Besides people who are SERIOUS shotgunners, who the hell uses 28g? Honestly I'd like to know. Every gunshop in my city carries .410, none crarry 28.
28 gauge is used by skeet shooters (skeet uses 12, 20 and 28 gauges, and .410) so the demand for shells is good enough to assure production. While the local Wal - Mart does not carry 28 gauge, 3 other Edmonton gun shops regularly do. I am pretty sure that the shells can be had almost anywhere in Canada with a little searching. These are clay target and upland game shells only, I have never seen non-toxic 28 gauge shells offered here.
.410 is a difficult gauge, it is hard to make a .410 pattern really well. The 28 gauge holds 3/4 oz. of shot and patterns very well. Like the 16 gauge, it is a "square load", meaning the diameter of the shot load is equal to the length. This leads to short shot strings and nice patterns. In real world terms, this means that the 28 gauge behaves much more like a "real" shotshell than a .410. That is, wingshooting is much better served with a 28 gauge than a .410.
While it is true that 28 gauge is seen as a little bit of an oddball, the fact remains that the gauge outperforms all expectations relative to its size. The fact that this bore size it has persisted in use for over 200 years attests to its usefulness. All the mainstream manufacturers have or do make 28 gauge guns, including American, English, European, Russian, Turkish and Brazilian makers.
The guns which shoot the 28 ga. are light and require discipline to shoot well, but no more so than the .410 (perhaps less). Be it a Remington pump or a Franchi auto, a CZ / Huglu SxS or a Guerini U/O they are all light to carry and quick to shoulder.
I admit to being prejudiced and biased toward the 28 gauge, but this does come from 40 odd years of hunting ruffed grouse with all manner of guns and gauges. If you want a treat, try the 28 gauge.
Sharptail
