Let me throw you another curve ball. I have always liked short barrelled guns for upland hunting, especially in rough terrain. The main reason I would buy a 28 ga. to use instead of a 20 ga would be to save on weight and to have a more manuverable gun. What else does the 28 ga really have to offer over a 12 or a 20? So, unless you shoot as poorly with 26" barrels as the "experts" would have you believe you will, why would you want to drag around the extra weight and fight your way through heavy cover with the extra length of longer barrels? My favorite upland gun (not perfect) is a lightweight 12 ga., 26" barrelled Parker, choked cyl and full. It doesn't tear up birds on close shots, and I can usually wait a second or 2 if the follow up shot seems to be too close for the full choke barrel. And when I have to take a long shot, I have the appropriate choke to do so. That would seem even more important with a 28 ga. And while I admit I'm more comfortable shooting a long barrelled gun for trap, barrel length does not seem to affect my skeet shooting (which is more akin to the bird hunting I do)one way or the other.
