A while back I picked up some Italian-made Fiocchi 28 gauge shells at a "bargain". They are marked 11/16 oz 7/0 or (0/7, can't remember which). They have green plastic bodies, roll crimped with a black cardboard overshot wad.

I was going to use them for doves this last weekend, but noticed on closer inspection that the shot appeared, through the translucent plastic, to be rather large. I disassembled one to find, to my great surprise, that it contained only 14 pellets, each much larger than a BB, perhaps .20" diameter or so. You can imagine how shocked I was, as I was expecting a European #7, about equal to our 7 1/2 shot.

What the devil do I have and what kind of game could they possibly be designed for? (I have nine boxes, if anyone has a constructive use for them.)

Based on the size of the shot and the fact that it says 7/0 or 0/7 I take that to mean seven/ought, ie number 7 "buckshot". This is just a guess. In a 28 guage it is probably ment for "varmints", fox and what ever else they might have in Europe. Might also be for some big, Crane type waterfowl.

Sounds like you might have a small fortune there if you can find a big covey of shotgun shell collectors. I've never heard of that load. I'll bet your percentages on doves would have dropped a bit. LOL

Sounds like a skunk, raccoon, armadillo load for the kids to me.

Yep, shore is big shot for such a little gun. Maybe it's for dik-dik and roe deer?

A bit late perhaps, but from the size of the shot it sounds like they may be AAA loads, bigger than BBs but smaller than SSGs, pellets run about 0.22in diameter and 14.8 grains each. It's my favourite shot-size for foxes, but loads are not easy to find and when you do find them the loads are generally European ie Fiocchi or Baikal.
Cheers
Con

I should add AAAs are my favourite in the 12 guage, never seen a 28 in the flesh in Australia. I enquired about ordering one thinking it would be perfect for quail over dogs, but no rep wanted to have a bar of it... its was all too hard.
Con

Thanks for the comments, Con. I sold 3 boxes to a fellow who lives in the country, has a 28 gauge, and wanted them for such barnyard vermin as skunks and armadillos. Hope a tractor tire doesn't get in the way.

You're right about the 28 for such as quail. I have two of them and have shot a couple of others. They are all sweetness and light, and will down birds far out of proportion to their size. Since I don't hunt waterfowl much, if at all, and prefer using a rifle for turkey, I'm not sure I even need another gauge other than the 28. The 28 even makes the 20 gauge seem like a cumbersome blunderbuss. Too bad that they're so rare Down Under; you're missing a great shooting experience.

The 7/0 marking on the shell is part of the Italian system of gauging buckshot equal to our #3. I'm not a collector by any means, but I'd still like to buy what you have left. I have a little nephew that would love to shoot them out of his little single shot. Sellior&Bellot loads 28ga up to about lead BBB but I've never seen any.

DOC