It's the old story of balancing weight with effectiveness. I walk alot of miles for ruffed grouse and they require a very rapid response to be effective so....I shoot a 5 3/4lb 16. If I was pursuing more thick-skinned game such as pheasant, I'd be shooting a light-to-medium weight 12 bore. My own gun for that job is slightly heavier than what I'd consider to be perfection at 6 3/4 lbs. I'd expect that a 6 1/2 lb 12 would be about perfection, assuming you're not recoil sensitive.