28 Gauge O/U, the Hot New Thing?

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GrayGhost
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28 Gauge O/U, the Hot New Thing?

Post by GrayGhost » Thu Jan 05, 2017 2:53 pm

So after having a hunting dog now for a couple of years and reading posts here, I decided that I wanted to join the crowd and get an O/U shotgun for bird hunting. So for the last few months I've been reading up and checking out gun stores to see what I might want. I had thought I was settled on a 20 gauge Silver Pigeon, as I already own a few 12 gauge guns and I liked the weight and feel of the gun. So while I was traveling for work I wandered into a Cabela's in Denver before my flight left to just see what they had, while there I ran into a guy in their gun vault who was really big on the 28 gauge o/u's and said they're the hot guns in the shotgun world right now. He was so excited and knowledgeable about O/U's that he half sold me right there to skip the 20 gauge and go to a 28.

His reasons for the 28 gauge were that for upland bird hunting the pattern is better on a 28 gauge, that its a better seated gun, and it's a lighter gun. His main downside on the gun was the cost of ammunition. When I checked the ammo didn't seem prohibitively expensive that I wouldn't get one based solely on that.

So now he's sent me back to the drawing board a little bit on considering a 28 gauge now. And since I'm back to researching and looking, I thought I might throw it out here and see if anyone has any opinions on the 28 or thoughts as I look around. Is it the hot new thing? Pros and cons? What can it handle what can't it handle bird wise? What should I be thinking about that I maybe am not?

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Re: 28 Gauge O/U, the Hot New Thing?

Post by ezzy333 » Thu Jan 05, 2017 3:15 pm

You need to think about humanely killing the birds you hunt, availability and cost of ammo, the versatility of shells available, and the reduction of shell inventory by limiting the gauges of your guns that you hunt with. A 28 is a great little gun but on the verge of not being adequate for the larger birds we hunt.
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Re: 28 Gauge O/U, the Hot New Thing?

Post by randomnut » Thu Jan 05, 2017 3:16 pm

I picked up the Stevens 555 in 28 gauge over the summer. It's just a touch over 5lbs. It patterns better than my Franchi 20 or Beretta 12.

My main reason for purchase was the weight. I did find it hard to get used to the weight while handling during a flush. Other than that I'm loving it.

Recoil is actually kinda surprising. I imagine it would be a rough kicker with heavy loads. For quail I find it just about perfect. Never hunted wild chukar or pheasant, but I imagine it would be a little light for those.

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Re: 28 Gauge O/U, the Hot New Thing?

Post by jetjockey » Thu Jan 05, 2017 3:23 pm

28ga has always been a great bore, and with pigeon loads your getting close to a 20ga. But it's not a 20ga. If your going to shoot bigger birds like pheasant, go to a 20, with everything else, go to a 28 and have fun. Skip the O/U and go straight to a SxS though, IMO you will be glad you did.

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Re: 28 Gauge O/U, the Hot New Thing?

Post by Mountaineer » Thu Jan 05, 2017 3:43 pm

The cabela's gun library would be down the list re experienced opinions...on average.

The 28 gauge works fine on birds ruffed grouse size and smaller, especially when light and loose feathered....with ruffed grouse tho, one may see more birds returned with the head up.
Personally, one decides what width of margin is ethically acceptable and there enters the individual's preference with bird, the shots, the distances and the desire to kill something.
The 20 gauge, regardless of 28 puffery, is more shell.....the 28 gauge happiest with 7/8 loads....1 oz. works after a fashion but...20 works better. A twenty, ime, handles shot larger than #6 ...better, as well.
It all depends upon those individual factors earlier mentioned.
I liked my 28...used it for several seasons and ...sold it.
While the 28 gauge will work, often easily and well, a day on a margin of conditions can render it less than the wisest choice.

However, skip either option and consider the 16 gauge....SxS or Sweet 16 Auto 5. :D

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Re: 28 Gauge O/U, the Hot New Thing?

Post by nikegundog » Thu Jan 05, 2017 4:13 pm

I can't think of one advantage a 28 has over a 20. A sub 5# gun is great to carry, if you never have to shoot the thing...... Don't understand paying a premium for a gun and ammunition, and then get less gun. It's not shocking that Cabela's pedaling a 28 gauge, they will also point you in the direction of the latest and greatest rifle cartridges that never seem to make it into the main stream. My 2 cents.

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Re: 28 Gauge O/U, the Hot New Thing?

Post by jetjockey » Thu Jan 05, 2017 4:32 pm

A 28 is typically much quicker, with almost no difference in punch. That's the advantage. Guys that say the 28 is on the verge of not being enough need to learn how to shoot. The 28 is more than enough gun for everything up to and including late season roosters. If you going to primarily hunt pheasants I would step up to a 20, but for everything else, a 28 is plenty. Hot 28ga loads push 7/8oz of 5's and 6's at 1300fps. If you can't kill a rooster with that load, the issue isn't the gun.

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Re: 28 Gauge O/U, the Hot New Thing?

Post by art hubbard » Thu Jan 05, 2017 5:08 pm

I have use a Ruger Red Label straight stock f or years with my other o/u's , this little gun is sweet. As for pheasants, if your shooting over pointing dogs I don't think you need anything bigger. IMO

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Re: 28 Gauge O/U, the Hot New Thing?

Post by Gordon Guy » Thu Jan 05, 2017 5:12 pm

What kind of birds do you hunt? It makes a difference. The shell manufacturers have recently come out with a 3" shell for the 28 and I believe Benelli (sp?) has a autoloader that is chambered for them. I have two 28's and reserve them for use on quail and sometimes take it out for Huns. On Huns I would have to be choosy about which shots to take. I learned that the hard way and am ashamed at myself for loosing "Too many" birds. Huns, if not hit well, will run and run... The 2 3/4" shells generally hold 3/4 oz's of shot. I shoot 5's and 6's at these western birds.

As a general rule the gun fit should matter more than the gauge. You'll shoot more birds with a gun that fits you better than if you pick a gun for the gauge instead of fit. I wish I could find a 12 that handled like my 28's. For humane reasons I would choose that gun
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Re: 28 Gauge O/U, the Hot New Thing?

Post by Mountaineer » Thu Jan 05, 2017 5:54 pm

Depending upon the conditions found in the real world, a 12 gauge can be on the verge or margins of not being enough.
The 28's margin is simply smaller....no way around it or to excuse/ignore away that reality.

Shooting well is always a concern and a note which is often tooted as if that unfailing and unflinching(pun intended) ability covers all sins.....shooting well tho is not as important as knowing when not to shoot.
And for most humans, imperfect as we can be, a greater margin can find value on those days when we, many of us, err....just a bit and may shoot when ...perhaps we should not.
With the value found being centerpoint to the respect of the bird.
Now, in truth, a larger gauge can also give a bit too much confidence to a shooter and...problems arise.
Life tho, normally indicates the wisdom of going with the odds...not with "watch 'is" or ego or "I got me a new miracle 28 gauge scattergun".

Despite the nicety delivered by 7/8 ounce out of a 28 or 1 ounce, for a scattergun that handles it, one must deal with the reality that less....simply is and always will be.
Is a 28 gauge workable?...often......is it magic?...nope.....is it a best choice...maybe, depending upon the bird, et al and the experience a hunter displays in exercising restraint and not depending too much on a good retriever.

Beyond that, light weight in a scattergun is widely overblown in value.
Balance and more is where importance lies....and it often takes a fair bit of shooting to determine that we have found a darn good gun or are simply in a long honeymoon of liking a new gun and success is tracking an increased focus...it is that focus more than gauge or weight or barrel orientation that helps swat stuff.

To me, IF...one has to ask this question of 28 or 20 and IF Cabelas advice seems ok then....choose a 20 gauge, shoot the bluing off it in practice and then consider well that, on some days, another bird will always come along.
It is what most of us do with any gauge.

Good luck to the OP.

Edit:.The 28 gauge has been around a good spell, loads have been somewhat recently developed which exhibit the same pluses as in other gauges but....a 28 gauge is neither new nor hot.
Choose the 28 when it fits(pun again intended)....not when it sparkles like a ball of tinfoil in front of a kitten.

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Re: 28 Gauge O/U, the Hot New Thing?

Post by nikegundog » Thu Jan 05, 2017 8:52 pm

art hubbard wrote:I have use a Ruger Red Label straight stock f or years with my other o/u's , this little gun is sweet. As for pheasants, if your shooting over pointing dogs I don't think you need anything bigger. IMO
Yes, if one had to have a 28, it's the one to get, weighing in at a little over 6 lbs. Unfortunately it's no longer in production.

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Re: 28 Gauge O/U, the Hot New Thing?

Post by jetjockey » Thu Jan 05, 2017 9:43 pm

No one will ever convince me that 7/8-1oz of shot at 1125-1300fps isn't enough to easily kill all upland game birds in this country, or in any other country for that matter. Maybe it's because that's all I ever shoot. I have several stories of people telling me I wasn't using enough gun, only to be proven wrong later. IMO the shell manufactures have done a wonderful job of making people believe you need Prairie Storm and other super velocity shells to kill birds. Yet, when I see someone load RST's into their guns I immediately recognize someone who probably won't miss many birds..... In SA two summers ago our first morning hunt was for decoyed Egyptians. The trip planner told us to leave our 20's in the states since they weren't enough gun for African birds, and they certainly weren't enough for Egyptians. They loaned us some Beretta semi 12 gauges for the Egyptian hunt. I proceeded to make myself look like a fool shooting a gun I'd never shot before...... That night we were given our 20's back for the duck hunt, knowing there may be an Egyptian or Spur Wing that might also present a passing shot as well. After we folded our 4th or 5th passing Egyptian our PH laughed and said, well I guess you guys didn't need those 12's this morning did ya. We just grinned.... A fast, smooth swinging gun that allows you to put the pattern on the bird is so much more important than the size of the bore... And for those wondering what kind of birds I hunt, I primarily hunt late season pheasant and blue quail.

These late season pheasants certainly didn't like 7/8oz of #5's at 1125FPS.
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Re: 28 Gauge O/U, the Hot New Thing?

Post by Mountaineer » Fri Jan 06, 2017 7:41 am

One value in a message board is in assisting, in whatever small way and in providing to one who asks, opinions and reality on scattergun or dog topics, apart from puffery and individual preference.
Honest quantifiable skinny, in other words which may well be different than the anecdotal evidence so often thought as indicating more of importance than that delivered by a moment in Time.
Moments which, of course, we all have experienced....yet we all do not need to enlarge those moments to generalizations and for folks other than ourselves.
Needing to "convince" others to a preference is really not of an issue....few of us have that need, comparably.
'Course, the 16 is a swell gauge. :D

It is for the OP to sift thru, fit & try and then come up with what works for him or her and, most importantly, takes into account ethics and the bird, on those bad days and in less than perfect situations.
While worst case should never drive every second of our lives, one should see the wisdom in advising to many folks the problems of working at the edge of a clift....the margins are narrow there.
The nice thing about scatterguns is that many options will work on many days and so we all may and often do change up over the decades.....Birdhunters tho, normally place the bird in the forefront of any decision or change up.

Good luck again to the OP and to his finding satisfaction at whatever point of the scattergun two-track he is presently passing.

Edit: RSTs are nice shotshells, the papers especially, when one can get 'em.
But, I have discovered that rating folks afield based upon first glance, gear and the fiddly bits they adopt can often be premature.
Too often, many try to purchase a rep.
All should try and make it a good day today.

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Re: 28 Gauge O/U, the Hot New Thing?

Post by Gordon Guy » Fri Jan 06, 2017 10:36 am

art hubbard wrote:I have use a Ruger Red Label straight stock for years with my other o/u's , this little gun is sweet.
I agree with this. They feel so nice in the hand. Not too light or whippy.
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Re: 28 Gauge O/U, the Hot New Thing?

Post by GrayGhost » Fri Jan 06, 2017 2:56 pm

Thanks for all the replies guys, I'm picking up a lot of great information here. Like some have mentioned I haven't usually found the Cabela's gun guys to be the most knowledgeable, but like I said I was killing time before a flight and this guys seemed to be an exception. He said he was an instructor, and what he had to say made sense and seemed competent, but I wasn't going to buy until I had done my own research.

I mostly hunt Chukars and Pheasant out here so that's what I have to use when considering what to get.

Jet Jockey, I haven't really looked into the SxS's a whole lot, any particular reason a person getting there first double barrel should look at those instead of the O/U's? I've shot both but not a whole lot, and all of my hunting has been done with an old Wingmaster 870 that my dad bought the year before I was born to hunt pheasant in Eastern Montana on his sales calls. So any advice or insight is greatly appreciated. Mostly I'm enjoying the learning process talking to new guys and gun shopping as much as anything, I think my wife will be happy though when I finally make my purchase.

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Re: 28 Gauge O/U, the Hot New Thing?

Post by jetjockey » Sat Jan 07, 2017 8:55 am

Weight and speed. I, like you, started out with an 870 Wingmaster my dad got for me. I thought that was the only shotgun I'd ever need. Then I moved to GA and met a guy who became a great friend and he straightened me out! ;-). He told me it was "bleep" near Anti America to shoot bob white quail with a pump action 12ga. So my next gun was a Beretta O/U 20ga. I shot that for a couple years and then stumbled across an LC smith 20ga SxS. At first I wasn't sure about the sight picture, but the more I shot it the better I became with it. Now that SxS is like a wand and extension of my eyes. It comes up fast and hits what I'm looking at, moreso than my Beretta. I'm convinced that SxS's make better upland guns because of weight, speed, and the sight picture. I just purchased another SxS in 12 ga for pheasants. It weighs 6lbs 10oz but feels much lighter than my Beretta, which is actually lighter. I think there is a natural progression for guys who love guns and enjoy the uplands. Semi or pump actions for your first gun, then an O/U, then a SxS. Once you mount a 28 ga SxS that runs just shy 6lbs, I think you will see what I mean. To me, the 20 ga and 28 ga O/U's typically fell almost exactly the same, and many are exactly the same because so many 28's are built on 20 ga frames. If your going to buy a 28ga gun that's built on a 20ga frame, you might as well just buy a 20.

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Re: 28 Gauge O/U, the Hot New Thing?

Post by nikegundog » Mon Jan 09, 2017 10:02 am

GrayGhost wrote:Thanks for all the replies guys, I'm picking up a lot of great information here. Like some have mentioned I haven't usually found the Cabela's gun guys to be the most knowledgeable, but like I said I was killing time before a flight and this guys seemed to be an exception. He said he was an instructor, and what he had to say made sense and seemed competent, but I wasn't going to buy until I had done my own research.

I mostly hunt Chukars and Pheasant out here so that's what I have to use when considering what to get.

Jet Jockey, I haven't really looked into the SxS's a whole lot, any particular reason a person getting there first double barrel should look at those instead of the O/U's? I've shot both but not a whole lot, and all of my hunting has been done with an old Wingmaster 870 that my dad bought the year before I was born to hunt pheasant in Eastern Montana on his sales calls. So any advice or insight is greatly appreciated. Mostly I'm enjoying the learning process talking to new guys and gun shopping as much as anything, I think my wife will be happy though when I finally make my purchase.
Ghost, a side x side is like aiming down a 2 x 4. :D That is why in some clay shooting competitions they handicap you with 5 extra birds for shooting one. It works for some guys, but in competition no one who is shooting to win is bringing their 2 x 4.

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Re: 28 Gauge O/U, the Hot New Thing?

Post by ezzy333 » Mon Jan 09, 2017 10:24 am

nikegundog wrote:
GrayGhost wrote:Thanks for all the replies guys, I'm picking up a lot of great information here. Like some have mentioned I haven't usually found the Cabela's gun guys to be the most knowledgeable, but like I said I was killing time before a flight and this guys seemed to be an exception. He said he was an instructor, and what he had to say made sense and seemed competent, but I wasn't going to buy until I had done my own research.

I mostly hunt Chukars and Pheasant out here so that's what I have to use when considering what to get.

Jet Jockey, I haven't really looked into the SxS's a whole lot, any particular reason a person getting there first double barrel should look at those instead of the O/U's? I've shot both but not a whole lot, and all of my hunting has been done with an old Wingmaster 870 that my dad bought the year before I was born to hunt pheasant in Eastern Montana on his sales calls. So any advice or insight is greatly appreciated. Mostly I'm enjoying the learning process talking to new guys and gun shopping as much as anything, I think my wife will be happy though when I finally make my purchase.
Ghost, a side x side is like aiming down a 2 x 4. :D That is why in some clay shooting competitions they handicap you with 5 extra birds for shooting one. It works for some guys, but in competition no one who is shooting to win is bringing their 2 x 4.
Right on! Been years since I have seen one at any competition.
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Re: 28 Gauge O/U, the Hot New Thing?

Post by Gordon Guy » Mon Jan 09, 2017 11:03 am

nikegundog wrote:
GrayGhost wrote:Thanks for all the replies guys, I'm picking up a lot of great information here. Like some have mentioned I haven't usually found the Cabela's gun guys to be the most knowledgeable, but like I said I was killing time before a flight and this guys seemed to be an exception. He said he was an instructor, and what he had to say made sense and seemed competent, but I wasn't going to buy until I had done my own research.

I mostly hunt Chukars and Pheasant out here so that's what I have to use when considering what to get.

Jet Jockey, I haven't really looked into the SxS's a whole lot, any particular reason a person getting there first double barrel should look at those instead of the O/U's? I've shot both but not a whole lot, and all of my hunting has been done with an old Wingmaster 870 that my dad bought the year before I was born to hunt pheasant in Eastern Montana on his sales calls. So any advice or insight is greatly appreciated. Mostly I'm enjoying the learning process talking to new guys and gun shopping as much as anything, I think my wife will be happy though when I finally make my purchase.
Ghost, a side x side is like aiming down a 2 x 4. :D That is why in some clay shooting competitions they handicap you with 5 extra birds for shooting one. It works for some guys, but in competition no one who is shooting to win is bringing their 2 x 4.
You can aim a rifle, one points a shotgun... Can't argue with competition shooters I'm sure they know what works. But clays guns and bird guns are two different animals. To make a point... Hunting woodcock and quail in thick cover calls for a different gun than a late season pheasant hunter or duck hunter (when one sees the bird from a distance and follow-through is important) , one wants a quick handling gun for point and shoot (Instinctive) situations and the other wants some weight for a good follow through and recoil absorption.

Just saying! So don't poo poo us SXS shooters and our guns. :lol: 2X4 HUH! 8)
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Re: 28 Gauge O/U, the Hot New Thing?

Post by Mountaineer » Mon Jan 09, 2017 12:02 pm

Advantages can be imagined for all the scattergun types....as with dogs.

The 2X4 or broad sighting plane of a SxS can be reckoned an advantage when against a thick or leafy background....while, as noted, one wisely should never aim a flushed birdhunting scattergun, one does often have the bulk of the SxS barrels as a good reference point, acknowledged or not, for the shot.
Especially an advantage for a small barrel such as a 28 gauge.
Not a game-ender but...can make a difference...kinda sorta like the terrible wind-resistance evidenced by an O/U on a swing-thru.

Clay competition naturally involves games where one runs horses for courses....like field trials in a way.
However, the real stcker for SxSs is cost vs. the balanced, recoil handling and fine trigger options available for competition ....other than SxS specific events, of course.
Again, as with field trials, the little advantages can loom large when winning in competition is often built upon small differences.
So, one goes with where the advances for competion reside...as well as folks do like to keep; up with the Jones family.

Subtly "bleep" preferences...a message board staple, whether artfully cloaked, or not.

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Re: 28 Gauge O/U, the Hot New Thing?

Post by GrayGhost » Mon Jan 09, 2017 12:48 pm

Thanks guys I really appreciate your time and comments, it's really helping me out as I researching different guns. Looks like I need take a closer look at sxs's. I think I'm going to look around some more and see if I can get my hands on some where I can do a little more shooting with both a sxs and o/u.

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Re: 28 Gauge O/U, the Hot New Thing?

Post by Tooling » Mon Jan 09, 2017 4:40 pm

Might I suggest keeping eyes locked on the bird in lieu of staring at the barrel configuration while shooting..

SxS is where it's at in the uplands but if you savages want to insist on shooting homeboy style..be my guest :)

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Re: 28 Gauge O/U, the Hot New Thing?

Post by oldbeek » Mon Jan 09, 2017 8:59 pm

My old hunting partner was small in stature and always carried an 870 wingmaste 12 gar. To me it was heavy. I always carried a 5.5 lb 16 ga. He would on a regular basis shoot 98 or 99 in trap meets. He didn't even have the trigger assy upgrade. His cheek rest would be raised for trap meets using duct tape. The high class gun shooters would go nuts when he beat them. Once he shot 100 at 27 yards. We hunted quail from sun up to sun down and killed to many quail to count. It is not the gun that hits the birds.

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Re: 28 Gauge O/U, the Hot New Thing?

Post by jetjockey » Mon Jan 09, 2017 10:17 pm

nikegundog wrote:
GrayGhost wrote:Thanks for all the replies guys, I'm picking up a lot of great information here. Like some have mentioned I haven't usually found the Cabela's gun guys to be the most knowledgeable, but like I said I was killing time before a flight and this guys seemed to be an exception. He said he was an instructor, and what he had to say made sense and seemed competent, but I wasn't going to buy until I had done my own research.

I mostly hunt Chukars and Pheasant out here so that's what I have to use when considering what to get.

Jet Jockey, I haven't really looked into the SxS's a whole lot, any particular reason a person getting there first double barrel should look at those instead of the O/U's? I've shot both but not a whole lot, and all of my hunting has been done with an old Wingmaster 870 that my dad bought the year before I was born to hunt pheasant in Eastern Montana on his sales calls. So any advice or insight is greatly appreciated. Mostly I'm enjoying the learning process talking to new guys and gun shopping as much as anything, I think my wife will be happy though when I finally make my purchase.
Ghost, a side x side is like aiming down a 2 x 4. :D That is why in some clay shooting competitions they handicap you with 5 extra birds for shooting one. It works for some guys, but in competition no one who is shooting to win is bringing their 2 x 4.
You also get to pre-mount your gun in competition, shoot a much heavier gun, use a 12 ga, etc. Today I yelled "pull",
when my dog was standing a wild covey of bobs and it did nothing. Darn birds didn't seem to understand what i wanted from them. Of course when I went in to flush and darn near fell on my tail, birds flushed everywhere. I still managed to get one because the gun I was shooting was light and fast, and even though I never truely mounted the gun, I still had the bird right off the end of the barrel. In the hunting world, shots never seem to be ideal, at least for me they never are.... My 870 Wingmaster hasn't been brought out to hunt in almost 10 years. It's just way too slow for fast birds like bobs in the brush.

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Re: 28 Gauge O/U, the Hot New Thing?

Post by Mountaineer » Tue Jan 10, 2017 6:21 am

oldbeek wrote:My old hunting partner was small in stature and always carried an 870 wingmaste 12 gar. To me it was heavy. I always carried a 5.5 lb 16 ga. He would on a regular basis shoot 98 or 99 in trap meets. He didn't even have the trigger assy upgrade. His cheek rest would be raised for trap meets using duct tape. The high class gun shooters would go nuts when he beat them. Once he shot 100 at 27 yards. We hunted quail from sun up to sun down and killed to many quail to count. It is not the gun that hits the birds.

98-99 or an odd straight will not win many registered trap shoots, even in 16s.....it may get one into shoot-offs.
Shoot after shoot, week after week, day after day is the call......duct tape can loosen at an inopportune time. :D
Scattergun and it's particulars matters....from a mental aspect alone.

Still, one recalls Arnold Reiger and what he started with......a winchester M37, as I recall, before he went to the M12.
Some folks just can shoot....many figger the reason they have a back fence moved to 27 yards was...Arnold Reiger.
Be nice to have a nickle for every story of a buddy pal shooting lights out with duct tape and a barn gun.
Arnolds....be rare, when reality is reckoned.

It's never a single anything that scores, in other than the odd moment.....it's the combination of dog, gun, man, luck and a peck more.
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Re: 28 Gauge O/U, the Hot New Thing?

Post by nikegundog » Tue Jan 10, 2017 11:29 am

jetjockey wrote:
You also get to pre-mount your gun in competition, shoot a much heavier gun, use a 12 ga, etc. Today I yelled "pull",
when my dog was standing a wild covey of bobs and it did nothing. Darn birds didn't seem to understand what i wanted from them. Of course when I went in to flush and darn near fell on my tail, birds flushed everywhere. I still managed to get one because the gun I was shooting was light and fast, and even though I never truely mounted the gun, I still had the bird right off the end of the barrel. In the hunting world, shots never seem to be ideal, at least for me they never are.... My 870 Wingmaster hasn't been brought out to hunt in almost 10 years. It's just way too slow for fast birds like bobs in the brush.
I surely understand that when you are standing over planted birds kicking at them with your boot to get a bird in the air, sight plain makes no difference. I also wouldn't advocate carry a 9# gun afield (nor a sub 6# gun). All I saying is in a game where shots are actually counted, an excuses are pretty much nil, the argument over which sight plain is superior has readily been established.

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Re: 28 Gauge O/U, the Hot New Thing?

Post by nikegundog » Tue Jan 10, 2017 11:34 am

Gordon Guy wrote:

Just saying! So don't poo poo us SXS shooters and our guns. :lol: 2X4 HUH! 8)
Love SxS's, and I sure miss old Ryman, and his Elsie's he use to post on this forum. If I recall Jetjockey had a thread on the restoration of his, over on the DGJ.

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Re: 28 Gauge O/U, the Hot New Thing?

Post by GrayGhost » Tue Jan 10, 2017 12:43 pm

oldbeek wrote:My old hunting partner was small in stature and always carried an 870 wingmaste 12 gar. To me it was heavy. I always carried a 5.5 lb 16 ga. He would on a regular basis shoot 98 or 99 in trap meets. He didn't even have the trigger assy upgrade. His cheek rest would be raised for trap meets using duct tape. The high class gun shooters would go nuts when he beat them. Once he shot 100 at 27 yards. We hunted quail from sun up to sun down and killed to many quail to count. It is not the gun that hits the birds.
I know what you are saying oldbeek, I understand that this is purely a frivolous purchase in the grand scheme of things, and I can miss just as easily with o/u or sxs as I can with my 870 :) . But I've been saving a few bucks here and there and I think there are worse things to spend money on than a new gun.

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Re: 28 Gauge O/U, the Hot New Thing?

Post by jetjockey » Tue Jan 10, 2017 3:59 pm

nikegundog wrote:
Gordon Guy wrote:

Just saying! So don't poo poo us SXS shooters and our guns. :lol: 2X4 HUH! 8)
Love SxS's, and I sure miss old Ryman, and his Elsie's he use to post on this forum. If I recall Jetjockey had a thread on the restoration of his, over on the DGJ.
I did...... I love that little gun. I shoot RST's and it's a hammer on everything I shoot it at. That's why it amazes me when people say a 28 isn't enough gun. If you put the pattern on the bird, the bird will die. I like SxS's in the field, and I don't shoot much competition. However, the best I ever shot on a range was with a Beretta O/U competition gun. That gun was awesome, but it's about the last gun Id want in the field. For the birds I hunt, speed is critical.

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Re: 28 Gauge O/U, the Hot New Thing?

Post by Bowguy » Sat Jan 26, 2019 3:33 pm

I’ve used a 28 for prob 30 years. I initially bought it to challenge myself. It’s not a challenge. The main thing I noticed was I did not tear game up as badly.
The weight factor needs consideration. I have a 28 Pigeon and rarely use it. It’s too light. I typically use a Browning 525. It’s heavier and it swings through better.
Here’s a part of the op post I don’t understand. A 28 with less payload patterns better? Only if you overchoked a load and caused crazy flyers.
There’s many variables to patterns. Choke, shot size, shot type, wad type, barrel diameter, barrel length, etc. I think a 20 will pattern better but that’s not my concern.
Availability- I reload and I don’t see the problem but I understand many don’t. That being said a few bucks more or less wont kill most guys when they’re talking thousands of dollars for a gun very often

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Re: 28 Gauge O/U, the Hot New Thing?

Post by OhioVizsla » Fri Feb 08, 2019 7:09 pm

Gordon Guy wrote: nikegundog wrote:
I shot a 28 ga. Browning Citori featherlight with a straight stock for 25 years as my main gun. Shot it in NSTRA trials and hunted everything from doves to roosters, plus a few ducks & geese with it. I finally sent the metal back to Browning for a reblue & replacement of all worn parts. Then I had the wood redone & had 18 coats of clear coat finish. It looked better than new. I shot it for a couple of years until a friend showed me his 28 ga Redlabel with a straight stock.......sweet gun. Two months later I bought one. I've shot it now for the last 8 months on doves, woodcock, pheasant, prairie chickens, and quail. It's now my main gun......when I pick up that old Browning, it feels like a 12 gauge!

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Re: 28 Gauge O/U, the Hot New Thing?

Post by GrayGhost » Thu Feb 14, 2019 3:34 pm

Bowguy wrote:I’ve used a 28 for prob 30 years. I initially bought it to challenge myself. It’s not a challenge. The main thing I noticed was I did not tear game up as badly.
The weight factor needs consideration. I have a 28 Pigeon and rarely use it. It’s too light. I typically use a Browning 525. It’s heavier and it swings through better.
Here’s a part of the op post I don’t understand. A 28 with less payload patterns better? Only if you overchoked a load and caused crazy flyers.
There’s many variables to patterns. Choke, shot size, shot type, wad type, barrel diameter, barrel length, etc. I think a 20 will pattern better but that’s not my concern.
Availability- I reload and I don’t see the problem but I understand many don’t. That being said a few bucks more or less wont kill most guys when they’re talking thousands of dollars for a gun very often
Bowguy I wasn’t trying to say that the 28 gauge patterns better, that was what I was told as I was starting my search and I was trying to figure it out. I ended up moving next door to a competition clay shooter and fellow chukar hunter and I asked him what was meant by saying the 28 patterned better, he went into it a bit for me, but the main part that I remember him telling me, is that the way the shot comes out it has a shorter shot string giving it more punch when it hits the bird.
I actually ended up being able to purchase both a Browning Side by Side 20 gauge and a Ruger Red Label 28 gauge. I really am liking that Red Label and I’ve been chasing chukars with it this year.

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Re: 28 Gauge O/U, the Hot New Thing?

Post by averageguy » Sat Feb 16, 2019 8:04 pm

Interesting Thread.

I have a couple of 28s and like them. I agree that the short shot string results in the 28 gauge killing bigger than its load might imply it would or could. I have a Franchi Veloce O/U and Benelli Legacy semi-auto, they both weigh 5lbs which can be a bit whippy on a hard crossing shot, but I like it as I carry them. Am looking into buying another 28 O/U with longer barrels and a 5.5 lb weight.

I shoot Winchester AA SuperSports 7.5s 3/4 oz at 1300 FPS and find it to be an excellent load for quail and doves. Close range pheasants (and sometimes not so close) will die to that load as well if well placed on target. If I am targeting pheasants I switch to Fiocchi Golden Pheasant 7/8 oz load at 1300 FPS in nickel plated 6s as I favor a higher pellet count vs the 5s I like in a 12 gauge. I buy those two loads by the case and it is no more difficult or expensive to buy than the same brands/loads I use in my 12 gauge.

I also shoot a 6lb 12 gauge semi-auto when ranges get longer, late season birds are more heavily feathered and shooting opportunities are harder to come by. I use a 12 gauge for waterfowl. More shot in a pattern (which is still good), going at a faster velocity is more effective. Its physics not opinion.

The better shooter argument does not alter those physics and the same good shot can do some amazing things with a larger, faster load if they choose to do so. I take more birds with less shells using my 12 gauge and take/make longer ranges shots with the 12. I like and use them both.

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Re: 28 Gauge O/U, the Hot New Thing?

Post by Timewise65 » Sun Feb 17, 2019 9:47 am

Many good comments here.....

I have recently been going through this same process of trying to decided on a new gun for pheasant, quail, and dove. After looking at and trying a few different gages and styles (that friends let me try), I have decided to find a 16ga SxS….something about this gage and the fact I started out on a 12ga SxS many years ago, that helped me make up my mind. Now I just need to find one that fits me well or one that is easily set up for me....

I think what is important is that we get a gun that we feel is the right gun for what we want to use it for....as with everything, we all may come up with different conclusions...

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Re: 28 Gauge O/U, the Hot New Thing?

Post by roaniecowpony » Thu Jul 18, 2019 6:13 am

12ga or 410, once you pass the KFC on the way out of town, you've left rational behavior behind.

Buy and shoot guns that make you smile. If that's a 10ga 3 1/2" for quail or a 410 for pheasant, it doesn't matter since the goal is fun. You only have to satisfy yourself.

For those who claim the moral high ground and denigrate small bores as somehow inhumane, i can safely say that more birds are crippled every season with 12ga guns than all other gauges combined. Every bird hunter cripples birds every year, regardless of gauges. Any other story is just that. If cripples are intolerable to you, you shouldn't be shooting game in the air with a shotgun.

Smaller bores actually have a practical aspect to our totally impractical sport. As we age, we are exposed to detached retina injuries more easily. Many older shooters I've known have had to limit their shooting to light recoiling gauge/gun combinations.

Just a note, many southern quail plantations don't allow larger bore guns. Some limit you to 28ga. Some only allow break-action guns (over/unders or sxs).

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Re: 28 Gauge O/U, the Hot New Thing?

Post by DonF » Mon Aug 26, 2019 8:37 am

roaniecowpony wrote:
Thu Jul 18, 2019 6:13 am
12ga or 410, once you pass the KFC on the way out of town, you've left rational behavior behind.

Buy and shoot guns that make you smile. If that's a 10ga 3 1/2" for quail or a 410 for pheasant, it doesn't matter since the goal is fun. You only have to satisfy yourself.

For those who claim the moral high ground and denigrate small bores as somehow inhumane, i can safely say that more birds are crippled every season with 12ga guns than all other gauges combined. Every bird hunter cripples birds every year, regardless of gauges. Any other story is just that. If cripples are intolerable to you, you shouldn't be shooting game in the airith a shotgun.

Smaller bores actually have a practical aspect to our totally impractical sport. As we age, we are exposed to detached retina injuries more easily. Many older shooters I've known have had to limit their shooting to light recoiling gauge/gun combinations.

Just a note, many southern quail plantations don't allow larger bore guns. Some limit you to 28ga. Some only allow break-action guns (over/unders or sxs).
Boy this is an old thread! Wonder what the OP ended up with? I've been using a 28ga SxS several years now.I like the way it feels and carry's and of course, like the way it looks! I reload for it. First box of field shell's I looked at ended up costing me a Mec 600 MK IV and a flat of target loads! Come to find out for myself, target loads in #8 shot work awfully good, haven't shot a grouse with it but it's death on pigeons! I only load 3/4oz loads for it in either #6 or #7 1/2 shot. Gonna quit using 6's in it and save that for the 16ga.

Other than satisfying my own ego, the 28 is really light weight to carry and really soft on recoil. Those two things matter to an old guy! A really nice gun I had years ago was a Savage O/U in 20ga, loved that gun. Had a Citori in 20ga and didn't like it near as well, go figure! Keep hearing about that Savage 555 in 28ga and thinking I might like one of them, like I really need it, that da*n ego again! Choosing a shotgun is like choosing a wife, advantage to the shotgun is if you don't care for it, you can sell it!
I pity the man that has never been loved by a dog!

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Re: 28 Gauge O/U, the Hot New Thing?

Post by Featherfinder » Mon Aug 26, 2019 9:52 am

I don't shoot 12 gauge anymore for upland. I use 20 gauge for the most part but on rare occasion I use a 28 gauge which I'm sitting on because I want to trade up.
Comparing an O/U for trap to a SxS for wild birds is like comparing a Corvette to a Heavy Duty pick up truck. Both accel at their applications and yet they are FAR removed.
I once bought a SxS in 20 with the intent of moving it for profit. I only shot O/Us. I still have that SxS. I will not sell that gun. The 28 gauge I bought after it is also a SxS. When I do find the right buyer, I will replace it with another 28 gauge SxS.
My 20 O/U serves as a back up gun to my SxS so it rarely gets used while wild bird hunting. It does become the gun of preference at hunt clubs/game farms where the birds are pen raised. These birds allow for sustained lead type shooting therefore the extra time/patience you take to make the shot allows for the barrel(s) to "bleed" into the subconscious sight plane. As was already mentioned, if you're aiming down your barrels, you are reducing your odds for success significantly.
The SxSs on wild birds (where you don't have the luxury of a sustained lead or follow-thru) are simply.....magic! As is often the case with instinctive shooting, some birds just seem to fall! …..magic!
If you're going to shoot 3" anything (upland hunting), it's an indication you need to move up a gauge, in my mind or, you own 1 gun. 3" rounds have a tendency to distort downfield performance. The British were and to some extent stand behind 12 gauges that shoot 2 1/2" rounds on high pheasants.
"Square" rounds seem to hold their downfield effectiveness well.
You most assuredly have to consider what species you predominantly hunt, what time of season, and the habitat, etc. That's a given.
Last edited by Featherfinder on Fri Apr 17, 2020 8:26 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: 28 Gauge O/U, the Hot New Thing?

Post by Timewise65 » Mon Aug 26, 2019 1:39 pm

I am not much for 'Hot new things' when it comes to upland shotguns! Give me a side-by-side 16ga. and I am right where I want to be....

But, to each his/her own!

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Re: 28 Gauge O/U, the Hot New Thing?

Post by MSU Aggie » Tue Aug 27, 2019 7:29 am

Im not a huge fan of the 28s for pheasants. In the past few years many of my guide clients have started bringing 28s and its been a nightmare. Way to many wounded birds that in my opinion a 20 ga would have put down clean. For smaller birds like dove, chukar, quail and grouse it's almost perfect.

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Re: 28 Gauge O/U, the Hot New Thing?

Post by GrayGhost » Sat Sep 07, 2019 8:41 am

DonF wrote:
Mon Aug 26, 2019 8:37 am

Boy this is an old thread! Wonder what the OP ended up with?
It is an older thread, I actually ended up with a Ruger Red Label O/U 28 gauge. I picked the gun up at a gun shop and loved the feel of it in my hands, used it on chukar for the last two hunting seasons and I've loved it. That was the beginning of my gun searching and was a lot of fun diving into the shotgun world, I spent a lot of nights reading up on guns, and I appreciated all the comments and advice I got on here. That year I also bought a Browning BSS 20 gauge SXS, another gun I've really liked.

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Re: 28 Gauge O/U, the Hot New Thing?

Post by Featherfinder » Fri Apr 17, 2020 8:25 am

Grayghost, I shot Rugers in the past but would never own one. What they lack is the RIGHT feel for me. The feel of them more aligns itself to a something I'd acquire from the lumber yard. Admittedly, not what I aspire to have in my shotguns today. It IS what I looked for when I transitioned from my 12 gauge Wingmaster, 40+ years ago though, so I completely understand. You are still in the process of developing your palate and that is no different than most of us. Keep it up!
Where it goes south is when folk hold steadfast to their choices from the past. Rather than evolving - some can't admit to having purchased something they shouldn't have or something they need to move past today/going forward.
Yet other folk rarely part with a past purchase regardless of whether they will EVER use them. I had a friend that had 4 gun safes full of basically what I would call wood and metal. I suggested to him that he sell the many guns and buy a couple or few really nice dedicated guns for himself. It took him years to let go of them but he did and....thanked me repeatedly. He also made some extra $$$$ selling the gun safes. :wink:
Sorry Gordon Guy....! We need to get out together Sir- perhaps this coming season if.....??

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Re: 28 Gauge O/U, the Hot New Thing?

Post by birddogger2 » Sun Apr 19, 2020 4:53 pm

I bought a CZ O/U in 28 ga. for my grandson's first birthday some years back. I really liked how it handled for me and it was a nice looking little wand.

I tried a few 28's before I bought this one and the balance with 28" barrels seemed just right. I tried ones with shorter and longer barrels and the longer one was too whippy and the shorter barreled one just did not swing right for me. i tired several different mfg. and the CZ seemed like a good gun for the price. I was kinda surprised that I like the 28" barrel in this gun because I really like the way my Browning Citori O/U handles, and it has 26" barrels.

I have used it several times over the years and it is a joy to carry. Put in some high base 6's and it will kill big, fat stocked cock pheasants stone dead over points, which is about the most my grandson will likely ever need. My grandson is turning ten this year, so he will probably start using it this summer. He is very slight, so I am glad I got a 28 instead of a 20.

RayG

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Re: 28 Gauge O/U, the Hot New Thing?

Post by oldbeek » Sun Apr 19, 2020 11:14 pm

Mountaineer wrote:
Tue Jan 10, 2017 6:21 am
oldbeek wrote:My old hunting partner was small in stature and always carried an 870 wingmaste 12 gar. To me it was heavy. I always carried a 5.5 lb 16 ga. He would on a regular basis shoot 98 or 99 in trap meets. He didn't even have the trigger assy upgrade. His cheek rest would be raised for trap meets using duct tape. The high class gun shooters would go nuts when he beat them. Once he shot 100 at 27 yards. We hunted quail from sun up to sun down and killed to many quail to count. It is not the gun that hits the birds.

98-99 or an odd straight will not win many registered trap shoots, even in 16s.....it may get one into shoot-offs.
Shoot after shoot, week after week, day after day is the call......duct tape can loosen at an inopportune time. :D
Scattergun and it's particulars matters....from a mental aspect alone.

Still, one recalls Arnold Reiger and what he started with......a winchester M37, as I recall, before he went to the M12.
Some folks just can shoot....many figger the reason they have a back fence moved to 27 yards was...Arnold Reiger.
Be nice to have a nickle for every story of a buddy pal shooting lights out with duct tape and a barn gun.
Arnolds....be rare, when reality is reckoned.

It's never a single anything that scores, in other than the odd moment.....it's the combination of dog, gun, man, luck and a peck more.
imso, of course.
Oh...for those nickles today.
He shot every week in the high 90s. He was also one heck of a hunter. Sure do miss him. His main attribute was he was cheap. His children are spending what he never would.

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