Don't know that it is better suited than a 12 ga but it is a damn site better than a 20 ga. My 16 ga is built on a 20 ga frame and I can carry it all day in the hills after chukar and grouse - I have a sweet pet load for it I use a 1 or 1 1/8 oz load of nickle plated 7s and I haven't found a bird capable of flying through it and living if I do my part. So, for me the answer is yes a 16 ga is better - unless of course you have a sweet little Birmingham boxlock that weighs about the same as my 16 ga.
