The 28-30-120 was designed by Charles H. Herrick for the Stevens Company around 1900 in answer to a demand for a cartridge a little more powerful than the .25-caliber cartridges, but not quite as large as the .32-40, so that it could be used satisfactorily for deer, small game, or 200-yard target shooting. Obsolete around 1918 and no longer listed in catalogues.