Cheapskate that I am, I always feel a bit of pain when I purchase good quality English 2 1/2 low pressure ammunition for my old 16, annoyed by the notion that American ammunition makers would happily sell me 12 or 20 gauge SAMMI spec 'stuff for less, a good bit less, usually. 28 gauge ammunition, even the cheap stuff, sells for more, so that eases my mind a bit, but, I wonder about the folks who run 2" 12 or 24 gauge ammunition. The rash of burst barrels seen of late seems to back up my English gunsmiths notion that reloading can be more expensive in the long run, so I've gone off that path, since it wasn't enjoyable to me, though some folks seem to consider reloading the prerequsite to enjoyable shooting. Some of those people have even have posted pictures of their guns, here, and at other sites, after the levee broke, as it were.
A five and 1/2 lb 12 makes even less sense to me than a 5 1/2 lb 28-my good, 30" Italian single shot 12 weighs more, and I shoot it better than I could either of the above, thanks to a 30" barrel, and the extra weight. I know I'm not alone in that assessment, light weight guns being stern taskmasters.
A fellow who used to post here had the tagline "Light 12s rule", to which, I used to secretly ad the comment "until you have to shoot the sombich all weekend" in my mind. Most 12s should weigh more than 6, and everything else would be better for the shooter at about 6 lbs, those sveldt 20s and 28s, especially so. Quite a few 16s fall right at that weight. No surprise to me. Perfect for the usual load (strictly 1 oz at my house for that gauge) and for our assortment of upland game, furry stuff included.
Remember the commercial "I 'coulda had a V8"! You 'coulda had a sixteen also, and the penalty price (gun, ammunition, resale) would have been lower, too. Think about it.
Best,
Ted
