On and off Can't decide about a 28 gauge

Anyone got any pictures of birds and there 28. Help me make a decision

28 ammo is more expensive and difficult to find.

Charlito
What brand is it

IMHO. If you are undecided, I would suggest you not get a 28. They are for a really dedicated quail, dove, grouse, smaller game hunter. They're a super little gauge gun. I've owned 3 different ones and traded them off but not because I didn't like them, someone just offered me more $'s than I could turn down. Buy one only, if you are a experienced upland bird hunter and want to look the part. I would then go with a sxs, english stock, double triggered in the lightest wt. that I could locate. They aren't cheap.
If you don't fit this category then buy a light wt. 20, shells are easier to find and buy a 28 later when you become addicted to bird hunting, like me.

No pics...BUT, a 28 ga. is a sweet shotgun, I own two..A Remington 1100 semi-auto and a Mossberg Silver Reserve O/U...Money can't buy them from me...You can get the ammo at Cabela's, Texas Outdoors, any shooting range, and some Academy stores...This caliber will kill birds as effectively as larger bores and will not wear your arm out after a couple of boxes a day. They are the perfect gauge. That said, I also own a few 12's, a couple 16's, and a couple of .410's. When I duck/goose/pheasant hunt I use the 12's (danged steel shot rules)...for everything else it is the 28's first the 16's second. And I grew up shooting 16's exclusively. Oh yea, they are slightly higher to purchase/shoot than other gauges...but you will never notice the increased cost after the first year. Plus, if you reload, they are really cheap to shoot. Hope this helps.

I say go for it, fun shotguns. Ammo cost is the least expensive part of bird hunting/bird dogs, never found it or availability to be a problem. If you shoot a lot of clays with it I guess it might be a bigger factor.

Hey Blanked if you're not certain you want one get a tube set from Briley for your 20, if you have one. A lot less expensive than a complete gun. I have a Beretta o/u 20/28 combo. Just bought last summer, I reload so shells aren't a problem and it is fun to shoot. By the way, I see you live in Magnolia, Carters has the Weatherby 28 auto on sale

Yep I am a SXS double trigger strait stock guy. Have 2 of them in 20. Ugartechea is my gun

Pat F. Is that the gun you had on upland journal.

It is a Renato Gamba Principessa. I think a Uggie 28ga would be hard to beat, they are a lot of gun for the money IMO.

You can't be taken as a serious bird hunter if you don't own a 28 ( tongue firmly planted in cheek). I'd say get one. If you get one, make sure it's on a true 28 frame. What's the point of converting a 12 or 20 with tubes just to shoot a 28 shell? Same goes for the 2 barrel sets. In those guns, the 28 actually weighs more. Lastly, don't shoot 1 oz loads. Might as well stick to a 20 if you do that.

Entry level, hard to beat a Ruger Red Label in 28. They have a cult like following. You can even find them with a English stock. AyA, Merkel and Arietta all make nice SxS versions on 28 frames.

Here's a pick of one of my 28s:

Rizzini makes a small action 28 also if you want to spend close to $5K. All I was suggesting was ways to shoot a 28 without spending a fortune and see if he likes it. I can tell you I shoot a 28 fairly well so going to a better gun sized proportionally is in my future.

They do make a 24 gauge, never tried one , a 28 is perfect enough for me.

An additional comment - two most common statements regarding the 28 gauge are cost and availability. I think both are over stated. Yes, 28s are more expensive than 12s or 20s. If you're shooting a palet or two a year, you're likely a reloader anyway. If you're shooting 8-10 boxes per year (still a lot for an active bird hunter) you'll spend an extra $40-50 per case. To me, that's not even a rounding error in the grand scheme of things. Availability - if you're traveling out of state 1000+ miles (blanked - I know you do), I'm counting that you'll have more shells in your vehicle than you'll be able to shoot on a given hunting trip. I don't think either "concern" is really anything to be worried about. In today's marketplace, there's a Cabelas, BPS, Dicks, Academy, Walmart, Gander Mountain, Sportsman's Warehouse, Scheels, and countless gun shops, etc for Houston to MT, ID, KS, etc - you can find about anything you need reasonably priced on the way to your destination.

Now a 24 gauge creates a valid argument of cost and availability being problematic.

I love my Ruger Red Label 28. Absolutely perfect east TX woodcock gun.

I own two, a Beretta Silver Pigeon and a CZ Woodcock.
Love them both. To me the best upland quail gun there is. Light weight, swings fast and has all the knock down you need for quail.
I also use the Beretta for Pheasant and Dove and I shoot a lot of skeet with it.

And about the ammo.....I reload for about $3.00 per box.

Go for it.

the Berretta 20/28 is a great gun.

It's funny you mention Pheasant with 28ga...I recently saw some 5 or 6 shot in Cabelas, as I was trying to help him get outfitted for a surprise Christmas gift pheasant hunt.

I hunt a place in Kansas, (shooting preserve type hunt) that I thought maybe I should use a 28ga. to see how it works on pheasant...not sure about the wild birds though...normally you need all the gauge you can get with them.

The reason I have my doubts. When birds numbers are low like they are I want to maximize my chance at hitting them. Moving from a 20 to a 28 doesn't help obviously.

Performance difference in minimal out to 30 yards. After a long day with few contacts, a 5 1/2 pound gun carries so much better than a 6 1/2 - 7 lb gun.

Agree 100% spent years carrying the O/U in the pic then 5 or 6 years ago got introduced to the Franchi Fenice 28 gage next to it. Lite as a feather when compared to the O/U and what few birds I get down I can't tell any difference in dropping power out to normal quail ranges. Did I say lite as a feather.

For whatever it's worth, Academy carries the Yildiz brand shotguns and they have a light as a feather 28 gauge O/U for around $400.

I've got a reload recipe for a AA hull that loads 7/8 oz.
I use copper plated no. 5 shot. Throws 'em at 1275 fps.

We generally hunt over dogs in heavy cover and cold weather, hopefully with a little snow. Those birds flush plenty close enough to knock 'em down with a 28.

When we row hunt in the Panhandle, I use a 20 ga. more.

And both of these guns are in the 5.5 to 6 lb range. Light and lean.

Made a quick stop at Cabela's today to buy rifle shells. Ran across target load AAs. $3 more per box for 28 gauge shells. Not much in the grand scheme of things.

One of my great evenings with the GSP's and Citori Gran Lightning 28ga. One heck of a dove/quail gun.

You might be surprised...I can hit almost anything with a 28...especially after more than a dozen or so shots/miles with a heavier gun.

I would like to have that recipe, if you don't mind sharing...I have been wanting to try a 28 on pheasants for a couple of years.

Here ya go:

http://data.hodgdon.com/shotshell_load.asp

1. Hodgdon Lil Gun powder
2. 7/8 oz lead shot ( I buy #5 or #6 copper plated in a 10 lb bag just for pheasants )
3. Ballistic Products "Sporting 28-II" wads, no. 072SG28S
4. Winchester 209

Not trying to hijack here but love the box. Got one that's like it:

I had found some RIO #5 shot that was loaded pretty hot. Was going to use it on pheasant but never got around to it. Hard to put the 16ga down for the big birds.

Hey!! Blanked, check this out
http://www.texashuntingforum.com/forum/u...unt#Post4885490

I own a Rem 1100 28 ga which was my first true gun, other than a single shot 4/10, that I have had since about third grade and I do love it. IT is a sweet shooting little gun, light, little to no recoil, and dependable. HOWEVER, it is just a bit small for my taste. On longer shots it just does not live up to the 20 or 12 (which is my favorite). On availability it is the hardest to love about it. On one of the spur of the moment hunts that come along, it is impossible for me to run down to the store and pick up a box of shells. Then again I live in the middle of nowhere without a Gander, Cabelas, Academy, and barely even a WalMart. My opinion, if you are getting a singel gun, go for the 20 or 12. But if cost and availability of amunition will not be an issue for you, then you will most likely still not be dissapointed w/ the 28....

I picked up a Weatherby SA-08 28ga right before season and had a blast shooting it this year. This wasn't my "foot in the door" with sub-gauge shotguns, depending on where I was headed I had been toting my 410 o/u. I went with the SA-08 for two reasons 1)price and 2) one of the only semi guns I could find in a 28ga that was offered with a 28" barrel. Recap of the season and gun was a success and I'm please with the gun and its performance.......just a option to think about when the time comes to make a choice. Best of luck and have fun.

jrg

I bought a .28 gauge Browning Pump this fall, and I love it. You can find ammo in a lot of places, but it does cost more.

I found some 1 oz #6 at cabelas. I took this on a panhandle pen raised pheasant hunt. It works great when you hit them hard. They folded really nice. Only problem is that you really have to be on the pheasants. If your shot is a little off then you will wound the bird. If you hit once in the [censored] then it won't take it down like a big .12 gauge will.

I would get it.

I tried to shoot a crane with mine, but they didn't get close enough. I am going to try to kill a turkey wiht it though.

I shoot a .410 most of the time when I am hunting quail. I am planning to get a Beretta 28 ga this year. Not for any real reason just have always wanted one. I have a friend who shoots one exclusively for everything including pheasant.

I shoot a 16 gauge side by side with double triggers. It is lightweight and I worked on the stock to make it fit correctly.
Two things to remember, one is if you have to carry a gun all day then at day's end- if you are tired from a heavier gun you might not shoot as well, however there are some light weight guns in larger gauges.
Second, how the gun patterns since only hits count. Even if the 28 has less pellets, if it throws excellent patterns that put plenty of pellets in the killing zone- then you are good to go.
Still, a larger pellet count generally is better. A larger gauge often throws better patterns- still, I have rarely met anyone with a 28 that didn't like it.

I have read and heard anectdotally that the 28 is renowned for its near perfect patterns-which some say makes it as effective as most 20s. Have you heard this too?

The brand is Bobo shot all my birds, it gets worse when he duck hunts with me.

I have three 28's....O/U,S/S, and Benelli Auto.... love them...always feel under gunned...don't know why.