Who uses a 16 Gauge?

Schaaf said:
Wow, she’s pretty :cool:
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Pretty, and built like a Panzer tank. The Darne that Brent posted is a fine gun as well with some unique features and lovely walnut.

With all of these guns, it helps to know your preferred length of pull, drop at heel & comb & cast. And budget.

All of the fitting issues can be fixed, so long as we know how much of your money we can spend. :)
 
Ben,

I presume they are pretty light. Is that true? I've never shot a Darne, but I'm darn interested in them. How hard are they to open and reload with gloves on in cold weather?

It's a cool gun, but I'm probably going to skip it (and regret it), while chasing another.
 
I've not shot one either, so don't know about the action, but I would imagine it's positive extraction given the design, and it looks like the breech clears the barrels well so gloves wouldn't be an issue. The more refined grades top in around 6 pounds, 3-6 oz. I bet this one is right around 6.5 pounds. Perfect for an upland gun, but those 30" bbls seem more for driven hunts than long walks in the prairie.

Any quality, used European 16 gauge double should be no more than 6.5 - 6.8 pounds, especially if on a scaled receiver and properly set up and finding a sub 6 pound gun isn't an insurmountable task. American guns tend to be heavier, but still carry well in the field and on the clays range.
 
Thanks. I've heard somewhere, that the lever to open can be a bit tough to grab with cold, wet fingers. this might be completely untrue however.

It's a fascinating gun for sure, but I have plenty of Euro guns and am hoping to score my first American double this weekend. If I fail that Darne may be in play. I would like 28" barrels, but that's not terribly important for pheasants. It is just a little clutzy when shoeshoeing - if we ever get a decent snowfall again.
 
So true, but somewhere I do need an American one. When it comes to Rifles, the best are American, but shotties.... It's tougher. Though I may own one by Saturday night. Maybe.
 
BrentD said:
So true, but somewhere I do need an American one. When it comes to Rifles, the best are American, but shotties.... It's tougher. Though I may own one by Saturday night. Maybe.
Click to expand...

I look forward to seeing your new, pedestrian double. :D
 
Yes, it will be very pedestrian as I like to hunt on my feet rather than riding in a seat. That is true of all my shotguns. :)
 
Schaaf said:
Who uses a 16 Gauge for upland birds and what model do you have?

In my pursuit of being an elitist hunter I’ve concluded I need a 16 gauge side by side.
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Hey neighbor, my son shoots a 16 OU that he absolutely loves! It seems to agree with him as well, as he is a pretty good shot.
 
1_pointer said:
Once I get the boys outfitted and scrounge the money together, I think I could really like a 16ga SXS...

Great looking guns fellas!
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Hahaha! Having two teens...I know what you mean on that.

But really, does getting them outfitted ever happen??

The problem I have is that I think I got them all covered, then I'll upgrade something of mine... and all of a sudden, they want what I got too. It's like a dog chasing his tail!
 
Snooty 16 gauge fun time update. I'm refinishing the stock on the drilling. The wood is the typical, pedestrian grade walnut blank that most working German guns seem to have. Not a lot of figure or contrast, but we'll see what we can get out of her. Overly large pores on the wood are creating a bit of frustration in filling the grain. I had thought I'd finished, but after careful inspection last night, it was clear more filling needs to happen. I'm back down to 320 grit for the fill sanding and will step back up to 600 grit for the next 5-8 coats of BLO, then to 1200 grit for the next 5-8, then OOOO steel wool for the last 10 coats or so - depending on how the Alkanet root BLO takes to the stock.

IMG_20180405_122324.jpg

IMG_20180405_122356.jpg
 
It will swing okay. British guns always do. If the condition is good enough, the plan is for it to be the go-to gun from here on out. It's titch heavy, but I'll just have to do some more push ups. :)

On the other hand, with 3-12" of new snot (I meant to type snow, but the typo fits) on the ground this weekend, we may not have any birds this fall.

It was an interesting auction to watch. Many things went for low prices, but this one was closer to the upper-end of the estimate range unfortunately for me.
 
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