Originally Posted By: Small Bore
The point is that with a 16 you can built light barrels with thicker walls than an equivalent light 12-bore, as well as making the action smaller.


Isn't this the key issue? Thinner walled barrels on light 12-ga. gun are more likely to dent and can't take as much re-bluing and/or honing before the barrels get too thin. This is not to say they are inferior guns in any way, just that there are trade-offs for their thinner walled barrels.

Such a long, long time to be gone, and a short time to be there.