I won't argue the virtues of the 16ga vs the 12ga, comparing guns. However, reloading . . . yeah, when I can go various local places and buy wads today if I need them, that's an advantage. If I want to reload a hull more than 5 times--and I certainly do that, both with 12ga and 20ga hulls--that also is an advantage. If I want to find recipes for low pressure loads, using a variety of components, I can look at either the Hodgdon or the Alliant websites. And yes, thanks, I know all about the 16ga forum and reloading group. I was part of it. Sent loads to Tom Armbrust for pressure testing. But what it comes down to is like cutting down 12ga hulls to reload 2 1/2", vs simply using readily-available, unaltered 2 3/4" hulls: more tinkering involved. I don't reload for fun. I reload to save a bit of money, and to work up loads that either aren't available commercially, or else are expensive. And since I'm not doing it for fun, I'd rather not make it any more problematic than necessary. So yeah, to me--and to all others who aren't tinkerers or who don't think of reloading as "fun"--the end result is that the 12 has significant advantages over the 16. And zero disadvantages that I can think of.