Clay is right,I like 7 1/2.

For doves I would use a mod choke with 7 1/2s and use 8s on quail.

Never do or say anything I say or do!

From my own personal experience, I use #8 sporting clays loads @ 1,300 fps.

They kill pheasants just as dead.

I'm not a quail hunter, so I can't speak with any authority on that subject, but I have done my best to make the ammunition makers rich shootin at doves. My favorite shot size is #8 until late in the season when they get shyer and I need 7 1/2s to reach out a little bit further.

7 works best for me in my stevens side by side 16. I always felt that 8's were a bit light but some people swear by them

With your 16ga, you'll get the best results with 7 1/2. You'll need the shot spread for quail and choke restriction for dove.

Bubba! ?? Mass times speed = amount of energy. Light shot slows down faster, as less killing power at the distance bigger shot still has killing power. That is the problem with steel..can have a high muzzle velocity, but slows down much quicker than heavier lead, thus you need to use bigger size steel to get the weight. Back to my turkey shoots at any club. If you are shooting at a handicap distance of say 30 yds, rather than the 16 yd line stations, you don't have a chance to win vs. the same ability shooters using say #6's, or even 7.5's if you are shooting #9's. In your example of decoy shooting, yes, if the ducks are shot at the killing distance of # 8's which would be fairly close, but they flare, and quickly put distance, and it's bang, bang, at distances beyond the killing distance of # 8's.

Using your examples I can see your point. Steel doesn't have to enter into it..it is still mass times speed. You do get more pellets in the pattern, and I'd suspect that #4's for turkey may not put enough pellets in the head/neck area, or possibly miss all together. The new killer shot that I read about for turkeys was a heavier than lead shot and number 6's. There you have more pellets in the pattern, and heavy shot. You do raise an interesting point though, more shot vs. more energy in fewer shot. I'm losin my mind..I thought all duck hunting had done by steel, or something other than lead?

Sayfu

Got interested in the density/size long ago.
I was whining about not being able to kill ducks even using the new (at that time) Rem Nitro Mag. It was a 2.75 round with the shot packed in some sort of plastic powder to hold pattern together or something like that! He smiled and told me, "Pattern density, son, not shot size!"
I found a box of Rem High Velocity #9's.
I was killing ducks the other guys wouldn't even shoot at with the Nitro Mags!
Convinced me!
Then, years later, I began to read books by Peter Hathaway Capstick. Strangely, books on African hunting and Capstick discusses the density/shot size dilemma. It backed up everything I had experienced.
Just like American politics.
It's so simple, yet so many want to argue with you!

Bubba

I'm new to hunting! A couple of weeks ago I started hunting Dove here in AZ during the early season and I was able to get my bag limit (10) each day. I used 1 1/8 oz #7 1/2 it was loads of fun. I'm going quail hunting this wknd and was told I should use 1 1/4 oz #6 shot bcz the quail are tougher skinned. What do you guys think?

Oh and I'm hunting with a Remington 870 12ga 18" barrell home defense shotgun (I know it's not a hunting gun but it worked just fine for the Doves!)