Thousands and thousands of (european) hunters have been wrong....?
I would say, as in real life, there is always a golden middle way (don't know, if you say so in english, in german: goldene Mitte). That was (and still is) 16 gauge. 12 was for some more power(driven hunt, sporting), 20 for something less(ladies, young) and, perhaps, more elegant(noble). And of course it corresponded with the combination gun. 16 g is tradition and for me, no bad one, which still makes sense and fun! And please, don`t forget the dubious influence of the industry. Further examples are the old german rifle gauges 9,3x62 and 8x57 I(S). For years they were talked down, than with wild boars increasing, they became more and more popular again because of their well balanced characteristics!
It's only my opinion, may be I'm wrong...
Gunwolf
