Have to give Ed credit here for the phrase "cleanly & consistently". An ounce and an eighth of lead shot seems to do that (cleanly & consistently kill) without failure and it is, of course, the standard 12-gauge load. I like and use many one ounce loads in my guns, and even 7/8th of an ounce will serve on targets quite admirably. But after hunting almost every fall for what now(?)...54 years, I've come to the conclusion that I get way-more clean kills with the standard 12-gauge load. My 16BLE comes very close to that level of efficiency with 1-ounce loads, and enough that I don't give it much thought anymore. Anything much below those numbers however, and I start to see more wounded birds and lost game. Blame that on me if you want but that's been my experience.
Guns are many things to me (insert the long list here), but they are first & foremost... tools (albeit highly refined!) that I use in the pursuit of game. And while I am clearly not a "bleeding-heart, earth-first, counter-culture lefty" I am very-much interested in humanely dispatching the game that I pursue. When I go to all the time, trouble, and expense to get to point where I can actually get a shot on a wild game bird, I desperately want that shot to count.
If a 12-gauge gun doesn't fit your circumstances, I completely understand. This is not a "knock" on your choices or tastes in guns. FWIW: I keep a very light and slim 28-gauge double hanging around here for the day when my light 12s (and even 16s) are more than I wish to carry on a long day's hunt. I know that day is coming, it's just a matter of time now.
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