Ed You'll hear what Chuck H. said from many of us and its not limited to the 16 gauge, but, FWIW, in the 1960s and not knowing much about this alleged "problem", I fired thousands of standard factory 16 gauge 2 3/4" loads thru an A.H. Fox 16. Verdict - no problem, whatsoever. At the same time, my pop did the same in his Parker. Verdict - no problem, whatsoever.

The article that JayCee notes would make you feel much better, in my opinion - well worth the bucks to get the results of some thoughtful testing and measurement taking.

Best of luck.