Best 16 Gauge Shotguns for Duck Hunting

The 16 gauge shotgun has been around for years, and remains a favorite firearm for many hunters. The most amazing thing with guns in this capacity is that they are lightweight. The flexibility that comes with these guns makes hunting more fun and easy to do, while the speed of loading also makes it super convenient for continuous shooting.

What is Unique about the 16 Gauge Shotgun?

 The 16 gauge shotgun offers a difference even in terms of performance. Its hit is similar to a 12 and covers a long distance. 

The chamber is 2 ¾ inch making it more flexible for shooting, and it has a super muzzle velocity of 1350 fps. This makes the shotgun superior, offering five shots at a 1-ounce charge. Its uniqueness comes in terms of weight convenience. The ability to fire continuous follow-up shots also makes it an excellent hunting shotgun.

Are 16 Gauge Shotguns Bigger than 20 Gauge Shotguns?

All shotguns usually are classified spending on the Gauge used. The Gauge is the diameter of the shotgun bore and shotgun shell explicitly designed for that bore. 

Most known shotguns common include; 28 gauge, 20 gauge, 16 gauge, 12 gauge, and 10gauge. When the gauge number is small, the shotgun bore is more massive. To determine the Gauge, you will have to count the number of lead balls that will equal the bore’s diameter that can weigh one pound. 

You can also measure the Gauge of a shotgun by measuring the bore diameter interior. It’s also essential to know shotgun will usually shoot shells within the same Gauge. This means 28 gauge guns only fire 28 gauge shells. To understand what Gauge, your shotgun uses, look at the rear part of the barrel. The Gauge number of the shell is on the round. You can also check the factory delivery box. Check 16 gauge shotgun shells Walmart for the best suggestion when purchasing the shells.

What is a 16 Gauge Shotgun Good for?

A 16 gauge shotgun is perfect for purposes of hunting. This type of gun has power and is quite versatile. 16 gauge shotgun is specifically suitable for duck hunting and bird hunting, perfect for target shooting. 

It has a good aim range, and also offers excellent convenience for upland bird hunting. The recoil is quite manageable, and its versatility makes it super easy in terms of handling. It is even quite comfortable to walk around with.

Is the 16 Gauge Shotgun Good in Hunting?

16 Gauge is nowhere close to a novelty; it’s super impressive in hunting. If you load with slugs, you realize it’s a fast and effective aim ability. 

The Best 16 Gauge Shotguns for Duck Hunting

Browning Citori Feather Superlight

The Browning Citori Feather Superlight is a new shotgun in the market. However, its popularity has increased quite faster, becoming amongst the most in-demand. This may be as a result of its modern design and superb finishes. 

The Browning Citori Feather Superlight has a straight grip with a Schnabel forend. The finish is quite impressive with gloss oil. Also notable is the Grade II / III classic walnut stock sports lines. The alloy receiver has a great Trim on the scale. It’s even more appealing with its steel breech appearance that enhances its durability and reliability.

Features

The barrel is an Action Semi-automatic type of barrel. Its finish is well designed with black anodized. The length of the barrel is 28mm

The material that is used is among the main reasons for its durability. The shotgun is made of STEEL with a 16 gauge chamber. The STEEL used facilitates a firm grip. The chamber size is 2.75. 

The Gauge 16 general finish is of Anodized Bi-Tone, while the Grip finish is composed of GLOSS OIL.  Receiver material is made of Aluminum alloy.

Pros

• The shotgun is excellent in terms of performance and provides instinctive pointing and great handling options. 
• The design is excellent for upland hunting. 
• Walnut buttstock enables a straight grip. 
• The blued barrels are highly polished, and the choke tube is comprised of 3 investor plus 

CZ Sharp Tail Side by Side Walnut Color Case 16 Ga 28In 06402

The CZ Sharp Tail Side is the perfect hunting shotgun. It completely eliminates any shred of doubt in terms of performance and reliability. The gun is 1 ¾” in height and 1 ¼” across. Although it has a small size, it’s quite sturdy and resourceful. 

The receiver is made of steel, and the bottom and top tang and vertical risers are attached to the receiver. There is a trigger plate on the lower tang though it’s quite slim. The barrels length is 28″ with a black hard chrome finishing.

On the top side, you will notice sears suspended, and hammers pivot on the bottom, and screw-choked barrels. The gun has five flush-mounted chokes placed at the muzzle to facilitate stable shot taking with 1 ¾” length and ½” parallel. Rim notches are on one through to five and lead to constructions. There are two chokes on the right, which may hinder steel shot functionality. However, three open chokes are recommended.

There is a low gloss on the barrel’s black hard chrome finish that enables the gun to withstand harsh conditions. This is quite advantageous when you have to push bushes as you wade through. You will notice the top rib to be raised above the barrel level, although it’s solid and flat. A scribed rib top prevents prevent glare. The barrel solder seams offer perfection, and you will not notice any gap left.

Pros 

• It is made of durable material; making it worth buying
• The gun is stable for ultimate performance.
• It can withstand harsh weather conditions.

Cons

• It comes with only two chokes rather than the recommended three.

Franchi Instinct SL

Franchi instinct SL weighs 5.8 pounds, which makes it quite light to move around carrying, due to the make and material.

This is mainly made possible by the receiver, which is an aluminum alloy made. It also has a forend trimmed and two ejectors.

The deluxe aesthetics also make the gun super light and superior in shooting, and this feature increases its performance. 

Their trigger is golden with an engraving on the receiver with traditional floral. Franchi instinct SL provides a stable and comfortable shooting range due to the ergonomics. The auto ejectors, tang mounted, and barrel make it possible for an automatic engage feature. The shotgun is accompanied with choke tubes extended and case; enhancing balance and instinctive profitablity.

Franchi Instinct SL stands out due to its enhanced fast handling features. It is well balanced to ensure fast shooting. 

This gun is ideal for duck hunting, and you can shoot before they run out of range. Instinctively handling is among its super features. The gun is also quite elegant with a colored case hardened receiver. There is a fiber optic on the vent rib. For purposes of grip enhancement thereis a finely checkered fore-end and A-grade walnut. It also facilitates quick follow up shots with a hard heeled recoil shoulder pad.

Pros

• It is lightweight, making it convenient to carry and use.
• The use of ergonomics ensures the stability of the gun, assuring the user of ultimate performance.
• Unhindered reloading with auto ejectors presence is among its benefit

TriStar Hunter EX

Tristar offers among the best firearms, and the Hunter EX stands out as one of the best shotguns. Hunters especially will find this shotgun easy to handle and very convenient. It’s quite useful and a big competitor of other guns on the same level.

The receiver is a steel monoblock and accompanied by a Turkish walnut stock. The frame enables trimming of weight to about 6 pounds. The barrel is chrome-lined, and the side plates are acid etched. 

Although the Tristar Hunter EX is much more affordable than other guns in the range, it is quite durable. It’s also very efficient in hunting and offers many conveniences to hunters. 

This gun features red fine optic sights. The barrel selector top-tang and barrel that is chrome lined are among some of its top best features. 

With these features, the shooting range and stability is ultimately enhanced. All parts are built to scale from receiver, forearm, and frame. There is a barrel selector on the top tang, and the cylinder is improved and modified with 5 Beretta style chokes.

Pros

• It is durable and reliable
• The gun is more affordable compared to other shotguns with similar features
• It features five chokes, which is quite impressive.
• The gun also comes with optic sights.

Browning A5 Sweet Sixteen

Browning A5 Sweet 16 gauge shotgun is the perfect lightweight hunting gun. The profile of the gun is similar to a 20 gauge type, and in terms of power, it’s quite similar to the 12 gauge. 

The Browning A5 sweet shotgun receiver profile is more advanced with humpback extended towards the sight plane. This enables natural sight aligning. 

This is a perfect shotgun for accurate and instant shooting. It also provides much-needed stability for target acquisition. It’s much more comfortable and reduces fatigue by using advanced inflex technology II, which helps to deflect the recoil pad further from the cheek, also reducing fatigue. 

The shotgun enables the covering of shooting angles from any position. There is a Vector ProTM which works with the investor -DS choose tubes and dense patterning that allows adjusting.

Thanks to the kinematic Drive system force made when firing, the gun is more focused on a much smoother and reliable shooting action. It is much easier to point during hunting, and handling is much easier because of its Ergo Balanced design. 

This is a super shooting gun with convenient adjustment enhanced by the Turnkey magazine plug. The Turnkey enables one to match up and shoot at any angle.

The design enhances the shooting mode and delivers a fine-tuned shoot range with precision power. The Browning A5 sweet elevates hunting to the next level.

Pros:

• Durability is enhanced with the barrel.
• There is stability in terms of handling and pointability by the Ergo Balanced design.
• The easy to remove – DS chokes enable consistent patterning.
• The shotgun is much faster in unloading and autoloading due to the speed load plus feeding system.
• There is a uniformed and dense patterning method made possible by the vector ProTM cone.
• Standards keys, as well as vehicle keys, facilitate quick removal of Turnkey magazine plug.
• Natural sight alignment enabled by the extended sight plane by humpback receiver.
• Reliable action as a result of force produced when firing, converted by the kinematic Drive system.

Buyer’s Checklist: What to Look out for When Buying a 16 Gauge Shotgun

Weight

The weight is something one ought always to consider when choosing a duck hunting gun. It’s essential to have a shotgun that isn’t heavy and becomes an inconvenience. 

If you intend to enjoy your hunting experience, you also do not want to get tired of carrying a gun. Try and purchase a gun that is light in weight as it can be. Although most 16 gauge shotgun weight is on the same level, others are much lighter.

Stability

That is what the shotguns, as mentioned above, provide. They offer a very firm grip that enables stable shooting. A 16 gauge shotgun is mostly recommended for target shooting, and they seem to provide excellent stability. 

Handling Grip

When purchasing a new 16 gauge shotgun, you also need to consider the grip. While other guns are good in range, their grip is not firm enough. The above guns are quite good in terms of grip that will facilitate continuous aiming and shooting. 

Fast Loading vs. Slow Loading

A 16 gauge bolt action shotgun is also very fast in loading. When hunting, you do not need a slow loading gun. They are also perfect for bird hunting. Fast loading ensures you do not miss a target even as it tries to escape. 

Recoil Pad

Another feature you may consider checking is a 16 gauge shotgun that has a recoil pad that makes it even super fast to shoot. However, ensure your 16 gauge action shotgun after checking its bores, shells, and Gauge.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Distance Can a 16 Gauge Shotgun Cover?

16 gauge shotguns are quite impressive in terms of distance. The best estimate range is about 260 to about 300 yards; most of the time, it goes up to 275 yards. The range, however, is quite impressive, good enough not to alert the intended bird.

 What are the 16 Gauge Cartridge Specifications?

16 gauge length in total from the crimp to head will typically vary depending on the type of case in use. However, the best estimates in terms of the case lengths are from a range of 65mm and 75mm. It is essential to understand that CIP regulates the dimensional length values.

What Type of Cases are Used for 16 Gauge Shotguns?

There are different types of cases used for 16 gauge shotguns. While some are multipurpose, others are specific to one gun model. The cases are as follows;

 16/65 case

This is an ordinary case, made using dense powder and a roll crimp. 

16/67 case 

This type of case is multipurpose case for short chamber shotguns. 

What is the Range of a 16 Gauge Shotgun?

The 16 gauge shotgun is a 28 gram loud type, an average load caliber, and that makes it perfect for hunting. The fact that it is lightweight makes it super fun for sedentary games and hunting. Its effective load die of range 35 to 36 meters make it fun to use choked barrels.

What is a 16 Gauge Shotgun Muzzle Bore Size?

 It’s important to understand there are a set minimum and maximum muzzle bore-size. The size ranges from 16.8 to 17.2mm. The most common guns nowadays are 17.00mm. The Permanent International Commission establishes these standards for firearms testing.

There are much smaller bore sizes that were used with old shells used in traditional wads. This way, there was limited expansion ability, and the seal was firm enough.

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