Larry,
I hardly ever use an 1 1/4 in a 12! My Dad bought a lot of locally produced (Federal, right up the street) 1 1/4oz loads prior to steel becoming the law. If he saw them out of season, on sale at the gas station, he would buy them all.
I have a bunch of 12 gauge lead 4s in that load that are pretty much useless to me.
1 oz loads, in a 16, is about all I can stand. Out of the Nitro, those loads are lively, but, doable. I wouldn't shoot sporting clays with them, but, for mopping up late season roosters, at local WMAs, on birds that have seen some pressure, they are about perfect. More walking than shooting (sometimes, it becomes a bit of a track meet) in that case, and a 16 works well with those loads, even more so if the place is non tox only.
Best,
Ted
