buy whatever some writer likes. To heck with anyone else's likes, nostalgia or sentiment.

There's more to bird hunting than boring blather. It's about what makes it special to each person.

I've shot a lot of Kansas pheasants with a 20 gauge, 2 3/4" Improved Cylinder. I don't see why a 16 gauge wouldn't work just as good or better.

One ounce 16 gauge and one ounce 20 gauge kills Pheasants and Sharptails in Saskatchewan, as far away as I care to shoot.
As has been said, you can't get more dead than dead.

Only you can say how much a lower level of performance is acceptable to you. If you pattern Winchester Rooster XR 12 gauge loads, you'll quickly discover that all other lead loads are weak by comparison. It is obvious.

The hoary "enough gun" stories don't have any value, nor does how people "feel" about a load or gauge. At short ranges, your handicap may be unimportant. At longer ranges, it is loudly significant.

You'll lose about 10% of your pattern for every 5 yards. Do you want to lose 10% of an 1-7/8 oz. payload, 1-3/8 oz., 1-1/4 oz., or 1-1/8 oz.? You'll have to answer that one.

Rule of Thumb Estimate Pattern Percentages for All Chokes & All Distances

Pattern Percentages Distance in Yards
Choke 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60
Full — — 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30
Modified — — 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20
IC 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 —
True Cylinder 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 — —

Ah, the great 16 gauge debate. Keep talking. In this day and age there is no such thing as bad publicity as long as the you are the subject. Carry on.

And, the reliance on calculation and equations along with the pursuit of steely-eyed success and Internet brag fodder is humorous.

At the heart, clearly speaking, such superficial thinking illustrates one small portion in one sideways manner of the reason why upland hunting is declining.

Reducing any activity to number-crunching bests, never(almost)-miss booms or certain levels of tailgate bending satisfaction are sure ways to find people eventually upset with the real world of the uplands.
It can be highly energizing at the start, especially at a season’s start but ...I do suspect the carryover is built on a very poor foundation.
The ocassional covering smoke words of ...olden days and old people notwithstanding....is just that.

Reducing upland birdhunting to a level of possession.....ignores and misses so, so much of lasting value.

right on, Multiflora.

As an aside, very few people shoot well with loads that loosen your back teeth.

No it isn't. The pattern achieved by the payload is the barometer. 3" 20 gauge loads pattern like crap compared to better 16 and 12 gauge loads.