doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com What did AH Fox have against 28ga?

I have a couple of 28s. One O/U and a SxS. These make nifty little Quail guns but I'd be hesitant to use them on something much bigger.
Peronally I expect that if it hadn't been for Skeet this gauge would have disappeared long ago.
Jim

The 16 was much more popular than the 28 and it has all but disappeared. I know those who love it will cry fowl but face facts. Walk into a Dicks Sporting goods store and see which are easier to find the 16 or 28 shells? Mine always has two to four 28 choices and I am lucky if they have one for the 16. The 28 is one of those things you buy when you have covered all the other things. Like a corvette to a 50 plus year old. A reward to yourself not as something you really need. Just something you would like to have.

KY Jon, I agree on your comparison of 28 to 16, I wish you were wrong as i am a 16 fan and shoot it most often and best. That said no one I hunt with owns, much less shoots a sixteen. Almost all have and occasional shoot a 28.

I have more 16's than anything. Yes, it is not practical as far as commercial ammo goes, but then not a whole lot about our chosen obsession is practical. A nice 16 is usually cheaper than a similar grade and model 20, but a tad more than a 12, at least that's been my experience whether it's a double or a classic pump.

I agree with this. Although the 12s still outnumber the 16s in my safe, it's not been for lack of trying.

And most importantly, I don't do this stuff for practical purposes. None of it. Not the guns, not the dogs, not the hunting property or the long distance trips. If you want practical, I would advise looking elsewhere.

As was stated above, there simply wasn't enough market demand for 28-gauge guns to make it worthwhile for the A.H. Fox Gun Co. to add one to their offerings. There were very few A.H. Fox Gun Co. ads that even mentioned what gauges their guns were offered in and even less that actually touted their 16- and 20-gauge guns like this one from May 26, 1912 --



By the time the Spanish-American war was winding down, the Brothers P knew two things -- (1) The great bulk of North American shooters owned one gun, a 12-gauge, and that the repeater was what most new shooters were going to buy; and (2) therefore, their real client base for their upscale product were the existing Parker shooters. So, they needed to entice them with something new and novel. Parker Bros. entered the 28-gauge market by taking a bunch of 0-frame 20-gauge guns that had been languishing in inventory and rebarreling them to 28-gauge, and telling their clients these are just the ticket for Quail or even Ducks at some of the California Duck Clubs. At that time North American 28-gauge factory shells were put up in a 2 1/2 inch case carrying a load of 1 3/4 drams of bulk smokeless powder pushing 5/8 ounce of shot. Our ammo manufacturers did also offer 2 7/8 inch NPEs and gun cranks like Chas. Askins were stuffing these with 2 1/8 drams of powder and 3/4 ounce of shot. Askins had a 30-inch barrel Parker Bros. 28-gauge that weighed 6 3/4 pounds!! Western Cartridge Co. didn't introduced their 28-gauge progressive burning smokeless powder Super-X load until 1932. Ithaca Gun Co. dropped the 28-gauge from their catalogues with the introduction of the NID in 1926, but at that time Ithaca did return to cataloging a 28-gauge gun,



and a few smallbore Fox doubles were known to escape Utica with an extra set of unchambered 20-gauge barrels with a 28-gauge rim cut.

I had one 28 and sold it. I currently have eight 16 gauge guns. At one time I had twelve. I sold off a Baker, an Ithaca and 2 Foxes.

Currently I have three Foxes, an LC Smith, a Masquelier,a Winchester model 12, an Ithaca 37, and a Westley Richards.

I have more ammo stockpiled than I could ever shoot hunting in my lifetime so no worries there. For me they are the perfect upland gun.

Thanks for posting the ads Researcher. It would be interesting to put together a timeline showing the major product introductions by different manufacturers.

I, like Romac, have enough sixteen gauge Game Loads and reloads to keep me shooting long after I am gone. I wish I had that much 28 gauge ammo. Twenty eight gauge and .410 bore shotguns had more to do with Parker's demise than it contributed to their profit margin.

I, like Romac, have enough sixteen gauge Game Loads and reloads to keep me shooting long after I am gone. I wish I had that much 28 gauge ammo. Twenty eight gauge and .410 bore shotguns had more to do with Parker's demise than it contributed to their profit margin. However, it sure makes collecting more interesting.