Part of Americana?

[Ron Smith]

The 16 ga. is very popular in the South East. Here in the North West, it's hard to give one away. 16 ga. ammo is a bit more available than it used to be, but still hard to find in any appreciable selection. You rarely see a 16 ga. gun in the shops because they just don't sell. Everyone wants a 12 ga. for Ducks and Geese, or a 20 ga. for Upland Game Bird hunting.

I bought a beautiful old Pre-War German 16 ga. SxS "Driven Game" gun several years ago. I finally sold it to a non-shooting collector because I couldn't find ammunition.

There used to be a guy who would fly up from Louisiana or Alabama(?) and make the rounds of the gun shops about every 6 months. He would buy any and all Model 37 Winchester single shots he could find, especially 16 ga. He would pay $75 -$150 depending on condition, and ship them back home. He said that he could double his money + on them where he was from.

Here's a photo of the first shot gun that I fired. A Marlin "Goose" gun. I was 12 years old and shot a big Bull Frog at about 20' away. All that was left was the legs. I felt, and still do feel bad about that for some reason.

Ron