28 Gauge Shell Length Question

[Dean Romig]

Can anyone tell me when the 3-inch 28 gauge shell was introduced - what year and by which manufacturer?

Thanks in advance.





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[Matt Buckley]

I think it was about 3-5 years back and I believe it was Fiocchi.

[CraigThompson]

Shouldn’t be to hard to get a Reamer and run the chambers out in your little VH skeeter !

[James L. Martin]

Not 3" but Winchester 28ga 2 7/8 inch shells listed in a 1920 catalog with 2 drams of powder and 5/8 oz. of shot. Just can't seem to win with these photos turning, nothing I try seems to work.

[CraigThompson]

Not 3" but Winchester 28ga 2 7/8 inch shells listed in a 1920 catalog with 2 drams of powder and 5/8 oz. of shot. Just can't seem to win with these photos turning, nothing I try seems to work.

When I was talking to Tom Armbrust last week he was talking about 28 gauge 2 7/8” which was the first I believe I’d heard of that . I did have some circa 1960ish Peters 28 gauge 2 3/4” that were 7/8 ounce which at the time I thought rather stout for a 28 .

[George M. Purtill]

I may be dreaming in my self induced Massachusetts quarantine required of us out of staters to come to our own cottages on Cape Cod, but.... I swear I have seen vintage 3 inch 28 gauge shell boxes.

[Milton C Starr]

Not 3" but Winchester 28ga 2 7/8 inch shells listed in a 1920 catalog with 2 drams of powder and 5/8 oz. of shot. Just can't seem to win with these photos turning, nothing I try seems to work.

Lets see if this works , I seen alot of side ways photos on here . Not sure what causes it hope you dont mind I turned it up right .

[Dean Romig]

I may be dreaming in my self induced Massachusetts quarantine required of us out of staters to come to our own cottages on Cape Cod, but.... I swear I have seen vintage 3 inch 28 gauge shell boxes.

No George, it’s just that we know you’re from Connecticut... ;-)

I thought I had seen one or two also but at my age I can’t be too sure.





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[Dean Romig]

I wonder what the definition of Winchester’s “Repeater” shells is...?

Maybe Dave “Researcher” Noreen will come on and explain it.





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[James L. Martin]

I know Winchester made 28ga 2 7/8 " chamber guns ,there model 12. Did Parker ever make any 28ga 2 7/8 guns?

[Dean Romig]

That was the premise of my starting this thread.

I wonder if Chuck Bishop can comment on that possibility, considering the number of Parkers he has seen data on.





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[Dave Noreen]

Virtually from the introduction of the 28-gauge, the shells came in two lengths. The "standard" was the 2 1/2 inch shell which packed a load of 1 3/4 drams of bulk smokeless powder or the equivalent in dense pushing 5/8 ounce of shot. Our North American ammunition companies also offered a 2 7/8 inch shell with 2 drams of bulk smokeless powder or the equivalent in dense pushing 5/8 ounce of shot. Rem-UMC bulk smokeless powder loads --

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dense smokeless powder loads with Infallible or Ballistite --

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and dense smokeless powder loads with Walsrode --

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A box of 2 1/2 inch shells --

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A box of 2 7/8 inch shells --

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Chas. Askins the senior wrote quite a bit about having a 30-inch barrel, 6 3/4 pound Parker Bros. 28-gauge and he was hand loading somewhat hotter/heavier loads in the 2 7/8 inch cases than the factories.

It wasn't until 1932, that our ammo manufacturers got around to applying progressive burning powder to the 28-gauge, and Western Cartridge Co. brought out their high velocity Super-X 28-gauge load with 3/4 ounce of shot in the 2 7/8 inch case.

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From the April 1932 issue of Field & Stream --

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[Dean Romig]

Thanks very much Dave! - You never cease to amaze us with your knowledge and your generosity in taking the time to compile and share it.

I wonder what the chamber lengths would have been cut to for those shells... Parker chambers specifically.



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[Chuck Bishop]

Well Dean, I got 1/3 thru stock book 82 before my eyes and brain went dead. Not all S/N's had chamber lengths but most of the 28ga. guns had 2 3/4" chambers however I did find 2 that had 2 13/16" chambers. Would they have been for 3" shells? I did find some .410 guns that had 2 15/16" chambers. Stock book 82 goes from 235,xxx to 238,xxx.

[Dean Romig]

Not 3" but Winchester 28ga 2 7/8 inch shells listed in a 1920 catalog with 2 drams of powder and 5/8 oz. of shot. Just can't seem to win with these photos turning, nothing I try seems to work.


James - Thank You very much for the picture of the catalog page you provided.




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[Dean Romig]

I wonder also if Parkers chambered for 2 7/8" and 3" shells would have been built on 0-Frame guns or if 00-Frame guns' barrels/breeches were stout enough for the longer chambers...?





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[Dave Noreen]

Shortly before WW-II, the manufacturers began putting up 28-gauge Skeet Loads in 2 3/4 inch cases and it wasn't long after the war that the 28-gauge was standardized at 2 3/4 inch. Western Cartridge Co. offered the 1 ounce 28-gauge 2 3/4 inch Magnum shell from 1961 to 1967 --

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which Jack O'Connor wrote quite a bit about. I'm not sure when they reintroduced the 1 ounce load as my ammo catalog collection gets sparse after 1970.

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[Dave Noreen]

The Remington era Parker catalog shows the 28-gauge as being chambered for 2 7/8 inch 28-gauge shells --

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The Remington era specification sheets on pages 164 to 169 of The Parker Story show the 28-gauges as being chambered 2 13/16 intended for 2 7/8 inch shells.

[Dean Romig]

Well Dean, I got 1/3 thru stock book 82 before my eyes and brain went dead. Not all S/N's had chamber lengths but most of the 28ga. guns had 2 3/4" chambers however I did find 2 that had 2 13/16" chambers. Would they have been for 3" shells? I did find some .410 guns that had 2 15/16" chambers. Stock book 82 goes from 235,xxx to 238,xxx.


Very interesting Chuck, and informative too.

Seems we might have a third 28-gauge gun in that range chambered for 2 7/8" shells. As you say, the majority of 28-gauge guns in that range (235,xxx to 238,xxx) that had chamber lengths listed were 2 3/4" and my little Skeet gun, 236912 is also listed as 2 3/4" but in measuring the chamber lengths they fall just shy of 2 7/8" but well longer than 2 3/4". I truly can't see anyone cutting them any longer than the factory chamber length because the popular shell lengths since the day the gun was made were 2 3/4"...

A mystery for sure.

Any thoughts?





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