I normally am the last guy to talk somebody out of a gun, but...
My FIL has a 16 gauge that he got from his dad, and I spent a whole day last time we were in FL trying to help him find ammo for it. We finally did find some, but only had one option, and it wasn't what we were looking for (he wanted a home defense buckshot load and we found cheap birdshot). My 12s do everything that gun does and more, and I have a wide variety of load options at pretty much any place that sells ammo.
12ga recoil doesn't bother me, but if you really must have something lighter, 20ga is almost as well supported, and packs less punch. That said, I don't really see the point of 20ga, either, as 12ga is available in such a wide variety of loads these days that you can probably find something appropriate for your needs in that gauge. Even if you're wanting to use a semi-auto, modern designs are reliable enough that they can cycle anything from powder-puff sporting loads all the way up through the heavy stuff.
Unless you plan to reload for it, I'd avoid the 16ga.
My FIL has a 16 gauge that he got from his dad, and I spent a whole day last time we were in FL trying to help him find ammo for it. We finally did find some, but only had one option, and it wasn't what we were looking for (he wanted a home defense buckshot load and we found cheap birdshot). My 12s do everything that gun does and more, and I have a wide variety of load options at pretty much any place that sells ammo.
12ga recoil doesn't bother me, but if you really must have something lighter, 20ga is almost as well supported, and packs less punch. That said, I don't really see the point of 20ga, either, as 12ga is available in such a wide variety of loads these days that you can probably find something appropriate for your needs in that gauge. Even if you're wanting to use a semi-auto, modern designs are reliable enough that they can cycle anything from powder-puff sporting loads all the way up through the heavy stuff.
Unless you plan to reload for it, I'd avoid the 16ga.