Home Forums Birds & Dogs Upland Game The 28 gauge?

The lighter the better.

I think the Benelli in 28 is about as light as one can get.



Travis

Ive always liked the idea of the Franchi al48 in 28ga.

Under 5 1/2 #'s. They get good reviews.

Mooner,

I was able to handle one of those Affinity's last week and that thing really does look just like an M2!

I had no idea they made a 28. I will look into that.

Thanks and GFY.



Travis

I've owned a few 28's. Benelli, Remington, a Stevens O/U and an AKKAR pump. I've hunted with each of them, had some success and always wish I'd taken a 20 instead!

A 28" small framed 20 bore is the bees knees. Oh and two triggers and a straight or Prince of Wales grip are a must.

There's just something natural about two triggers and SxS barrels that are a must for me. Not nostalgia, they just work well for me. Since I'm not a great shot the open chokes are best for me.

Yeah, I know this is about the 28ga, but, damn, I really like my Wingmaster 20ga for those upland birds.
Nothin' wrong with a 28 tho.

Using a 28 is about the gun, and to a certain extent recoil.

I own and hunt with shotguns in all the usual gauges except .410 (they keep coming and going), including 28, 20, 16, 12 and 10—but my 5 pound 2 ounce Fausti side-by-side 28 gets to go when the light weight might be a real advantage, such as when hunting early-season mountain grouse, especially ruffs. But its 28-inch barrels also swing fine on longer crossing shots, so I’ve also used it on other birds up to and including pheasants and sage grouse.

A few years ago my wife Eileen started getting recoil headaches with any firearm that kicked more than a relatively small amount, and since she really prefers light firearms for most hunting it got to be a real problem. We’ve used a bunch of solutions, depending on the firearm, including muzzle brakes, super-pads, reduced handloads, etc., but for shotgunning Eileen found the 28 provided all the killing power she needed for upland birds when using commonly available factory loads—and no headaches.

Yes, you can handload any gauge up to 12 with 28-gauge-equivalent shot charges, and I do that for her other shotguns she likes to take now and then, especially her nifty little British 16-gauge side-by-side which weighs 5-3/4 pounds. But it’s still not quite as light as her Hatfield side-by-side 28, for which she can just go grab a box of factory ammo.

Yep, Assuming the cartridge can kill reliably, it's all about proportion and weight for me. I just texted a friend about his pheasant hunt yesterday with other friends. His response was: "walked eight miles, killed three birds."

It's the state of catch-as-catch-can pheasant hunting here and much of upland hunting anywhere. You walk so much more than you shoot; yet, when you do get the chance at a bird, you want a gun you can depend on. And that's where you set your personal limits on what you will carry which will largely dictate gauge and type.

The 5-5.5 lb 28 with 7/8 oz shot is pretty darn quick, and capable.

I own and hunt with 12, 20, and 28 gauge shotguns. The 12 gauge is by far the most capable of the three. However, if one hunts over a pointing dog, as I do, a less powerful gauge is just fine. That is why I started hunting with a Beretta 20 gauge O/U over 40 years ago. Ten years ago I bought a 28 gauge O/U, which I like very much. It seems to kill about as well as my 20 gauge. For hunting, I use 1 ounce of nickel plated shot in the 20 and 7/8 ounce of nickel plated shot in the 28. I like the 28 gun and gauge very much, but there is a downside - cost. Ammo is expensive, and hard to find. I reload, so no problem here.

Yea and amen!!

Actually, my favorite gun writer of all time (sorry, it ain't you, John, but you're in the top dozen... ) is Michael Mcintosh, and he does a fine job of explaining the principles of shot in his excellent book, Shotguns & Shooting.

I was a convert to hard shot in the 1970's, after experiencing the very real frustration of watching ducks I was hitting hard flaring away (only to die a mile out into the marsh) while my friend's ducks fell dead. The difference was that he used premium hard shot, and I was shooting el cheapo Canadian Tire economy shells loaded with soft shot. I switched to hard shot reloads and have been killing game birds with lighter loads and smaller shot sizes ever since.

Travis,

Find yourself an Ithaca 37 Ultralight in 20 gauge, one of the originals in 2 3/4", with a vent rib 25" barrel. Your small gauge fantasies will recede quickly.

I agree. Have a beautiful Deluxe AL-48 28 gauge with incredible figure in the wood. Unfortunately I don't have a photo at the moment. However I also have a Franchi Veloce in 28 gauge as well with an English stock. Both are great little guns.

http://s98.photobucket.com/user/SS30ANV/media/franchiveloce28gauge_zps5jpjljkj.jpg.html]

Citori's in 28 are pretty nice as well. As you can tell I like English stocks.

http://s98.photobucket.com/user/SS30ANV/media/2243058_bcs_1_zpslvlo3q13.jpg.html]

Welll.... fugk.

I think there was just one in the classifieds.

I'm fickle though. I want an auto.





Dave

Whatcha lookin for?....

Ben

Ell

EEE



Dave

Travis, have you handled both the Benelli Legacy and the Ultralight in 28 ga? Their web sight says they both weigh the same at 5 lbs each.
I'm still trying to decide between those two. My buddie's Benelli Ultralight only weighs 4.5 lbs.

I have only handled the UL in the 28 and the Legacy in the 20.

Going to hit Scheels tomorrow (hopefully) and see what they have.




Dave

Dave,

One thing I've found with most 28's is the advertised weight isn't always what they actually weigh. One exception has been my Fausti side-by-side, which weighs within a couple of ounces of what it's supposed to. But others have been up to half a pound heavier and specs.