[Mike Irwin]

They gave decent marks to an inexpensive, side by side Brazilian-made 28-gauge.

I've been thinking of a 20 or 28 for just general shooting and occasional trips to the trap & skeet range, and at $360 this one just might fit the bill.

[JohnBT]

Do you reload? Have you priced 28 ga. ammo? It used to be really expensive, but I haven't bought any in years.

I just checked the Midway site for a price...they don't even sell it.

John

[TrapperReady]

I don't own a 28ga, but have noticed that most of the sporting goods stores around here do stock ammo. For the most part, you see hunting loads. Actually, I'm not sure I've seen specific target loads available for the 28ga. I'll have to check next time I'm out.

As far as price goes, they seem to be about $.50 to $1.00 more per box than similar 20ga loads.

[Dave McCracken]

The two gauges that REALLY cry out for home made ammo are the 10 and the 28. Ammo prices on either are way out of line of the maker's costs.

If I ever get a 28, I'll buy a 600 JR in that gauge, buy a flat or two of STS loads, shoot them up and reload the empties as long as possible. Then repeat.

[sm]

:cool:

Mike, I have shot a Stoeger in 28 ga, I would have to agree the article and my experience were pretty much in agreement.

Another is the ...Bakili (sp?) . Granted they are not a fine English made pc, but I'll say for the money I was quite surprised.

I shot these on a dove hunt and at skeet...choked a bit tight with fixed mod tube, will powder them tho;)

Doves: perfect, I mean the gun combined with the short string of a 28 ga load of hard shot and these worked great.

Metal to wood fit good. The wood on the Bakali a bit nicer. Both could use a some triggers being tweaked. Balance and swing, I like a bit more in front of my hands...Gun fit is personal thing tho'

Single stage reloader and one is hooked with a 28 ga.

These guys btw have nice guns, I mean like live pigeon guns. These are their fun do anything and don't worry about it guns. I mean I would too if I had a 50K pigeon gun set up.

Just good old fashioned shotty and fun. They a have lot rds through them and they are holding up.

I'd use one, but heck I'll shoot anything in 28 ga;)

[HSMITH]

Possibly this summer if everything goes right. I NEED a 28 ga SxS shotgun and a FULL PROGRESSIVE press for it. More than likely a 9000G to match the others, why stop now when I still can't afford a Dillon AND a gun?

I have shot some skeet with the 28 ga in O/U's and tried a couple really nice guns, but that one Parker in 28 just boggled my mind. Never have I shot a shotgun with that much LIFE it it, and I have shot hundreds and hundreds of different shotguns. I think the 28 is way under rated for capability, it will grind skeet targets with ease when fired through little or no choke, with a mod and full tube even pheasants would need to fear me.

I have a boomer, and a 20 ga that I dearly love. The only things left in shotgunning that I still want are a 28 and a 410 that suit me, and if I tubed the 28 maybe...........

[Mike Irwin]

I know the prices and availability of 28 ga. ammo are questionable, so I'd likely get myself a Lee Loadall.

The big question, is, whether I would actually shoot clays enough to justify getting a 28 over a 20 or even a 12.

For some reason I've always been kind of intrigued by the 28, probably because it's something of an unknown and underdog, and I like those kinds of shells.

[Dave McCracken]

Mike, I doubt the 28 will ever be your goto, but everyone I know who has one loves it.

I've had friends with them that were stone deadly on preserve pheasants and chukars, albeit over good close working dogs.

H, scratch that itch....

[Mike Irwin]

Dave,

Never even considered the 28 for a go to gun. I've a 12 gauge for that.

The 28 would be a fun to gun, as in fun to shoot for an afternoon on the wobble trap or 5-stand course.

[Dave McCracken]

Mike, I kinda see the 28 as the equivalent of that little Winston 3 weight fly rod in the closet. It's fun for some situations but not for tossing big bass bugs and winching largemouth from heavy cover.

For clays, it's perfect for the moments when something different has appeal.

[Poodleshooter]

Hmmm, seems that 28ga wads and hulls are more reasonable than I'd thought. Midway has a decent selection for reasonable prices,so rolling your own would be as cheap or cheaper than loading 12ga is.
That 28ga using 3/4oz or less per shot could be quite economical.
All things said and done,however, wouldn't a lightweight load in a larger bore pattern better with a shorter shot string?

[Mike Irwin]

Heaviest load for a 28 that I've seen is 7/8s ounce.


"All things said and done,however, wouldn't a lightweight load in a larger bore pattern better with a shorter shot
string?"

And that would be the same as HAVING a 28-gauge SxS how?

[cookhj]

can anyone give some more info on that shotgun? does it come in 20ga as well? i want to get a SxS or O/U in 20 or 28ga, but i don't want to spend a fortune on it. mostly for fun/skeet/doves.

[sm]

Mike,
28 ga 5/8 oz loads are , well, remarkable. I would not load heavier.
I also suggest a MEC single stage (600Jr, trust Dave, myself and others on this).

Other folks:

Many 28 ga are really 20 bore with a 28 ga tube. It ain't the same folks. A true 28 ga with its handling coupled with the unique shot wt : to bore size is very effective.

Some folks are shooting spl games of trap and SC/5 stand. Bird hunting, small game.

Some do this for fun factor, others its age, recoil sensitivity for detached retina, bad backs etc. Their Dr's have cautioned against repeatd heavy recoil.

Some things are hard to explain, the 28 ga is one of those that defy's some reasoning.

[HSMITH]

re1973 makes some good points, the 28 ga hits like a freakin' truck on clay targets. WAAAAAYYYYY harder than it should hit them, and some of the most beautifully even patterns I have ever seen were thrown by 28's. Those even patterns make it seem like the target is just pounded even when you did not center it and know you did not center it. The 28 ga must be one of those times where everything is "just right" and it works extremely well, better than it really should IMO. I have seen it with 4 different 28 gauges as well, so it was not one great gun or some sort of fluke. Inside of 35 yards a 28 with a full set of chokes can handle ANYTHING in clay targets with a good shooter on the handle.

[sm]

Dave and others can probably better explain. Brister did a good job in his book.

It is the relationship of the shot (payload ) to bore size.
Another is the 10 ga ,another IIRC ,something about #6 shot in most 12 bores. Matter of bore not choke .

There is a reason that in skeet the best scores are most often in 28 ga. Yes, they will shoot 28 ga better than a 20 with a heavier payload. Same reason why the 410 is just plain inefficient...you'll notice the scores reflect this. I think many a new shooter was lost to the 410, frustration...Had they used 28 ga in an old single shot they would kept interest-IMO

HSMITH, I appeciate /respect your input as I do so many others. Dave, your the adopted father of this rag-tag bunch ;)

Mike Irwin, get the 28, a Mec ,pony up for a case of AA skeet loads and enjoy the addiction. I am biased on the AA , best darn hull to reload . I reloaded using nothing but Winchester powder, wads, hulls, and hard shot. I wanted to duplictate quality.

And you know the first recipe listed in the Winchester Reload Manual is the same as the factory load.;)

[Mike Irwin]

"I also suggest a MEC single stage (600Jr, trust Dave, myself and others on this)."

You know, I've used a MEC 600, and some of their higher-end presses.

Nice.

But I've also loaded over 10,000 12-gauge loads on a Lee Load-All. It's one of the best things that they have going.

It's fast, accurate, and inexpensive. If they have one in 28-ga., I'll probably go with that to accompany the one my Father and I use for our 12-ga. stuff.


CookHJ,

According to the Rifleman article, yes, it comes in 12- and 20-ga. both.

You can get more information from www.stoegerindustries.com (http://www.stoegerindustries.com)


Good God.

The people doing their website and product spec. charts are obviously smoking crack.

How can a shotgun that is listed as having fixed chokes in the section header suddenly have screw in chokes in the itemized descriptions? :rolleyes:

[Mike Irwin]

1973,

I like Red Dot for my shotshell reloading. I've used a ton of it over the years...

[Mike Irwin]

Oh, by the way everyone...

Getting one of these just became a LOT more feasible...

The Bonus Fairy dropped by my desk today with a nice check...

[Dave McCracken]

A little arm chair theorizing about the 28 gauge, and thanks to Brister for some info.

In days of old much was made of the "Square Load" concept. This means the payload was as long as the bore diameter.This meant a shorter shot string, with more pellets hitting simultaneously. The 28 has always hit harder than most people give credit for.

THe 410 has a payload longer than bore diameter, which contributes to a long string, and that's why 5/8 oz of shot in a 28 kills better than the same weight shot in the puny 410.

The Brits used the same theory with the 2 inch 12 gauge,a way of using very light loads and guns. Most of the loads for these came in at around 15/16 to 1 1/16 oz, close to square for the 12.

The obverse of the theory is why heavy loads usually do not pattern as well.X amount more shot in the load does NOT equate to X amount more holes in the target.

Back to the 28 gauge.

Except for special circumstances and when used by shotgunners of long experience and expertise, the 28 gauge is fine for game less than duck sized and within 30 yards. The 28 (tho not ideal for trap) is great for clays because these do not flutter off in pain from a bad hit.

I'd stick to 3/4 oz loads and use premium hard shot for best effect. And a touch more choke than I'd want on a 12 for the same shot opp.

While I've no overwhelming urge for a subgauge, IMO the 28s are neat toys and effective tools when used inside the parameters above.