16-gauge vs. 12-gauge for Jungle Survival

Politics. IIRC, south of the Rio Grande you might have trouble finding 45 ACP pistols or ammo. Reserved for the military. Likewise, the S. Americans may be restricted to 16 guage because 12 gauge is considered a 'military weapon' by the powers that be in certain countries. It's alright with me, I've hunted with plenty of sweet 16s, nice guns.

And don't forget logistics. If everyone else uses 16 gauge, guess what kind of shells you can find at the Jungle Wal-Mart?
 
Yeah, I agree. Logistics would pretty much be everything in this scenario. I think they'd snap that 870 up in a heartbeat. Good gun.
 
The 12 gage is what I reach for whenever I'm serious about shooting/killing something. It's better than the smaller gages and still has tolerable recoil. Range with 20 gage is about 40 yards. The standard range for 12 gage is 60 yards with most shot. But I have reached out and touched critters at 70 yds. with one gun that I had. This doesn't mean that the smaller gages aren't good, just that the 12 gage is better.
 
Thanks for all the replies. Ok, say you were planning a trip to the South American jungle and you were allowed to take a shotgun or rifle(no restrictions...). What gun would take, and what loads would you choose? You'd be hunting monkeys, snakes, alligators, caiman, birds, and those huge rats.
 
Use auto or pump shotgun, may want to go with a shorter barrell 24" or 26". For 12 gage, I'd be tempted to use either #4 (lead) or # 4Buck as a general all-round shell. Check out your patterns and penetrations. I prefer full choke, but for if strictly for defense, one of the other chokes would have a slight edge in that they spread the shot out sooner.
# 4, 5, 6's for goose to dove size birds. 7 1/2s for smaller.
Buckshot for gator type and hog size critters. #4B, #1B, #0B, or #00 B.
#4 or # 4Buck (or BB's) for big rats (rabbit size)
(if these are hog-size ones, then #4Buck would be minimum)
BIG Snakes - #4, also #5,6,7 1/2s for smaller ones, #4Buck or other buckshot for Anaconda size.
Keep in mind that for hunting I'd used specialized shells just for that animal. For defense load, either #4 or #4Buck will penetrate most satisfactory within a few yards, but for hunting, say 40 yard shots, these would not have the necesary power for say hog size or gator types animals.
Also if your hunting, a centerfire caliber rifle, say .223 up to 6.5mm would be handy or some of the bigger animals.
 
I own one shotgun, a Rem. 870 12ga. w/28" barrel. I'd opt for a shorter 20-24" barrel w/remchoke system. Imp. cyl. and modified chokes. I'd skip the lite bird loads and go with #6s, 4s, OO and for those up close and personal encounters with gators, 3" slugs. They slime up the barrel some, but work good. :D
 
I have and use both. My 12 and my 16 gauge both happen to throw good patterns at 40 yards. But, the 12 is the most common, has cheap practice ammo available, and has the desireable(in shotguns) large diameter bore. Shotguns seem to throw shot better, the wider the bore (shorter shot columns, etc.).

I consider 40 yards a long shot with any shotgun (for me, maybe not you guys). My fav. load is an ounce of sixes, for everything. 6'es give me through-and-through penetration on jackrabbits at 40 yards, striking with a good pattern and real authority.

I didn't like picking 7 1/2's out of quails. Also, I was getting weaker kills, too. Never a prob. with 6'es, though.

My 16 gauge is very similar in performance and range to my 12, but ammo is almost always less common, and more expensive. Walk into any gun store and ask for 16 gauge buckshot. If they don't look at you like you have 2 heads, they will only have 3 boxes of the wrong size!
BTDT.

Get the 12, given a choice, mainly for ease and cheapness of feeding, let alone effectiveness.

Cheers
 
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