Shellpullers and Modern Shotgun Shells?

[dark2023]

I'm curious, the distinctive bolsters seen on various shellpuller knives may look cool, but are they still useful for their intended purpose?
I realize modern shotgun shells are different, and that these designs are very old. But, are they still compatible?
Are the dimensions on shellpuller knives not as they used to be due to their mainly decorative nature in modern day?

Also, what size shell are they usually designed for? I would assume 12 (or possibly 20) gauge. does it change or is it standardized?

If they, in-fact, do properly fit with a modern shotgun shell would someone here please take a picture of this combo?
I searched google for the info I wanted but got very little so I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask here.

[Vagrant]

The guards do fit and work, one guard is usually stamped for one guage, and the other for another They are seldom needed, since most modern shotguns eject the shell. older shotguns may only extract the shell and a shell puller may help remove it when your hands are cold

[dark2023]

Can someone take a quick picture?

[Bill DeShivs]

Didn't have a shotgun shell handy, but here is a pic of a shellpuller. The pullers do fit the shells.

[Viking45]

Nice,an old Bonsa.
I recall someone saying the 16 gauge was more popular in Europe and maybe even in the US back at the turn of the century on into the 60's.
My Granddad had two 16's,my uncle had two and my dad had one when I was real young.
My cousin that is the real gun collector in the family says the 16 is his favorite.
Kind of a happy medium between the 20 and 12.
This is my theory as to why most shell pullers had 12 and 16 gauge pullers.

Here's an interesting bit I copied from another website-

The 16 is the most logical of all the gauges. Its bore diameter is .662-inch, almost exactly two-thirds of an inch. A 16-gauge lead ball weighs exactly an ounce. An ounce of shot in a true 16-gauge bore creates a shot column of perfect dimensions for a good pattern.

In the United States, in the early years of the twentieth century, the 16 was known as the “gentleman’s gauge.” This differentiated it from the down-market 12, which was used by market gunners, farmers, and deer hunters. The romantic ideal of a 16 was a sleek double—a Parker, perhaps, or an Ansley Fox—intended for hunting upland birds like bobwhite quail and ruffed grouse.

The 16 comes by this patrician image honestly. Its antecedents go back centuries. In the era of blackpowder cartridge shotguns and rifles, 16-bores were made for hunting big game with solid ball, as well as for fowling. As we have already noted, on paper, the 16 is the perfect shotgun, the right size load creating the optimum shot column for delivering the perfect pattern from a gun weighing exactly six pounds.

So what went wrong?

In Europe, nothing. There, the 16 is still very popular and was widely used in making combination guns like drillings. In England, the 16 was never as popular as the 12, but there were always a few around, and there still are. In fact, the last year or two has seen a fad for 16s; during a visit to Holland & Holland’s Bruton Street shop, in late 2012, I saw a rack with a half-dozen 16-bore doubles just waiting for new homes.

In the United States, the 16’s loss of popularity is generally blamed on the originators of skeet. When the rules for skeet were drawn up, in 1926, it was decreed that the game would be officially shot with four gauges—12, 20, 28, and .410—and that left the 16 an orphan. You might think this would have had a minimal effect, but the course of events went roughly as follows.

With a widespread decline in game bird numbers and strict bag limits, shooters were left with trap and skeet, if they wanted to do much shooting. Trap, of course, is a 12-gauge game. Skeet spread rapidly, and soon manufacturers were making guns and ammunition tailored to its requirements.


Ansley Fox Double 16

Ansley Fox.jpg (72.28 KiB) Viewed 4185 times

[RSD100]

An AH Fox is a sweet gun. Ansley's 16 ga was built on a 20 ga frame, the Parker not so. A Fox 16 bore is a joy to swing through and carry in the field. And, so happens i have a graded one getting some well-deserved rehab; should be ready for five-stands by July -- at Clark County's fine range, north of the Las Vegas Strip.

[hogwild]

I have a couple of Winchester model 12's in 16ga. Both made in the 40's. Both 2 3/4" chamber. Both used for small game hunting. I have always found them to be sweet as Hell. Both full choke. Shells are a bit hard to find but available. Of all my shotguns I prefer these for hunting. They are built on the smaller 20ga frame and make for easy carry.

[Viking45]

Those Model 12's are superb. Pretty sure my cousin had one. Does the 12 have the vent rib and long barrel?
If so then I'm certain he had one. Back in the early 70's we ruined a few road signs on a dark country road...don't tell me no one has shot a sign at least once in their life

My uncle had a Mossberg 16ga and was stamped Montgomery Ward if I'm not mistaken. Very solid and reliable.
Heck now I want a 16.

[hogwild]

I also have 4 model 12's in 12ga; 1 has vent rib. @ model 12's in 20ga, 1 vent rib.

So I guess you could say I have a thing for model 12's. My Dad's rabbit gun was my first M12 in 16ga. They just king of grew on me.


Back on topic. I do have a 16ga single shot Stevens with a broken extractor that a shellpuller works quite well on.

[dark2023]

I always wanted a Mossberg 16 gauge bolt action (full choke), cheap useable and elegant (I have a thing for bolt action shotguns)

[jimbeam]

Heck now I want a 16.

Me too, Dave.

[Vagrant]

I have double barrel, side by sides, is .410, 20, 16,and 12 gauge