I like my Remington 31 and 870 16s. The 31s are about as slick a pumpgun as any ever made, and the 870s are pretty good for 'slick', too. If you get an 870, look for an early one with a plain, fixed-choke barrel and a 'corncob' fore-end. The beavertail fore-ends and vent ribs on later guns added weight and mass to front end of the gun and pretty much negated the handling advantages of a 16 over a 12, IMO. The late production 870 16s(2000s) were fitted with over-heavy, choke-tube barrels that, added to the vent rib and beavertail fore-end, actually weighed up more than 12 ga. 870s.

I have no experience with auto-loaders, but I've noticed that there seem to be more barrels for sale in the world for Remington self-loading 16s compared to Remington 16 ga. pumps, if getting extra barrels is important to you.

Last edited by Ploughman; 08/01/16.