As many people have noted, the 28 tends to be far more effective than it's bore-size or loads suggest. In fact did an article for Handloader magazine in the April 2008 issue titled, "Why the 28-Gauge Works So Well."
It included several handloads, of course, but the basic premise of the article was to start using the 28-gauge during the 2007 Montana upland-bird season--and continue using it until it failed to work. This is because our upland season lasted from September 1st through December, and as the season went on the birds tended to flush further out, and be harder to kill due to thicker feathers--especially after pheasants opened in mid-October.
Turned out I never did put the 28 away, and killed wild rooster pheasants regularly out to 40+ yards. The longest kill (and shot attempted) was a mature male sage grouse at 47 yards.
Among other things, I pointed out that while many hunters think the 28 is only good for smaller birds, larger birds tend to "catch" more shot. But the 28's shot string, as many have pointed out over the years, also tends to be shorter than in other gauges (or the .410 bore) so more shot arrives around the same time, putting more in the bird.
