The 28-gauge was introduced in North America in a 2 1/2 inch case with a load of 1 3/4 drams equiv. and 5/8 ounce of shot. The good folks at RST are offering such a shell to us today. The ammo companies also offered a longer 2 7/8 inch case. Probably the first 28-gauge guns offered in North America were the Remington Model 1893 single barrel. Parker Bros., in an effort to move some 0-frame 20-gauge guns that were languishing in inventory, rebarreled them with 28-gauge barrels and got S.A. Tucker and Arthur DuBray to hustle them. Chas. Askins had one of these early 0-frame 28-gauges with 30-inch barrels and a hefty weight of about 6 3/4 pounds. Chas. Askin's gun was chambered for the 2 7/8 inch case and he was handloading 3/4 ounce loads for his heavy gun, and discusses this in his 1910 book. Edwin Hedderly the editor of
Western Field magazine out in California picked up the 28-gauge torch in the years prior to WW-I. Ithaca introduced their Flues Model double in 28-gauge in 1912. When they introduced the NID in 1926, they added the .410-bore to their offerings and no longer catalogued the 28-gauge, though they did make a few NIDs in 28-gauge. In the 1931/32 time frame Western Cartridge Co. brought out their Super-X shell loaded with progressive burning powder in 28-gauge. It was put up in a 2 7/8 inch case and carried 3/4 ounce of shot. Ithaca Gun Co. began cataloguing the 28-gauge again with their first printing of their 1932 catalogue.
About 1937 Winchester brought out their Model 12 pump in 28-gauge, and it was chambered for the 2 7/8 inch shell until after WW-II when the 28-gauge loadings were standardized in a 2 3/4 inch case.