Home Forums Birds & Dogs Shotguns 28 gauge....

Never owned or been around one. Thinking it would make a dandy grouse, starling yard gun. Never been impressed with a 410 for grouse, 28 seems just about right. 870 wingmaster and browning bps are the top 2 choices as of now. Any experience with a 28? How ya like it? Thanks

They work on Florida quail and Georgia rabbits..................

Jud, I have a little 870 in 28 ga. Killed lots of forest grouse and some sage grouse with it.. It tried it on Az. quail, but too many cripples. Ditto with ringnecks.. But I hunt with flushing dogs so the shots are much longer than if you had pointers.. For what you describe, it would be perfect..

Copy that, it just seems “ just right” for grouse and such.

I have an 1100 skeet that goes to my youngest niece when I pass since she has been putting a bunch of rounds thru it every time she visits my place on my trap range behind the house since she was about 10. 28 gauges work above their weight class

I have a 28 ga 870 and a Browning Citori that I use a lot for doves, quail and pen raised pheasants and chukar. Tough to beat a 28 ga for efficiency in a light package with little recoil. I believe it works best with #6 and smaller shot. 7/8 oz of nickel or copper plated #7.5 shot is deadly.

I don't own one. However, my younger sister has a beautiful Benelli Montefeltro Silver in 28g.

They raise Chukars. When I visit her, that is the shotgun of choice for me to borrow for taking chulars. What a pleasure to shoot this little gem is.

I've used a 28 for about 20 years, they are decent guns when used within their limitations. Mine are used for sporting clays and skeet the most with a fair bit of use on training birds and ruffed grouse, woodcock, and dove. I find it a little light for all around grouse hunting as patterns get a little patchy on distant birds when using 7 1/2 shot. Others I know don't care for the 28 when the leaves are still up as they feel there are too few pellets in the payload and not enough may find a way through the leaves to the grouse to kill it cleanly. I can't back that one way or another but I am very picky on the shots I take and probably pass up many shots they attempt. I find a 20 ga or better, my 16 ga, using 7/8 or 1 oz of shot to be a better all year gun especially once the leaves fall.

I have a Browning Cynergy, a Citori XS, and a Beretta 692 for 28s. I do not care for the pump or semiautos as retrieving hulls is a pain. You can't find them in the field and many ranges claim any hull that hits the ground. With 28 ga shells being much more expensive and not as common as 20 ga, I reload all my empties as it is very economical. At $3.50 a box or even less it sure beats buying factory loads.

As most 28 ga guns, such as those in the OP and some of mine, are built on a 20 ga frame one isn't saving any weight going to a 28 over a 20 ga. The Citori is as heavy as my 20 ga 525 though the Cynergy and Beretta are a good pound lighter including 2" less barrel length.

I do enjoy shooting my 28s and use them when I can but I find other options more versatile. For starlings and planted birds it is my second preference (a 410 is my first choice when possible) and it is often used for league sporting clays but when I want the best odds of putting game in the bag or breaking targets something larger is my choice.

Few Grouse will be able to shrug off a center punch from a 28....

Oh wow, awesome pics and dogs!!!

battue, I was scrolling up from the bottom.. First pic. of dog and shotgun I knew the owner.. Great photos, and beautiful dogs....

Thanks. Had to put Toby down last summer. The pics with him are bitter sweet.

Not being smart, and condolences won’t change it. Instead it would be appreciated if all took an extra moment with theirs, to let them know they are loved.

I have my eye out for a SxS, preferably Spanish, if I can find the right gun at the right price.

Bud just picked up a Urgartechea Boxlock 28 SxS. Middle grade with some scratchings on the sides. Very nice and reasonably priced.

When I still lived in Eastern Washington I bought a Beretta 686 28 gauge to go with my 686 12 gauge. I had a Brittany that was a hunting machine and I bought the 28 because it weighed 5 3/4 pounds and had the same dimensions as my 12 gauge I'd been shooting for many years. I hunted hard with that dog and gun for four years before moving to Alaska and continued to use it for grouse and ptarmigan up here. I killed a lot of wild pheasants, chukar, grouse, huns, quail and even used on a few decoyed ducks. The only time I felt it lacked anything was when I tried the original Bismuth Company 5/8 ounce loads on ducks. I went to handloading 7/8 ounce bismuth and was far more impressed with those loads than the 5/8 ounce on ducks.

My dog was solid on birds and would reposition until the bird was locked down. You could tell from her stance when she was close and my shots were always fairly close. A 28 wouldn't be my choice for high flying, driven wild birds but under the conditions I hunted and with that old Brit, I never felt the 28 lacked killing power and rarely had to follow up with a second shot.

Yeah. I'm a big fan of the 28.

If you want to reload, TSS makes the 28 very good for waterfowl.

Cool stories.. Battue, sorry to hear about your pal.. Kate and Maggie will get a pet and treat for her..

Ok ok, you guys have talked me into a 28..... thinkin bps....

When I was 22 yrs old, I won a Browning A5 Sweet 16 at a DU banquet. I traded it off straight away for a Browning 12. Dumb!
Judman, you’ll love owning a nice light 28gauge. You’ll see....😎

Ithaca 37....

You've already decided, so best of luck with your new gun.
Had a 28 but sold it. Didn't get what all the fuss and admiration of the 28 was about. I wanted to like the 28 but just couldn't. Had a nice O/U with beautiful wood, it was hard to let go. In reality I think it's mostly an excuse to buy another gun, which is fine by me, no excuses needed.
Expensive ammo, recoil about the same as my 20 gauge with somewhat less effectiveness and range compared to the 20. Weight of gun about the same, as stated many are 20 gauge frames. I'll concede the 28 is "a cute little gun" and saying you killed game or clays with a 28 may give a certain sense of shooting pride and skill, but for me I stuck with my 20 for my "little" gun.

One doesn't normally buy a 20 that is on a 12 frame. You can get them, but they are usually sub-gauge sets. No need to buy a 28 on a 20 frame if you don't want to. It has nothing to do with pride or skill. It does have a lot to do with having a good gun for the work it is doing, and a 28 balanced and of the right weight comes close to perfect for a Ruffed Grouse shotgun. In addition I've taken Pheasants cleanly out to around 35 yards with the Ithaca 37 pictured which is a 28 on a 28 frame. If one appreciates quick handling, than a balanced 28 on a 28 frame is not a bad place to be. The price of shells are mostly inconsequential when it comes to hunting, be it either rifles or shotguns.

I wanted a Weatherby SA=08 but they quit making them.

In a well fitted gun, the 28 is a death ray on quail and a joy to carry. The only downside is that for those that don't reload, the shells are rather pricey if you shoot a lot.

Copy that. I have a couple 12’s, couple 16’s, and a 20. I’ve had several 410’s over the years and just could never warm up to em, too many ruffed grouse flying off after being hit.... I think a 28 would be a dandy within its limitations....

Have two. Both baby frames, a SP3 and a Verona. A joy to carry and shoot. Keep shots at a reasonable distance and reload your own.

battue has the right slant on ammo. Ammo price for hunting will not make or break most. Clay target games is another matter.

Looks like the cz 628 gets pretty good reviews, lightest out of the 37 and bps, hellava pot cheaper. Anybody ever run one?

Get a Tristar Viper G2 instead. They are literally the same identical gun in 28 gauge. Get the "Bronze" version.

I have a 28 gauge CZ SXS. It's an absolute joy to carry, not at all punishing to shoot., and is built on a 28ga frame. It fits me well enough for pheasant hunting, but it doesn't work well for clay birds (too light to swing smoothly?) The 1 oz. Winchester loads seem every bit as effective as similar loads in my 20 gauge shotguns.

I also have that itch for a 28. The problem is that I am bumping 81 and the 28 that I really covet is a discontinued trim level SP IV to match my 12. The only difference between the IV and the still in production V is a blue receiver on the IV and a case colored receiver on the V.

I have 20s in a Benelli and a Browning Superposed. I am going into this dove season with reduced loads (to 28 levels) from the twenties. I may even try some 26 gram (.85 oz) 12 ga loads. I may use my 42 Winchester .410 opening day. It is a fun gun, but the dove wise up quickly and go higher There doesn't seem to be much sense in buying a 3-4 K shotgun at my age.

Jack

I used an older 1100 SC 28 with a 25" barrel last years late season on doves over decoys. At a little under 7Lbs it's not considered light for a 28 but it handled a lot faster than my 8lb 12

The only place I had to set up the decoys resulted in me being just inside a tree line with the decoys about 25 yards out front in the field. There were a lot of quick shots with doves coming from the sides down the tree line or behind from over the trees. A lot of these birds had been shot at before so not many were coming at you from the front. They were on you and gone. IMO the lighter gun made a difference and as most shots were 25/30 yards the 28 was a killer. Almost all birds hit were drt.

Decided on the 870 express, nothing fancy just a good reliable workhorse...

An 1100 would make sense for me. Weight is no longer a big deal. I shoot dove mostly as 43Shooter described, or over water. I can't walk very far, so quail hunting following the dogs is a thing of past pleasant memories. My limited quail hunting is what I call mechanized plantation style hunting. Kawasaki mule to find birds, then step off to shoot. Short walks. All this discussion supports using the twenties with lighter loads.

Had one of these for a while.............. nice little gun...... very light......

Worked well for quail.............

https://www.guns.com/reviews/franchi-48-al/

i love the 28. but dont own one. practicality has me with a 6 pound 20 as my grpuse/quail gun

I have three 28's and a 28 ga. MEC Jr reloader.

They're effective, way ahead of a .410, closer to a 20 ga.

Merkel, 1100 and new Ohio Ithaca.

DF

gitem, my state of mind, exactly. I have a Browning Superposed 20 and a Benelli Montefeltro 20. I have tested both for function with loads as light as the low noise, low recoil loads at 980 fps. They work. All other 7/8 oz should work well.

Dirtfarmer, I have followed your posts long enough to trust your judgement. How about a brief evaluation of the Ohio 37-28 ga. A sub 7# 12 ga 37 was my first real shotgun. I traded it off after it started dumping live shells from the magazine and the local talent could not fix it. Should have sent it back to the factory. Until it malfunctioned I was well pleased, especially at the $1 price - two 50c raffle tickets, about all a pay as you go college kid could afford.

Thanks,

Jack

I have a first year production 20 ga. M-37R, solid rib with Poly Choke. It's a bit slicker than the new gun. 70 years or so will do that.

The new Ohio gun is very well made, at least as well crafted as the Ithaca, NY guns, better than the King Ferry guns, IMO. They use state of the art CNC machines, outsource the wood, IIRC.

I'm not crazy about the shape of the new stock, but it does handle well. Note the difference in stock shape, old vs. new.

Dumping shells is not an uncommon 37 problem; tweaking or replacing parts will fix it.

DF

Nice shootin irons dirt!!....

23" barrels makes this one very short for grouse in the brush. Also done very well on chukars in the open country.

That’s a little dandy too!! I’m a cheap azz when it comes to scatterguns.... grin

My two fav 28s..

Outstanding wood on that Franchi. Don't think I've seen one with that much grain and pattern.

Was that by chance, or did you get to pick?

Bet it's quick; it looks fast sitting still...

DF

Just dumb luck. I had been wanting a English stocked Deluxe 28 but by the time I got serious about ordering one, they had been discontinued. I figured eventually a used one would show but had never actually seen one. One Saturday, with nothing much to do, a buddy and I drove 2 1/2 hours to Mid South Guns in Wagram NC, a trip we make once a year. They are usually a treasure trove for neat stuff. They just happened to have a used English stocked 28 but it had a hideous recoil pad on it and the stock had been cut. I passed, but at least got to finally handle one. It was so nimble and lively that my plan was to call Benelli on Monday to see if a new replacement stock was available.
Neither of us spent any money, so after we left Mid South I suggested we drive another 30 miles to Jim's Pawn Shop in Fayetteville. As we walked in, I was disgusted that their inventory had become largely Tacti-Cool. Not expecting much, I walked to the counter where the used long guns were and my eyes instantly were drawn to the straight stocked Franchi. I couldn't see the figure of the wood from the angle it was at and figured it was a 20ga anyway but asked to hold it. When the guy handed it to me, I was in disbelief. When I finally regained my senses and came out of my reverie, I pulled my wallet out so fast I sprained my wrist.

Great snag.

DF

Dirtfarmer, Thanks for the info. That closed pistol grip and the pad are the reasons that I don't already own the new 37. My favorite shotgun grip is a Prince of Wales. I hunted a straight stock Winchester one season, years ago. I did very ok with it, but like the PoW a little better. I could like your Franchi.

Jack

You can get a straight, English style grip on the new Ithaca.

DF

Good score. I almost drove over there Friday.

I got distracted at Hyatt shopping for Shrapnel.

I have owned two, a Citori and a Bernadelli SxS. They did nothing for me that my 20 gauge SxS do so went down the road.

I have the same gun Jud. Hard to drag those fine wood guns through cedar swamps, beagles on a lead going after snowshoe hare. Mine fits me perfect and seems to almost hard to miss a target. Good luck with it.

That place is awesome!

I love/appreciate good wood, but for what I’m wanting the express will be $$$....

Awesome pic of the M37R ,not many would give it a second look with the grenade launcher on the frt end but on a 20 ga that might enhance swing control. I have its twin in 16 ga with a 28" full solid rib, love that on sharptails. At the gunshop where I found it ,I asked where it came from, they said some gomer kid with his ballcap on backwards,pants halfway down his ass inherited it from gramps and traded it for a Benelli Nova and paid boot. Sometimes fortune does shine on my butt.

+10

Bought my wife a Remington sporting 28. Ammo is a little expensive. But seems to work a little better than the cheap stuff I buy for my 20 guage for dove and quail. 6’s on blues and 71/2’s on bobs. Hasbeen

This is my Benelli Legacy 28 ga.- Awesome little shotgun. Weighs in at a bit under 5 lbs, but balances and handles beautifully. I shoot the Fiocchi Golden Pheasant 7/8 oz. loads with #6 plated shot, which works great on pheasant and chukar. For dove, any 3/4 oz. load with 7.5 shot works well.

OK, now I want one of those, too. As I get older I can't stand heavy guns like I used to. I have a Remington Model 17 that will be getting more use. It is 97 years old, but still works.

They kill very will. I have 1 28 gauges, both over/under. I will use them even for pheasant in the early season.

I shot my first double on Valley Quail with an old Winchester 42 in .410 way back in 1956 or 57. Shot all sorts of game with it over the next few years. The 28 is much more as others has said. Close to the 20 ga. even with 3/4 oz. loads. Just broke 19 out of 25 at wobbles trap with my new 686 Beretta.
Had an 870 Remington for a few years. Killed a respectable number of Blue Grouse and some Mtn. Quail with it. Unfortunately it had too many QC problems. Even when out of warranty. Sold it and got the 686. E

I've been using a 28 on pigeons over my dog's for several years now, AyA matador. With the first flat of target loads I also got a mec 600 Jr. Started using it's little brother on pigeons with the dog's this year, 410 Matador. I don't shoot it near as well but all I've use so fat has been 1/2 oz loads. Yesterday I dug out my 16ga Matador and tell ya what, forgot how nice it was the shoot. If I ever hunt pheasant again it will be what I use. The 28 really won me over though. Soon as I get in a bunch of money, due in early Sept, got my eye on a Parker Reproduction in 28ga. If it get's sold before I can get to it, number two is a Merkel in 28ga. If that get's sold #3 is a CSM in 28 ga. Don't get to it I may just lay down and cry. This is gonna be my once in a lifetime shotgun! Once i get it, the 28ga Matador goes off to Missouri for a new stock! Gonna try the 410 on grouse this year too if I can find some grouse. Long way to there from where I live.

Agree with Polychoke not being asthetically pleasing, not today for sure.

I didn't like the look, thought about cutting it off, installing choke tubes. But, the gun is pretty light and even with the solid rib, I was afraid it would be a bit whippy w/o the weight of the Polychoke.

It's kinda grown on me. I just told myself that it was the rage back in the '40's and I just consider it part of the vintage look. I'm glad I kept it.

DF

I just loaded a Beretta SP-V, and a Rem 1100
into my truck. Headed to Ks to hunt doves this weekend.
I’ve shot the 28 ga a lot since the early 90s.
It’s great for quail, and dove. I don’t hunt grouse, but expect it would work very well.
The 28 ga is barely ok for wild pheasants and only under 30 yards, or at least that’s my experience.
Only downside is ammo is a bit expensive. I have a MEC Sizemaster so my costs are reasonable. If you reload, get WWAA hulls and forget the others.

I have a 12 ga SP IV, same as the V except blue receiver. The wood is exceptional.

I have an itch for either a IV or V in 28ga. I found a minty IV recently on GB. It sold worth the money, but the wood was not what I expected, so I dropped out not far from selling price. Maybe after the season.....

Jack