Smith & Wesson Model 916

The Smith & Wesson Model 916 is a pump-action 12-gauge shotgun produced by Smith & Wesson during the 1970s.

Smith & Wesson Model 916
Type	Pump-action shotgun
Place of origin	United States
Production history
Manufacturer	Smith & Wesson
Produced	1970s
No. built	10,000+[1]
Variants	916T (takedown) 916A (tactical)
Specifications
Mass	7+1⁄4 lb (3.3 kg) (28" barrel)
Length	48 in (120 cm) (28" barrel)
Barrel length	26, 28, 30 in (66, 71, 76 cm)
Cartridge	12-gauge
Action	Pump action
Sights	Front bead
References	[2]

History

Noble Manufacturing Company of Haydenville village within Williamsburg, Massachusetts, was a small gunmaker that produced shotguns and .22 caliber rifles.^[3] Noble, incorporated in 1943, was in bankruptcy as of mid-1971,^[4] and went out of business in 1973.^[3] In 1972, Smith & Wesson—located in Springfield, approximately 25 miles (40 km) from Haydenville—bought patents and tooling for Noble's Model 66, a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun.^[5][3]

Smith & Wesson produced the shotgun as their Model 916, with a sportsman version (916), takedown version (916T), and tactical version (916A). The guns were plagued by a variety of quality issues, including a recall due to a safety issue with barrels of the 916T version rupturing.^[1][6] The series was later discontinued and replaced by the pump-action Model 3000 and the semi-automatic Model 1000.