All that has been said so far is very true. I have an Ithaca 16 that was my grandpa’s. It is near impossible to tell any difference between it and a 12 when shooting upland loads. The one thing that has not been said though is that there is a certain level of just plain ol' coolness to a 16 that you miss with a 12 or a 20, because not everyone has one and it is always a good conversation starter out in the field. You do pay for being different though, but not a whole lot, Wal-Mart has the 16 now and in the Winchester super x hi-brass they cost the same as the 12. There are just not any of the bargain priced low brass loads to choose from. SO... that's my point of view, probably not helpful, but whatever.