Wowed by a 28 gauge.

salmonchaser · Mar 6, 2016

I'm the first to admit I know enough to be dangerous about a lot of things, shooting, hunting, reloading and bird dogs not being the exception.
Guiding a husband and wife team this weekend for pheasant. Yesterday morning he un- cases a magnificent looking over/under Perazzi in 28 gauge.
I'm suspect, but keep my thoughts to myself. After all we'll have three pointers and a retriever working. Should be able to run down any crippled birds.
A couple of hours later we're carrying 10 roosters. He fired 12 shots. One bird ran a short distance before being apprehended by the dogs. Every other bird he shot fell stone dead.
With out question he is a superb wing shot. His philosophy, focus on the eye of the bird.
The afternoon hunt was windy, so he used a 12 gauge. Wind he said disrupts shot charges just like rifle bullets. The wind created resulted in more crippled birds the dogs had to run down.
Dang it's fun to be 60 and still learning.

truck driver · Mar 6, 2016

When you stop learning it's time to die since you've learned everything there is to know and life isn't much fun knowing everything :mrgreen: Besides who wants to be known as a know it all :?: :roll: :lol:
Got to love the little guns, light fast swinging and they will get the job done if the shooter knows his equipment and limitations.

salmonchaser · Mar 6, 2016

DrMike · Mar 6, 2016

It is always a joy to watch a well-disciplined shooter who knows his weapon and knows how to handle it. Excellent reminder for each of us to continue to strive to excel.

JD338 · Mar 6, 2016

The 28 ga is a little sweet heart. I wouldn't mind having a Browning Citori in 28 ga.

JD338

Teknys · Mar 6, 2016

When we still had our Gun Club in town, it had lots of Trap and a few Skeet fields. I used to have the most "fun" on the windy days. It made the birds jump and hop through the air and your wad would sometimes fly right back at you when you pulled the trigger.
On windy days like that you can tell the difference from a shooter who grew up hunting birds and then started shooting skeet compared to a learned sheet/trap shooter. IMO the hunter has a slight edge adjusting to the varying conditions.
We had an older shooter who was a board member that stepped up to the skeet field with his O/U 410 instead of his 28. There was a slight breeze that day and I got the pleasure of watching him shoot a clean 25 with that 410. Me shooting my 12 shot a 23 on that round. Consider how much more shot I was throwing and he shot that round clean. NOT ONE bird was a chip, he smoked every one. I was amazed. This gentelman took my son "under his wing" to help learn the shooting game. My son went on to take Jr Champion the next year. The old shooter has since passed away but I for one really appreciate his skill with his 28 and 410, and for his time he took with my son and I.

DrMike · Mar 6, 2016

Very neat, Teknys. I have found that the "best" seem always to have time for the youngest. Great reminder for each of us to remember that we are but stewards of the knowledge and skill we have.

Guy Miner · Mar 6, 2016

Very cool.

I've still got my 28 gauge Winchester Model 12 skeet gun. Have had it for 50 years now. Don't use it much anymore as it's probably not a good call to shove steel shot down the old barrel, and I have to use steel shot everywhere I hunt, even for upland game.

It's a dandy though, and I've taken pheasant & duck, as well as dove & quail with it.

Regards, Guy

375hh1973 · Mar 8, 2016

I love my 28. It's a Beretta 686 white onyx O/U. I use it for grouse, woodcock, rabbit and doves. My favorite load for birds is Winchester's super sport AA load. ¾oz of 7½ at 1300. I use Fiocchi golden pheasant #5 for bunnies and have killed pheasants as well. It's a pretty light gun, great for carrying all day. I remember the first time I took it to Indiana for doves. My buddy asked what I was gonna do with those little red shells. After I had my 15 birds and was waiting for him and his son to finish, I let his son try it. Kid shot his last 4 doves on 4 shots.

DrMike · Mar 9, 2016

The 28 gauge is sweet. I picked mine up from BlkRam this past fall. He had two; he and his lady decided they needed only one, so I now have a 28. It proved perfect for Noah to pick off grouse. It is more certain for him than the .22.

Blkram · Mar 9, 2016

As the good Dr indicated, my wife and I are enjoying our new to us, Remington 1100 Sporting in 28.
Put lots of Ruffies in the freezer this year and accounted for my my first couple of Blues.
Lots of fun!

And don't let Mike kid, you... He enjoyed bagging some ruffles with his new 28 as well!

375hh1973 · Mar 11, 2016

Blkram-

A buddy of mine has a 1100 sporting 28 and that is a rabbit killing machine. I had a chance to get one at a gun show for a good price and did the classic thing and decide to go back and get it. Of course it was long gone.

What is your favorite grouse load in that gun?

Charlie-NY · Mar 12, 2016

I had a full set of SKB 600 over/under shotgun barrels, 410, 28ga, 20ga that fit on a single receiver and a matched 12ga shotgun for shooting skeet.

It wasn't long before I became quite enamored with the 28ga for hunting bobwhites over dogs.

Blkram · Mar 12, 2016

375hh1973,

I managed to pick up an assortment of ammo for it, but am liking the performance of the Fiocchi 2 3/4 inch #7 1/2 3/4 oz loads so far.

The shotgun shoots nice patterns with the Modified choke at 25 yards on paper and has bagged ruffles and blues out to 35 yards and a snowshoe hare at 40 (but this seems to be the limit for this load and choke).

I'm still trying to acquire the other two chokes (the next tighter choke after Mod that I cannot recall name of at moment, and Full) to have the complete set. Not being a knowledgeable shotgunner, I am still learning about these weapons and their accessories, but am enjoying it so far!

I just couldn't let this pretty little shotgun stay on the used rack when I saw it. Nice figure and grain in the stock, and not a blemish on it, and it came home for less than $700 with 2boxes of shells and taxes in. Saw a new one at Wholesale Sports a few weeks after for $1365. My wife fell in love with it when I showed it to her, and agreed it was to come home with us! Gotta love how she has come to appreciate beautiful firearms so quickly!

gerry · Mar 12, 2016

Gil, that 28 gauge of yours is a beauty and an absolute steal at $700.

FWIW in our little single shot 28 gauge I am really liking how the Federal 3/4 oz of #6's is working. Tried some Sellier and Bellot 3/4 oz # 6's and they worked decently but not like the Federals. Picked up some Remington 3/4 oz #6's but haven't shot anything yet with them.

Blkram · Mar 12, 2016

Gerry, I did find a box of the Federal #6's after you told me about them, but haven't tried them yet. They are quite a bit more expensive (premiums) at $35/box.

I only used 7 1/2's in the 410 as a kid on the farm for snowshoe hares and ruffies, so when I first got this 28 that was the load I grabbed as I found them. ($12-$15/box)

I also found a few boxes of Federal blue box in #8's, but have not tried them yet either.

tjen · Apr 6, 2016

The 28 gauge is my go to gun for grouse and smaller birds. I up graded a few years ago when I found a new in box berretta 687 SP3 28/26" for $2399. Thats my favorit clays and hunting gun. My main load is 3/4 ounce of #8 listed at 1200 fps. If only hunting grouse a 3/4 ounce #7.5 load like the AA /STS works great. I have used some 1 ounce loads in #7.5 when shots may be 30 yards or over. Since my favorit preserve pheasant load is a 20 gauge 1 ounce of #6 at 1300 fps the 28 is up to that with either the Super X or the Golden Pheasant ammo. B&P has some great 28 gauge HV loads and their #6 shot (#6.5 usa) of 15/16 ounce works great.

For shot sizes of #7.5 or smaller the top target loads are better and cheaper in 28 gauge. AA28HS hulls are the best for reloading lasting at lest ten reloadings. Wish Winchester would release their wad and data for their 1 ounce loads.

Chokes very by gun, and I use Briley extended chokes that seem to pattern slight tighter. I use CYL or SKT & IC for shots of 20 to 35 yards. I have LM, Mod, & IM to meet any condition out to 45 yards.

RiverRider · Apr 8, 2016

I don't have a 28, but I have my dad's old Remington 17 in 20. I've been a terrible wingshot over the years, but when I started shooting that 20 at dove I started hammering them. There's a ton I don't know about scatterguns, but it amazed me that I did better with a smaller gun launching less lead. If I didn't have my fingers in waaaay too many pies already, I'd try a 16 and a 28 both.

truck driver · Apr 8, 2016

RiverRider":1rcdprrh said:
I don't have a 28, but I have my dad's old Remington 17 in 20. I've been a terrible wingshot over the years, but when I started shooting that 20 at dove I started hammering them. There's a ton I don't know about scatterguns, but it amazed me that I did better with a smaller gun launching less lead. If I didn't have my fingers in waaaay too many pies already, I'd try a 16 and a 28 both.

Ahhh that's where recoil kicks in and the smaller gauges are easier to shoot since your not anticipating the recoil of a 1 1/2oz load of shot going down the barrel.
Funny thing about a shot gun is it only kicks you once when it goes bang but that shot charge pulls the gun from your shoulder when it gets into the forcing cone and you pull it back into your shoulder and again when it enters the choke of the barrel and leaves you again jam the gun back into your shoulder. The heavier the shot charge the harder you pull it back.
I had an old 12ga black powder cap lock double I restored and hunted with just to see how it was done back in the day and that gun didn't recoil or kick me like a modern 12ga does because it didn't have a forcing cone or choke in the barrels and was a true cylinder bore. It was a pain to load but fun to shoot and I even shot trap with it to the disdain of the other shooters since they had to wait for the smoke to clear :lol: :mrgreen: .

RiverRider · Apr 10, 2016

Thanks, TD. That's a bit to chew on for a while!

Wowed by a 28 gauge.

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