...for some reason unknown to me the 28ga is a magic shotgun.
Actually this issue is the number of pellets not distance they travel. 1300fps from a 12ga is the same as 1300fps from a 28ga. With the smaller gauge you'll have fewer pellets on target, no matter the distance. This becomes a real issue the farther the target is from the shooter as the number of shot on target goes down quickly. That said, for some reason unknown to me the 28ga is a magic shotgun. It seems to shoot better patterns than any other gauge I have tried (12ga, 16ga, 20ga). Use quality ammunition and shoot well and it is fine for pheasants. Center the bird and it will go down. My recommendation is to shoot the gun that you shoot best with. Don't worry so much about the gauge.
So would it help the shooter to choke the gun more so you have more pellets in the kill zone at 30-35 yards? What choke are you using right now for pheasants?
I use a beretta 391 urika gold 12 gauge. I just bout a 28 gauge because i always wanted one. I was just curious what people thought, didnt mean to cause any problems.
I do some guiding for a pheasant and duck preserve near me. I took two older gentlemen out for pheasants in the morning and ducks in the afternoon. They couldn't walk much so the pheasants were hard for them to get close to but they killed their birds. When we went to the duck pass the one guy told the other guy, you shoot first and I will clean up after you. The clean up guy never let a bird get past them. What we he shooting you might ask? A .410!!! That is right. Shooting after the other older gentleman missed with a 12 gauge he knocked them down with a .410! Just goes to show you if you shoot well it doesn't matter what gauge you use!