With modern shells a 410 and 28 gauge can do things they couldn’t do in the past. Similar to 223.
Maybe. Im all ears, I just have never seen them “keep up” with a 20ga with lead shot or bismuth, only from TSS. For sure a 410 and especially a 28 are more capable than people give them credit for, absolutely—but as soon as you get above about 7 1/2 shot, what I have seen is a demonstrable and significant handicap in either pattern size or density (or both) compared to a 20, combined with much higher cost and much lower availability. The ability to extend range via choke even for practice is also limited in a 410–sporting clays is a great way to practice and I dont think a built in handicap is really encouraging or helpful in the long run. My opinion is based on shells right up to today, Im not talking about mid-20th century wads, etc. If Im off base Id love to hear details and nuance, but I really think a blanket statement that 410 and 28 are “plenty capable” for anything including waterfowl
when using standard off the shelf ammo is simply inaccurate based on my experience.
Im a longtime bird hunter (35-ish years) and shotgun shooter, but newer waterfowl hunter. I did not waterfowl hunt much last season, but I still went through 100 or so shells. At steel prices thats easy. Bismuth is about 2 1/2x that. Tss is easily 5-6x that, and a 1-year supply if you get into it much more approaches the price of a entry-level semiauto shotgun. Combine that with my total inability to find specialty ammo locally and Id not recommend anyone rely on a niche cartridge without more info about budget, location (can you even mail order ammo where op lives??), etc.
Im a believer in reduced recoil, I just dont see the very-small-gauge juice is worth the squeeze for an all-around gun. This is coming from someone who loaded about 5,000 rounds a year of 3/4oz 12ga shells when I was really into sporting clays. In a rifle you are looking through a scope—your field of view is compromised to begin with and youre trying to be very precise, so recoil makes a big difference keeping eyes on a target. In a shotgun you are not aiming at all, you are focusing on something thats already very close and using both eyes to do it with your full natural field of vision. Less recoil is a benefit for sure, especially with any volume of shooting, but within reason its simply not the issue that it is in a rifle. A 7-71/4lb 20ga is a great compromise between recoil versus versatility, ammo availability, capability, cost etc. An 8lb 12ga really only sacrifices weight and handling to the 20—if you can load up a 410 or 28ga you can just as easily load down a 12ga. Not saying its the only answer to covering everything, but Im pretty convinced its one really good answer to covering everything, even when recoil is a significant consideration. Plus, all those good quality used 12ga’s that the micro-gauge crowd have sitting unused in gunsafes across the country would be a consideration for me too.