Count me in the 12 Gauge Society. I have hunted with 20 gauge, 16 gauge and 28 gauge at different times and enjoyed them all, but for a number of years I have only been using 12 gauge vintage guns. I use 3/4 oz., 7/8 oz., 1 oz. and 1 1/16 oz, depending on what I am doing. So it is all comparable to hunting with a 28 gauge or 20 gauge. I enjoy game scene engraving on vintage guns and there is more of it on 12 gauge guns and more room for an engraving artist to work (or to have worked a hundred or so years ago). A 10 gauge or larger offers more room for the engraving artist, but the really big bore guns are a little too heavy to carry at 8, 9 or 10 lbs. I don't hunt ducks any more and I don't want to carry that kind of weight around in the uplands. I use 12 gauges weighing from 6 1/2 lbs. to 7 1/4 lbs. and depending on the barrel length, I can carry a 12 gauge in that weight range around all day. For some reason, shorter barrels in the 7 lb. range are easier for me to carry than guns with longer barrels of the same weight. Finally, let's not forget that a nice 12 gauge vintage gun costs less than a 28, 20 or 16 gauge comparable gun. A plus for me!
