You said it yourself. Your selection is extremely limited in the Sweet Sixteen. Ammo costs twice as much, as the 12. And the 12 is by far more versitile. You may want to take your scattergun and shoot 500 clays today, pheasants tommorow. Ducks and geese this weekend, then go for a deer hunt next week. Bet you can't do that with the sixteen anywhere near as nice as you can with the good ol' 12. By the way, I own both. But I shoot my 12's way more than I ever shot my 16.