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<  16ga. Guns  ~  Duck gun options - or rather the lack thereof!
UncleDanFan
PostPosted: Sat Feb 12, 2022 7:04 pm  Reply with quote
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Joined: 06 Apr 2007
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Location: The Great Northwet

I think people make duck shooting a lot harder than it needs to be. Unless you're blasting at them at 50 yds, just about any 16 that's choked right will work. Just get them in close. I shoot them over dekes with 7/8oz 2.5" #4 bismuth loads out of an im choked 1880 damascus hammer gun out to 35-40 yds. Dead is dead.

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AmericanMeet
PostPosted: Sat Feb 12, 2022 10:32 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 26 Apr 2010
Posts: 3172
Location: NCWa

If I'm reading the posting correctly, there are two issues. 1> 16 ga suitable for ducks; 2. wood in contact with water. First, I haven't hunted waterfowl in several years but when I did I was prepared for both geese and ducks. For both I used Browning A5s, 12 ga 2 3/4" 2 shot magnums for geese, 16 ga 1 1/8 or 1 1/4 oz 5 shot for ducks. That was using lead so now it would be adjusted for Tungsten Matrix for same results. Secondly, those old guns worked several years without a problem, but then they were not abused and after hunting they received proper care.
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Stx4wheeler
PostPosted: Tue Feb 15, 2022 3:26 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 06 Jan 2021
Posts: 89
Location: Florida

I am in the early thoughts of buying some bismuth and using my well used and a little beat up Remington 11-48 for ducks next year. We don’t get a ton of great shooting on the Florida panhandle for ducks but with either some coating or rebluing it should survive some coastal duck hunts. I just need to see if there poly choke will out pattern my old 12 gauge 870 that has been my duck mainstay the last 15 years.
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Sporting Days
PostPosted: Tue Feb 15, 2022 9:35 am  Reply with quote
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Joined: 03 Aug 2009
Posts: 203
Location: Northern California

A few options for you:

(1) Hard to pass up the new A5 16, especially with new camo options, the ability to shoot any kind of shot -- steel, Bismuth, lead, etc.

(2) If it were me, I would look seriously at the new Browning Citori Hunter in 16 gauge (or pick up another standard Citori 16 that you won't be afraid to use). I would add some Briley after-market extended chokes (Light Modified is a favorite of mine in the duck marsh), and then order some BOSS copper-plated Bismuth shells and you are in the duck business -- and duck hunting with a little style.

(3) If you want to go the vintage/old school route, pick up a used Browning A5 Sweet 16 -- either Japan or Belgium, again something you are not afraid to use and use hard if need be) and then order up your BOSS 16 gauge Bismuth loads and you are set.

Really can't go wrong with any of these three options I don't think.
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fourtown
PostPosted: Wed Feb 16, 2022 9:46 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 25 Jan 2014
Posts: 223
Location: MN

I lean towards maximum smoke's comments, favoring pumps.

I'm a pump guy. My wife bought me a NIB King Ferry Ithaca 37 six years ago that is now my primary 16 ga. Duck Gun. It has colonial choke tubes and a recoil pad.

I have had two recoil operated 16 ga autos and while I liked them, I just had trouble getting them to cycle consistently with different loads. Lube, no lube, change the washers...

While I have shot ducks with an OU, sometime is it awkward reloading in tight quarters, like dirt hole in a Manitoba pea field. And yes, I do use the third shell, often to finish a crippled diver before it disappears.

I admit I switched back to 12 ga for most of my duck hunting the last two years. Primarily because I came into two stashes of 12 ga. shells that widows gave to me. When I hunt with my wife we both use only 16 ga, mostly Boss Bismuth.
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UncleDanFan
PostPosted: Wed Feb 16, 2022 10:31 am  Reply with quote
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There's something really satisfying about shooting ducks with a hammer gun. That said, if I'm hunting with others, I'll shoot a hammerless gun usually, just for safety reasons.


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The man's prayer from the Red Green Show: "I'm a man, but I can change, if I have to. I guess."
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smashdn
PostPosted: Wed Feb 16, 2022 10:38 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 30 Aug 2007
Posts: 234
Location: KY

I won't dip into the which gun discussion just to say there are a bunch that are suitable for the task, provided the task is decoying ducks and geese. You get into pass shooting then you are (imo) better suited to use a specialized gun/gauge for that specialized task.

I have a Stoeger condor that the wife likes to shoot when she very rarely goes with me. She has dumped ducks and geese using Rem factory steel #2's.

I also have a Rem 58 that i have fed those green cased Rem steel loads in #2 and #4. Killed ducks and geese. It is factory mod and I did notice a visible but not "feelable" scratch in the muzzle end of the barrel. i have stopped shooting steel through it as a precaution and as I don't want to blow the mod choke more open. I started handloading 1 oz of bismuth #4 in an SG16 ahead of 27 grains of longshot in a factory new primed fiochi hull (royal blue high "brass").

That load works well and I have no issues with it, PROVIDED, I am alone and doing the shot calling. In a duck blind setting where you are potentially shooting at larger flocks, at farther distances than you would like there is a bit of cripple clean-up that must take place, especially with hardy divers. Might take an extra shot or three to anchor that bird dead. For that reason I am not keen on burning my more expensive handloaded shells.

I wouldn't balk at one of the new Tristars. I don't really need another 16ga duck gun though. It wouldn't really offer me anything that the 58 doesn't aside from interchangeable chokes and i would have no qualms about feeding it steel shot.
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A5Gunner
PostPosted: Wed Feb 16, 2022 11:39 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 18 Jul 2012
Posts: 12
Location: Cesapeake VA

I have a tristar G2 and I am thinking of getting another for my backwoods duck gun. I think a little cerakote or a hydrodip will solve any duck blind issues. I have been told by tristar that the synthetic 20 gauge stock will fit but I don't know about the forend. I kind of baby my guns but if it gets a little beat on I won't lose any sleep. I don't think I would feel that way about a $1600++ browning even if it has synthetic stocks. They do look cool though. Laughing
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nj gsp
PostPosted: Wed Feb 16, 2022 5:46 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 09 Aug 2007
Posts: 437
Location: WI

A long time ago, I used a 16 gauge Sportsman 48 for everything. I had the full choke opened up to SKII so I could shoot steel. Federal was, and I think still is, pretty much the only option for factory steel 16 loads. It was available in 2 and 4 steel, and I just used 2 for everything. I haven’t seen anything but 2 for a long time now. Worked great on ducks, not so great on geese unless they were really close. Never had a concern about water, I put camo gun tape on it and shot it in all kinds of weather. I just had to clean it when I was done if it got a soaking.
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Sporting Days
PostPosted: Thu Feb 17, 2022 10:28 am  Reply with quote
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Joined: 03 Aug 2009
Posts: 203
Location: Northern California

And despite my earlier, very practical advice on 16 gauge gun options, I should mention that I had one of my best days waterfowling this past season using my 16 gauge, RBL sxs to take a limit of decoying ducks, mostly teal and wigeon.

I hunt mostly brackish, saltier water here in California so I don't like to expose my 16s too much to that harsh environment and more routinely use an O/U B. Rizzini 12 gauge workhorse for day-in-day-out duty. You can literally see the gun start to rust during the hunt.
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