I have shot both quite a bit, and I prefer the longer barrel considerably. The short rifles make sense in many situations where shots are timed, you have cramped space, or you hold for a long time for the shot. I have not found any real situations with the shotgun where the extra length was not a plus for swing, balance, pointing. I guess turkey from a blind - but you probably won't be using a 28 ga. I only wish I had run across a 20 ga TDC before they stopped making them.