trying to pick a 28ga o/u

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gonefishin1

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So I have decided to get a 28ga. I have a couple baikal 12's, but I've been having bad shoulder problems and would like to get a 28ga that is lighter, slightly less recoil, and easier on my shoulder.

I've been looking for a used beretta or browning, but haven't really found one in my price range. I have to stay under $1000. I would really like to keep it around $700. I don't want super low end like the stoeger or mossberg....

The more I look online it seems to point me towards the Cz drake. Are there any others I should be looking at either used brands or new?

I want 28" barrels and 3" chamber. Also nice wood is a plus.

thanks
 
I can’t help you out at your price point but I can tell you that a Beretta 686 in 28 Ga is an absolutely lovely little O/U and might be something worth saving for. I love mine, in fact it’s about the only shotgun I use anymore.
 
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It depends on what you are planning to do with your 28 ga shotgun.

A few boxes of ammunition per year at some clay games and some hunting adventures, a bargain priced gun will probably serve you well.

If you are planning to shoot lots of clay games, I'd get at least a Beretta 686 or a Browning Citori 725. These are the minimum for reliable shotguns for clay games. Unfortunately, both are above your budget.

I enjoy shooting 28 ga in skeet. I grew up shooting my Dad's 28 ga side by side and shot my first pheasant with it.

I have both a 28 ga. 28" 686 and a 28 ga. 32" Citori 725 plus my competition skeet gun is a tubed 12 ga. Citori. I shoot the skeet gun frequently with the 28 ga tubes installed in the skeet Citori.
 
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It depends on what you are planning to do with your 28 ga shotgun.

A few boxes of ammunition per year at some clay games and some hunting adventures, a bargain priced gun will probably serve you well.

If you are planning to shoot lots of clay games, I'd get at least a Beretta 686 or a Browning Citori 725. These are the minimum for reliable shotguns for clay games. Unfortunately, both are above your budget.

I enjoy shooting 28 ga in skeet. I grew up shooting my Dad's 28 ga side by side and shot my first pheasant with it.

I have both a 28" 686 and a 32" Citori 725 plus my competition skeet gun is a tubed 12 ga. Citori. I shoot the skeet gun frequently with the 28 ga tubes installed in the skeet Citori.

I have to agree.

I have a Turkish made 410 O/U which is very nice looking and functions great. It is fine for my uses such as handful of skeet rounds a year and some dove hunting. Now if I were to shoot a handful of skeet rounds per month, I definitely would have bought a better O/U.
 
Are you dead set on a break action or can a Browning BPS pump or Remington 1100 be considered. I had a 1100 for a while; only sold it when I went away from 28 gauges. I added a mag cap weight to mine because I was SO used to my Browning 32" 12 gauge, I needed that weight to keep me from whipping the barrel all over the place. Gas gun stretches out the recoil pulse for softer shooting and the 1100 weighs about 7#
 
I am dead set on an o/u. I have semi auto's and I have never cared for pumps... Just can't get used to using one.. not even for home defense...

It will be used for mostly skeet and maybe possibly dove hunting.... I don't go skeet shooting very often anymore because the closest place is over an hour away. I've considered getting a nice electric thrower for the house...

I will shoot less than 1,000 rounds through it a year. Maybe 2000 if i get a thrower at home...
 
Looks like your best bet will be a Huglu made gun by CZ. The Redhead and Drake are both available in 28 ga. You'll have to see how they fit. The Redhead, unsurprisingly, is the better looking. Just have to hope it's not crazy...

CZ has been working with Huglu now for well over a decade, and DeHaan had Huglu making some pretty nice guns. For the volume of shooting you are talking about, these should be fine. I don't know if they are on a scaled 28 ga frame or 28 barrels on a 20.
 
My suggestion is exactly what you originally asked about, a Beretta or a Browning. Go find a store with at least one of each brand you are interested in and see how they fit you, not what fits someone else.

Do not worry about a used Citori unless it is abused, it actually wears in at the hinge. If it ever gets loose, side to side, just have the hinge pin replaced and you are good for another 500k at least.

Old saying, a Beretta will fit you and if not, the Browning Citori will. Most competition shooters use one or the other. I use the Citori myself and have hauled them all over the world wing shooting. Tough, tough shotgun in a 10 day 1k round per day trip. Really, 10k in 10 days. 8-12 guys per trip. How many broken Citori guns have I ever seen, just one, forend hammer spring, 15 minutes to fix.
 
i'm going to go to my local gun store and try the beretta and browning to see what fits best. I'll keep that as an option, maybe even do layaway....

On another note does anyone know how the cz fits compared to them? Nobody around me carries them and I'm kinda curious if they fit like the browning or beretta????
 
Do you have a 12 or 20 ga gun now, if so get a 28ga tube from either Briley or Kolar for around $700 and call it a day. adds some weight to the gun, which in turn will soak up more of the recoil...however this is all a moot point if your looking to get into a lighter gun. Then as other have mentioned I'd save the cash and go with a Beretta 686
 
I am dead set on an o/u. I have semi auto's and I have never cared for pumps... Just can't get used to using one.. not even for home defense...

It will be used for mostly skeet and maybe possibly dove hunting.... I don't go skeet shooting very often anymore because the closest place is over an hour away. I've considered getting a nice electric thrower for the house...

I will shoot less than 1,000 rounds through it a year. Maybe 2000 if i get a thrower at home...
Your location says Houston; there are a LOT of gun clubs in the area - https://www.claytargetsonline.com/texas/ - maybe there's a few closer to you than an hour you were not aware of?
 
I've been looking for a used beretta or browning, but haven't really found one in my price range. I have to stay under $1000.

Good luck. You'll need it. I've shot the Beretta 686 and a Rizzini in 28, as well as an 1100.

I am dead set on an o/u.

The two statements of yours I've quoted are contradictory. If you want to play, ya gots ta pay. Imagine going on a car forum and stating you want a Jag XKE for $4000. I actually had a chance to buy one for $3000 once, in 1981; it didn't have an engine. Your expectations are opposite reality. Sure you might find some widow selling her husbands 28 ga. Skeet gun for under $1000, but you're better off buying lottery tickets to finance a Beretta or Browning. That's more likely to happen.
 
Good luck. You'll need it. I've shot the Beretta 686 and a Rizzini in 28, as well as an 1100.



The two statements of yours I've quoted are contradictory. If you want to play, ya gots ta pay. Imagine going on a car forum and stating you want a Jag XKE for $4000. I actually had a chance to buy one for $3000 once, in 1981; it didn't have an engine. Your expectations are opposite reality. Sure you might find some widow selling her husbands 28 ga. Skeet gun for under $1000, but you're better off buying lottery tickets to finance a Beretta or Browning. That's more likely to happen.

He MIGHT be able to find a Turkish one for under $1,000, but the quality will be suspect as will be the longevity and reliability. OP - Quality costs and O/Us and SxSs require more skilled labor than a pump or semi, so the equivalent in quality will cost more. If I were you, I would try to find a used Japanese-made SKB; MAYBE it will be in your price range.
Good luck!

I have contemplated going back to 28s and selling off my 12s and 20s. For ME that would entail a minimum of two shotguns - one for targets and one for birds. I know where I can get a used Perazzi built on a 20 gauge frame for targets as a gun writer friend said he'd sell it to me, and I have a line on several Berettas built on the true 28 frame - sadly none of them will be even close to your $1000 mark.
 
Briley is located in the Houston area. Besides tubes and other shot gun gunsmithing, they also have some shotguns. I'm not sure how low on the budget front they go.

They make a line of companion tubes that do not require fitting to the gun.
 
when i was shooting the 28,s i bought a mec 9000 in 28 ga to keep the cost down and 2000 once fired rem sts cases. i have since sold the 1100 sporting 28,but kept the rem 870 28 for small game hunting.. i bought a xs browning citori and a citori upland special in 20 ga and a mec 650 in 20 ga and have not looked back.
 
I can see a future for it IF they mandate non-lead ammo and folks do not want to spend a lot for bismuth or similar. A 3" 28 gauge steel load might be just fine for some upland game.
That said, if it came to that, I'd simply go with a 20.
The more I think about this (and I have been contemplating this for a while), the more I like the idea of buying my friend's Perazzi 28 on a 20 frame for competition and getting a 6# Beretta for birds. I could sell my 5-6 12s and 4 20s and make a lot of room in the safe. His Perazzi is choked .016 and .016, which in 28 makes the equal of .25 in 12 - right where M become IM. One could easily use that for 12 ga events, 20 ga events and 28 ga events (with a built in excuse if do poorly against the bigger bores, and some serious bragging rights against the guys you beat!.:D:thumbup:
 
There are just not a lot of used 28 gauge Browning or Beretta O/Us out there and they generally are not cheap. I have never seed one for 1000 or less in the many years I have been fooling with guns. And the new ones are more in 28 gauge than the other gauges. So if you want a 28 cheap the CZ seems a good choice. Or maybe a Yildez.

My personal choice was just to stick with the 20 gauge and load 3/4 oz loads for clay targets. Shells are a lot cheaper if you are buying. Can use heavier loads for hunting. Used guns are available. I have not bought in to the 28 gauge mystic yet.

I shot my friends nice Beretta 28. I shot another friends field Cynergy 28. I shot a 28 gauge Citori. All nice guns. But I like my 20 gauge Citori and my 20 gauge 101just as well.

The little Beretta was too small and trim for me. The Cynergy felt better. The Citori was a couple ounces heavier than my 20 gauge.
 
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While I'm a fan of 28 gauge, loads available for 12 gauge and 20 gauge can "simulate" 28 gauge loads. Lower recoil and suitable effectiveness.

I'm getting ready to load a bunch of 12 ga, 7/8 oz loads while I have time at home due to this virus thing. I loaded some a few years ago and finally shot some at skeet over December, 2019. They were pleasant to shoot.

My point is, one can get 28 gauge performance with a larger gauge gun. Factory ammunition may be available but definitely possible with reloading.

But, I still like my 28 gauge guns.

As an aside, my 5'-2" wife has a 26" barrel 20 gauge Citori. With 7/8 oz 20 ga target loads, is deadly on the skeet field.
 
The main reason I want a 28 gauge is the small frame size and being light weight. I shot a yildz at the range in 28 gauge and it was a blast to shoot. It didn't fit me perfect but, still fun.

I have a 20 gauge A5 and several 12's... But I really like the small frame that some people use on the 28.. I really don't want a 20 gauge frame size in a 28 either...

My profile says houston, but I never updated it after we moved to the farm up in NE texas....

If i decide to go browning/beretta i'll just have to save more... But really wondering how the cz points and fits compared to the browning or beretta... Nobody around me stocks them.
 
There are just not a lot of used 28 gauge Browning or Beretta O/Us out there and they generally are not cheap. I have never seed one for 1000 or less in the many years I have been fooling with guns. And the new ones are more in 28 gauge than the other gauges. So if you want a 28 cheap the CZ seems a good choice. Or maybe a Yildez.

My personal choice was just to stick with the 20 gauge and load 3/4 oz loads for clay targets. Shells are a lot cheaper if you are buying. Can use heavier loads for hunting. Used guns are available. I have not bought in to the 28 gauge mystic yet.

I shot my friends nice Beretta 28. I shot another friends field Cynergy 28. I shot a 28 gauge Citori. All nice guns. But I like my 20 gauge Citori and my 20 gauge 101just as well.

The little Beretta was too small and trim for me. The Cynergy felt better. The Citori was a couple ounces heavier than my 20 gauge.
Here are 751 28 gauge guns for sale from a wide number of brands

https://www.gunsinternational.com/guns-for-sale-online/shotguns/shotguns-28-gauge.c785_p1_o6.cfm
 
There are just not a lot of used 28 gauge Browning or Beretta O/Us out there and they generally are not cheap. I have never seed one for 1000 or less in the many years I have been fooling with guns. And the new ones are more in 28 gauge than the other gauges. So if you want a 28 cheap the CZ seems a good choice. Or maybe a Yildez.

My personal choice was just to stick with the 20 gauge and load 3/4 oz loads for clay targets. Shells are a lot cheaper if you are buying. Can use heavier loads for hunting. Used guns are available. I have not bought in to the 28 gauge mystic yet.

I shot my friends nice Beretta 28. I shot another friends field Cynergy 28. I shot a 28 gauge Citori. All nice guns. But I like my 20 gauge Citori and my 20 gauge 101just as well.

The little Beretta was too small and trim for me. The Cynergy felt better. The Citori was a couple ounces heavier than my 20 gauge.
I reload 3/4oz for both 12 and 20 - which is why I sold my 28s years ago. Since I shoot competition, I could use the 3/4 for practice and still bump up to 1oz or 1-1/8 oz for serious target matches. Where I now live, however, the opportunity for shooting a lot of competition is diminished.
 
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