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I bought a side by side off gun broker.
The ad said it was a 12ga. Definitely not a 12 ga! There are no markings on the gun that indicate what shells it will take.
20 ha shells seem a little loose when inserted. Is a 16 ga much larger than a 20?

Anyone near Lincoln City with a 16ga?
I'd like to see how 16 ga shells fit?
What to do?
 
Shotgun-Gauge-Size-Chart.png
 
ColeInOregon got you the info you need to measure the inside diameter (at the breach) to confirm gauge. I'm surprised there are no markings. Have you removed the barrels from the action and looked at the flats on the underside?
 
Well, if you got it from Gunbroker and it was described as 12 gauge, you got an item that was "not as described." Surely it would be reasonable to send it back for refund. 16 gauge ammo, normally, isn't as widely available as 12 gauge and in modern times, never in the variety of loadings. Having said that, it was one of the few shotgun ammo items available in Walmart during my last trip there a few days ago. Most people wouldn't find 16 gauge nearly as desirable as 12.
 
If 12 doesn't fit and 20 is too loose, 16 is a likely answer. I googled Davis premier and hit #2 was a listing in 16ga so it's plausible.
 
If it is indeed a 16 ga, watch the chamber length. The 16 ga ammo you will find on the shelf is
almost all 2 3/4". Most pre-war 16 ga guns were chambered for 2 9/16" shells.
 
....16 gauge ammo, normally, isn't as widely available as 12 gauge and in modern times, never in the variety of loadings. Having said that, it was one of the few shotgun ammo items available in Walmart during my last trip there a few days ago.
True that! I have noticed the same thing. It is more available, more consistently....or rather it sits on the shelf longer.
Most people wouldn't find 16 gauge nearly as desirable as 12.
But it carries like a 20 and hits like a 12!
 
Dugh....looks like several members already gave this advice....good luck
If you can measure the ID at the end of the barrel.
Gauge 16
True Bore Dia. .667
Cylinder Bore .000 - .667
Skeet I .004 - .663
Improved Cyl. .007 - .660
Skeet II .010 - .657
Modified .015 - .652
Improved Mod. .020 - .647
Full Choke .028 - .639
Extra Full .035 - .632
 
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But it carries like a 20 and hits like a 12!
Oh I've got nothing against anything that works. But consumers themselves have voted against it year after year until it is now thought of as kind of oddball. My favorite uncle used a 16 ga. as a poacher, er. waterfowl hunter. When he didn't have enough money for shotshells, he would catch geese by hand from a drifting boat in the Missouri River.
 
Personally I love my ole Stevens 16ga double, never had much of an issue with finding shells. I just stock up with a few boxes whenever I see them on sale.

Looks like your shotgun could have only been produced between 1917 and 1930. Sounds like a keeper to me, who doesn't love a classic?
 
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Personally I like the 16ga. I bought one a couple years ago, a bolt action JC Higgins, for $50 at a gun show. For that price I couldn't pass it up. I'm kind of a sucker for cheap, vintage guns that actually work.
 
Browning Sweet 16. I have a Browning 16 gauge A5 that someone attached a Winchester barrel. It had me confused for a while. I have not investigated it to see if it is (was) a Sweet 16. One side was pretty rusted and reading the markings on the barrel was difficult without cleaning it a little. I think that it and two pump shotguns given to me were laying on damp carpet.

It has the light frame of a 20 gauge with more power. I recently purchased some Fiocchi #1 buck for it.

It was given to me to see if I could clean it up. I just haven't had the time.
 
I have a ~1912 Fox AE that is my most valued possession. Another plus right now is that you will probably find 16ga ammo easier than 12ga. For a game gun the 16ga can't be beat IMO.
 

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