I'm a big 16 gauge fan, I've got a 16 gauge Ithaca pump and several 16 gauge doubles. That said, if I were looking for a dedicated predator shotgun it wouldn't be a 16 gauge. IMO,putting a coyote down decisively is asking a lot of a shotgun as it is. You want a lot of shotgun for the job. With a 16 you are really limited in what kind of loads are available. Last I knew, the only factory buckshot load for a 16 was 12 pellet, #1 buck. No matter what, the heaviest 16 gauge loads are 1 1/4 ounces. Also, all the heavy load, long range development with chokes, etc has been done with 12 gauge. Probably much better off to go to a 12.