16ga.com ~ View topic

Joined: 05 Dec 2006 Posts: 8 Location: Mt. Pleasant, Texas

Yesterday I posted a ?? on the other board in the "Skeet Shooters" forum about vent ribs. In my quest to find a bbl. with one for my wifes new gun ( which I think we will have tommrow if I get time), I realized that "Head on the stock,Eye on the rock" says nothing about the barrel. So just for conformation of this idea I asked them what they thought from a skeet shooting point of view.

Well, I made the mistake of discribing the A-5 16ga. and you can imagine the replys I got about it being a 16ga. Shocked

You would have thought I went up and kicked the founding member of the NSSA in the jimmies. Not actually the words used but the main ideas were "theres no 16 class ", "she cant be competitive", " you cant buy shells", "you will spend more in shells that the gun is worth", "if it is not a gas 12 she wont be able to shoot it ".

It was like if she was just going to just shoot for fun with a gun SHE likes its not even worth it. Im not going to try to change her mid about the gun, but are people really that afraid of a 16. It's not obselete, just not widley used. I have some obselete guns and I love'em, but I dont think this will be obselete anytime soon. Besides a girl with a 16ga. is Hot. If she wants to shoot competitively we will get her one of those gasoline jobs, for her shoulder's sake, but I really doubt that will be that case, she just wants to go bang and break clays.

I'm not looking for conformation about our new purchase, I just didnt realize how the rest of the shotgun sports world felt.

Member Joined: 13 Feb 2006 Posts: 110 Location: California

Welcome to the 16 ga world! I am fortunate that I have not run across any "purists" yet. Most of the folks at my little local club think my 16 is pretty cool. I don't think they would shoot it, but they don't try to educate me about my choice. Hopefully, that is what you will find at a field.

Sometimes, I think those that scream the loudest are kind of like the story about throwing a rock into a pack of dogs. The one that yelps is the one that got hit Laughing

Good luck to your Hot girl, and her new barrel.

Joined: 05 Dec 2006 Posts: 8 Location: Mt. Pleasant, Texas

The guys at my club are great and are just as excited about her getting this gun as I am, one even offered up a mec 600 jr so i can reload her shells if need be. I guess that is why I was kinda surprised at the response that i got from the ones at the other board, there will alyways be naysayers for anything, but wow, it looks like i jumped into a feeding frenzy.

*Last edited by fin2feather on Wed Dec 13, 2006 8:49 am; edited 1 time in total*

The guys who give me grief (good-naturedly, I will admit) about my 16's are all hunters, not target shooters, and they all have that "bigger is better" mentalty: a 12ga must shoot farther/have more power/kill deader because it's bigger. Their trucks are big manly trucks too, bigger than my refined little 4Runner. I won't tell you what I say I have that's bigger, and what they're trying to make up for Laughing

!

Fin

It is nice to shoot at a club where fun is in the sharing of common interests and bad jokes are more important than winning. Our club is just that type. With that said, I have noticed that the dedicated trap, skeet, and sporting clay shooters who are fixated on winning demand a dedicated shotgun for the intended game and will accept nothing less as it might cost them a bird and a win. It isn't a bad thing just a fact of life. Enjoy the 16g and have fun.
Best,
Ron

Welcome into a group that understands your pain.

When I brought out the sxs at the range, I got looks - when I said it was a 16, I got looks - when it got passed around and inspected, I got compliments. When I (finally) started breaking clay, reaching out there for a couple too, I got nods.

As for shells - I bought a case (of 10 boxes) at Dicks just because they were 16 ga. - #6's but whatever, I was lucky to find them.

Member Joined: 25 Jul 2006 Posts: 781

I have shot at a couple of different clubs and encountered kinds of people.

The arrogant score freaks who get irked if the puller is a micro second late or a puff of wind moves the target are they worst. All of them will criticize you on the net cause they don't have to look you in the eye. They will find fault of the gauge, even if your shooting the same amount of lead as they do. They will criticize the A5 cause it's a 103 year old design.

Most of them will be polite with you in person. And if you are having fun and breaking a few targets will be downright friendly.

BUT no one likes to give out advice than a clay target shooter and if asked they will point out that your shooting a target game without the benefit of a target gun with all the whiz bang bells and whistles that make it one (1) target better in a hundred (100) thrown and in the process make their gun useless for most everything else.

Jeff

Interesting folks shooting out at Ben Avery-lots of Wash. state, Midwest and East coast retirees and snowbirds, and some very serious trap and skeet shooters. I shoot regularly with a delightful gentleman from Maine who winters here. I'm usually the only one shooting a SxS and a 16 and the usual event goes something like:
"You're doing pretty well with that SxS." (frown but interested)
"Is that a 16?" (look of surprise and more interest)
I hand them the gun.
Eventually a big smile comes on their face and "I (my dad, my uncle, my grandad) had one of those."
"Can you still get shells?"
I tell them about the Federal Game Shoks at Wal-Mart and Winnies at Sports Authority and all the folks making light and short loads.
Another smile "Going to have to bring that gun out some time!"
THEN I do a little 16ga Society evangelism Very Happy

Member Joined: 08 Nov 2005 Posts: 3438 Location: Illinois

Don't lose any sleep because of their stupidity---Unless you plan on shooting registered targets take that 16 and do us proud Twisted Evil

Joined: 05 Dec 2006 Posts: 8 Location: Mt. Pleasant, Texas

Don't worry there is no faultering, it was just so strange that there were a couple of people who read the actual ??? and everyone else wanted to tell me how wrong I was to give her something other than a gas operated 12ga. and how I didnt know what I wanted like I had never owned a gun before, much less a safe full. But it should come home friday. Pics will arrive shortly after.

To me, American style skeet is a quaint little game the way its played today, i.e., gun premounted. It was originally shot low gun and is a lot more fun and more benificial if done that way IMO. However, a proper gun fit is more important in this style shooting. Winchester and Remington with their corporate interests thought it better for folks to shoot high gun so mass produced, "everyman guns" could be used easier. They had a lot of political clout within the NSSA and got their way.

Prior to this rule change, the 16 ga. shooter could and did compete with the 12 gauge and frequently won. The lighter 16 is a more responsive gun for low gun shooting. This offset any ballistic advantage the 12 had.

Now, most top shooters use O/U guns with carrier barrels and tubes. These guns often weigh over 9 pounds. Most of these guys bypass the 12 and shoot the that event with a 1 ounce load out of their 20 ga tubes. The advantage Remington and Winchester saw for themselves was short lived. Even Remington autoloaders have falllen from favor as the number one gun. Now, Remington and Winchester have abandoned the game. NSSA skeet is falling into decline. The effect of corporate greed has ruined the game in my opinion.

So, I just go right on shooting the game low gun, with whatever field gun I want. I'm not in it for score. I'm not in it for awards. I don't care to own a 9 pound O/U with tubes. I ignore the hotshots and shoot with my friends. But every once in a while, I will run 50 or 75 targets low gun with something like my model 37, 16 ga pump and beat the field including a couple of these hotshots. I can just feel the eyes boring into my back as I walk to the warm up house for a cup of coffee and a round of ribbing with my buddies. And you could not erase the smug smile off my beaming little mug with a belt sander. Laughing

In short, shoot what you like, the way you like to, and ignore the all the horse bagels. Wink

I'm with you 16gg. A couple of months ago I was at the range to shoot a round of sporting clays with my old M37 16 (circa 1942) and the puller asked me why I didn't mount the gun before calling for the target. I told him, "because when hunting pheasant or quail my arms would get mighty tired carrying the gun in the up position all day."

I knealt at the #8 station at skeets - one person asked "what's up?", the puller said, "like he's in a duck blind" big smile to me too.

I shot 50% and was happy.

I had a hard time asking for PULL! with the gun up to the shoulder - I'd make the moves like a practice swing, dismount and call pull. the game is pretty predictable after awhile - I'd like to try sporting clays sometime. I've never shot at a wild rabbit before...

Guest

I think my club must have a lot of hunters and all-around shotgunners mixed in with the dedicated skeet guys. Nobody ever rags me about shooting from the low gun. In fact, there are other guys who shoot low gun -- mainly silver-haired gents. I hear they're pretty fair upland and waterfowl shots.

The only comments I've ever heard about my FAIR 900 16ga. have been appreciative inquiries. I usually carry some extra shells and offer to let guys shoot it. As often as not, I get taken up on the offer.

It sure seems that alot of people are afraid of a shooter with a 16 gauge. They are for sure now. At my local trap club I shot a Remington 870 in 16 gauge, and ran they twice. Big "50" Very Happy

from the 22 yard line! Now they want to band all 16 gauge guns. Next time I am going to showup with my sxs hammer 16 gauge. Can't wait to see what will be said then. Even if I don't run them; I will make a good showing Shocked

. DDawg