"Apparently the 28 standard load and the 12-gauge pigeon load are both balanced loads in terms of the length and weight of shot column relative to bore diameter and other factors."
I have absolutely no idea what those "Other Factors" are but the rest of that statement is pure mathamatics, nothing else. It is as I have "Mathametically" pointed out totally incorrect. I don't really care what type of house he lived in or how he paid for it, that statement is not correct, period. I am not in any way trying to flame him as person or a shooter, just a few "Facts" in his book are not absolute facts.
I did get out the book, the quoted statement is the bottom line of page 70. top line of page 71 reads;
One general assumption might be made that any time too much shot (or too long a shot payload in the barrel) is shoved out too small a hole (barrel diameter) there is a decrease in efficency.
As I have painstakenly pointed the 3/4oz load in the 28 has a longer shot colum than 1Ľoz from the 12ga & it is being fired through a smaller hole. IF you don't understand that these two statements, Quoted Verbatim, from two succeding paragraphs "Back to Back" as contradictory, then my Friend there isn't much hope for you to understand anything.
Back on page 63 he speaks of Oberfell & Thompson's rule of thumb that that killing ability was based on ounces of shot rather than size of hole. He then proceeds to say "I have found their rule to come close to being correct with perhaps the exception of the 28 gauge which simply kills better than it is supposed to.
He begins the next page with "Ignoring the ""Mysteries"" (these quotes mine) of the 28 gauge temporarily, lets look at the O&T rule of thumb.
He then goes on to show that according to their rule similar effectivness would be obtained by 3/4oz @ 35yds, 1oz @ 40yds & 1Ľoz at 45yds.
This is based on pure mathamatics figuring the areas of circles from guns producing similar patterns havng similar overall spread & shot distribution within the pattern.
He further adds that small bore guns generate higher pressures & thus deform more shot unless special hard shot handloads are used. Note also at this point he is not comparing the 28 to the .410 but to the larger gauges.
The only Mystery I can find to the 28's supposed extra effectiveness is he is comparing those special hard shot handloads to run of the mill promo type loads in the others. They of course could be equally improved in like manner.
This is just not the type of rubbish I expect when I pay money I had to work for to get something so highly lauded as this book was.
There is a lot of good to the book, if you don't already have something better (I did) but it sure is not in relation to the 28 gauge, that part is pure fable.
