To sound like the elderly curmudgeon, "when I was a kid", back in the 50's and 60's, the 16 bore was quite popular where I grew up, in the northern Ozarks. To those hardscrabble hill folks the ultimate was a Belgian, Browning "Sweet 16" and, we had a neighbor who actually owned and used one. Quail were plentiful back then and the 16 was literally the perfect upland gun but, changes in farming practices have largely eliminated any huntable population of quail and rabbits, locally.

As a shotgun it's what I cut my teeth on, a Marlin, bolt action, full choked. As I got older I tried 12's and 20's but always came home to the 16. Today, it's all I own, in drillings, combination guns and one treasured Ithaca, Flues. My only 12 is a Winchester 1200 I inherited, I never would have bought the gun and have yet to fire it.