Home Forums Birds & Dogs Shotguns 28 ga. vs. the 20 ga. in the Remington 870

Anybody shoot a 28 ga. ? How do you like it ? I've been hearing good things about them.
I'm particularly interested in any comparisions in the 870 Remingtons. Is it really true that the 28's are about 4-6 ozs. lighter per Remington specs ?
What do you shoot with them ? E

I just bought an older 870 in 28 gauge and like it. Im having screw in chokes put in right now, but its light as a feather and should make for an outstanding grouse and clays gun. I have a 20 as well and this gun is much lighter.

I've got both gauges. Mine are in 1100s though not in the 870. I've got an older Sporting Clays model 28 with the 25" barrel and a 20 in the "Light 20" model, that's not all that light.(7lbs 70z) The 28 is about 8oz lighter. I'm sure an 870 in either gauge would be lighter than an 1100 but as to the 870s respective weight difference per gauge I don't know.

I use them both for quail and chukar and my wife occasionally uses the 28 for skeet. They work fine for both. I don't reload though and when the two flats of 28 gauge ammo I have left are gone I'll probably just shoot the 20. 28 gauge ammo is twice as expensive. To me there's not enough weight difference to justify the difference in ammo cost and the 20 is more versatile and at least as effective or more.

E, you gotta go with the 28 on the cool factor alone. But if that's not enough for you look at NSSA website, most shooters carry a better 28 avg that 20..........

I wish I could find the article that had some good facts about the 28 and that it was a near perfect round due to bore size and payload.

if you can shoot a scattergun well the 28 is great my BIL uses one for pheasants.
I like the 20 myself,lighter than a 12 but still give a "rifleman" a shot at the birdies.

the 28 is cool and fun for clays. I even shot versus 12's often and on 5 stand. but, for birds it simply is not much. After two years I finally had to admit it was too little even for doves.

cool? yes. fun? yes. effective? no

find a petite 20 if you must.

I use 12 gauge L.C.Smiths for most of my hunting and for SC's. But for skeet, doves and grouse my little 28ga. O/U is my go to gun. Broke my first 100 straight at skeet with it. The last two dove seasons I averaged 1.6 shots per dove with it, with over 100 birds killed each year.

Cool? Yes. Fun? Yes. Effective? Yes.

Ammo prices being what they are, I do load for it. Even with high shot prices it's cost effective. With 13 gr. powder charges and 3/4oz. payloads I get a lot more bang for the buck.

whatever. people love the 28. I do too. But, it is not worth a [bleep] unless you are after pen raised birds.

if you really want a 28, then do an O/U ... balance and petite.

Can't agree with you on the effectiveness part.

I hit with a 28 ga is just the same as a hit with a 20 or even 12 ga. Same shot at the same velocity, just not as many of them, but if you look at a pattern, you're going to notice that there still aren't "holes" in it, and there will be enough pellets on target.

You say you can't even kill doves with it? Center them up in the pattern and watch them fold...

On the O/U part, now, I agree 100%!

I love bird hunting with the 28 GA. I have the Beretta 686 O&U and it is one sweet handling shotgun. Very effective on flushing grouse and quail. If you can shoot there isn't a whole lot of difference between the 28 and 20 out to 35 yards.

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Can't agree with you on the effectiveness part.

I hit with a 28 ga is just the same as a hit with a 20 or even 12 ga. Same shot at the same velocity, just not as many of them, but if you look at a pattern, you're going to notice that there still aren't "holes" in it, and there will be enough pellets on target.

You say you can't even kill doves with it? Center them up in the pattern and watch them fold...

On the O/U part, now, I agree 100%! [/quote]

The main thing here is that the 28 ga does add a level of fun to shotgunning that is hard to explain. If you guys are happy, then that is what matters.

I did not say I could not hit with it. On the contrary, I've used my rugur o/u 28 with bismuth on pheasants in Kansas and ducks here in Louisiana. Shooting inside 35 yards is a key line someone mentioned.

I've never used it on quail, but I still stand with my experience on Texas doves. I used to sit the tanks on my ranch every day of the season.

I agree with everyone here on the 28s effectiveness out to 30-35 yards on flushing birds and doves over a stock tank. If I reloaded for shotguns I wouldn't hesitate to use the 28 for that kind of shooting and skeet but at around forty cents or better a shell I usually use the 20.

My personal take in the 870 platform go with the 20 gauge. They use the same frame size and any weight savings is only going to come from a shorter barrel. I'm a 20 gauge lover and I'm working a deal on my first 28, but in the 870 the cheap shell factor alone would seal the deal since the actual gun size will be the same either way.

I have a 28-gauge 870 purchased last year. The catalog says 6 pounds but it weighs 6 pounds 9 ounces. Still not too heavy but I was hoping for closer to 6.

In my experience the 28 is plenty for most upland bird hunting. The key is choosing the right size of quality shot. When I handload, 7/8 ounce of hard 7's does most of the work, and I have taken a number of WILD pheasants out to 40 yards with this load. The 1-ounce Winchester factory load is also good for larger birds, and I have killed sage grouse out to 45 yards with it. Either of these loads is also plenty for blue grouse.

For anything smaller, down to quail, the standard 3/4 ounce loading with 7-1/2 or 6 shot works well. For doves smaller shot ups the pattern density, so works better. I like 8-1/2's on doves.

One mistake most people make is assuming that because the 28 doesn't hold much shot that it's only good on small birds. In reality bigger birds tend to receive more shot, simply because they're bigger. Which is of course why the 28 works so well on pheasants and even sage grouse.

E....I now have 2 28 side by sides and I use them very effectively on wild rooster pheasants . Also have shot some Huns and doves with them .

Contrary to the beliefs of some , the Winchester 1 oz. loads of 6 shot pattern beautifully , and they absolutely hammer wild roosters .

Aint that the truth!

Thanks for the comments guys. I remember the old days when as a lad of 12-15, I used to hunt Valley Quail with my grandfathers old M42 Winchester 410. With it's modified choke, I could get on them faster and hit them more often than with my grandmother's 8 lb. Browning 20 ga. auto. Even got close enough to take a Bandtail Pigeon once. Now there is a tough bird.
I find in my advancing years that I hike and hunt pretty far from the roads. Especially for stuff like Blue Grouse and Mtn. Quail. Was thinking of getting a light 20. But read John's article on the 28, remembered hearing nice things about it from other users, and remembered how much shot shell ammo has improved since then.
Anyway, thanks again. E

I just got my wife a 20ga. mag 870 express youth model I gave it to her on Christmas but it was not really a Christmas gift. I intend to take her trap shooting/sporting clays (casual) and teach her to shoot. I might even pony up for some instruction. Hers is the 21" barrel model express. I got it used. Once I know she likes it then I will get her an auto.or O/U whatever she wants. I was shocked she was actually excited about it.
Well while shopping I found and traded for a really sweet 20 ga. wingmaster never been fired with 28" barrel it's got great wood and is a really nice piece. I can use the shorter barrel and she can use the longer barrel if needed. This is all part of a grand scheme to get her to go pheasant hunting.(she really likes my pheasant stew) Wish me luck.
the 20 ga. seemed the best alternative for me with the cost of shells,avalability of youth sized guns,light loads/reduced recoil,etc,
the 20.ga. for me was a bonus and may end up being hers in the end. I like the 20 ga.
Does anyone have an idea for reducing recoil even more on the youth gun? I do not want to turn her off due to recoil. She is petite sized and the youth gun fits her pretty well and I don't want to add too much weight to the gun yet. First step will be a limbsaver pad.will porting that short of barrel make much difference? If has a better idea I would like to hear from you.

I'd be careful what ammo she shot at trap. Don't know that I'd go for the reduced recoil stuff as it only clocks about 1100 fps. I would stay with the standard 7/8 oz., 1200 fps. at least.
Few people have trouble shooting a 20 with good coaching, i.e proper form, not too much shooting at first, etc. E

Just a short note here. NOW there are other gauge target/hunting ammo in the same fps but the 28 gauge has classically been the first to standardize 1300 fps.

I see SOME of winchester AAs now come in 1200 and 1300 even in 12 gauge but the 28 was the original.

I've shot wild pheasants, ducks (jump shooting of a creek), and of course rabbit, quail and dove with my 28 gauge Remington.

If youre not taking them down (in range!!) its not the gauge but perhaps the choke / shot size combo? A bit harder? Sure......challange makes it ALL more fun. I hunt quail with a 410 mod OR skeet over a dog. 1/2 oz of 8 or 8.5 in the skeet, 7.5 or 8 in the mod choke. Ill take down MORE birds on a rise with the 410 or 28, just because the gun is lighter, faster and I can shoot them well........if I hold my mouth right. LOL

IMO a FULL choke 28 is TOO MUCH for upland game.

**** Id be happy as a pig in a slop bucket to swap my 870 Vent rib 870 28ga FULL barrel for the same in SKEET.****

My FIRST 50 straight on skeet was with a 870 28 gauge years ago. At the time it was the ONLY 1300 fps shotshell on the market.

It's all about having fun and the 28 is that! Besides, they are fast enough if you dont drop em first shot, shuck another shell in and hit em again! *grin*.

Someone find me a SKEET 870 28 GAUGE BARREL!!

God Bless you all and the 28 gauge!!

hehowhunts

PS There is NOTHING wrong with a 20 gauge, as long as its in a early 70s , chrome lifter, mahogany stocked, 5 3/4 lb Wingmaster!! ( or slightly later version without the chromed lifter, same weight)

I own several of both, and really kill no more partridge with the 20 than I do the 28.
The thing about the 28 is the better ones are built on a lighter frame, so carry better at the end of the day.
The downside is when shooting 7/8oz loads, the 20 works better and the guns are a bit heavier , so they recoil a bit less.
however, a 3/4oz load of 8's going about 1300FPS will bust clays and kill any bird within 20 yards!
Cat

I want to thank everyone for their responses. I do appreciate them.
I got the play with, or handle, a couple of 870's yesterday. The 28 was really too light for me to shoot really well. Simply no weight forward feel which I need to have, and simply too light. The 20 ga. 870 with the 26 inch barrel was a little better and the 28 inch barrel model was much better. Had that "come on target" feel that my other successful shotgun selections have had.
I've made some surprising discoveries about shotguns that I find I can shoot well. My old Ithaca "LAPD Special" with after market, 24 inch Hastings barrel has never worked well for me. It's actually muzzle light, something I simply don't do well with.
I had a really nice SIG O/U that I finally sold because I simply couldn't shoot it as well as either my SKB O/U or especially as well as I can shoot my 26 inch, 8 1/4 lb. 1187 Remington. Again, I've apparently have to have some weight out front to hit much.
So, if I decide to get that light 870, it's going to be a 20, not a 28. I probably should get the 28 inch barrel as well.
BTW, I was impressed with the wood and the fit and finish of all of them. The actions were very smooth as well.
I also played with a CZ "Bob White" SXS, with double triggers, straight stock and extractors. Another possibility. I've never owned a SXS, or anything with double triggers. Some appeal with that design as well. E

E....also take a look at the BPS in 20 and 28 . Shotgun fit and feel is a very personal thing......for me, Brownings always seem to feel better and point better than Remingtons .

Yeah, that was suggested to me. Didn't have one to play with when I was looking.
Am still not sure. I'm still playing with and evaluating them. E