28 GA Pattern

[RKellogg]

I have been thinking about getting a 28 ga for hunting birds and doing some skeet shooting . A Red Lable is what I am looking at . But I am not sure if I will be able to hit anything with it . What is the pattern size on a 28 ga . I am not sure of the pattern size on my 12 ga , or any other gauge has far as that goes . Can anyone help .

 

[PJR]

The pattern size of a 28 gauge is the same pattern size on the 12. What is different is that the smaller gauges use less shot so holes in the pattern open up sooner as the pattern widens than a load with more shot. This applies equally with lighter shot loads in the same gauge. You run out of useable pattern sooner.

The 28 gauge is excellent for skeet distance targets. You might not have as many pellets in the fringe of your pattern compared to larger gauges and not get the one or two chipped targets you might get with a 12 but if the pattern is centered the target will break and the bird will fall.

 

[Scoupe]

The 28 gauge is excellent for skeet distance targets.

+1

Additionally, it's not unusual to find skeet shooters whose best averages are in 28 gauge. My GF and are into competitive skeet and 75% of our practice is done in 28 gauge. Plenty of pattern to crush birds and light enough recoil to shoot 5-8 boxes 3-4 times a week and not feel beat up.

 

[RKellogg]

Thank you , that helps a lot .
Now , what do you think of the Ruger Red Lable in 28 ga .

 

[Scoupe]

There seem to be opposing camps. Lots love 'em, lots hate 'em. I've never owned one, only played a little. A little light for a target gun, but the one I played with came up nice and swung well. It was a 20ga. There are a few guys that bring them out to our club and shoot skeet with them. Never witnessed one fail, but one guy said he had to send his back for some warranty work once. I forgot what it was. Seems to work fine now.

My personal field guns are pumps and autos and my target gun is an 11lb. O/U. Something about that 28g in an 1100 or 870 just really trips my trigger.

 

[win71]

It will be fine

I hunt pheasants with a Ruger Red Label 28 ga. It came with 5 choke tubes, 2 were skeet. I had been using a 20 ga. double with fixed ic and mod. chokes. I patterned them both side by side with equal chokes and 1 oz loads. Nickel plated in the 20, copper in the 28. I patterned at 20 yds. and 35 yds. if I remember right. Anyway the 28 was slightly tighter than the 20. I now hunt with skeet and modified in the 28 over a dog (pointer). As far as I can tell I'm not killing any more or any less than I did with the 20 ga. In fact I am now using a 3/4 oz load in the skeet barrel and stayed with the 1 oz. load in the second shot mod. barrel.

Choked skeet and skeet it will be just like any other skeet choked 28 ga. gun. You practice on the skeet range you won't have any trouble in the field.

Shells are a little more expensive but if you shoot at a skeet range the club should have decent prices on AA loads. That's fine for Quail and the like. I use 6's for pheasants.

 

[45auto]

From "memory", the effective pattern of a 28 gauge is about 35% smaller than a 1 1/8 oz 12 gauge pattern.

"Effective" means you can reliably expect the bird to break if it's within the pattern size. But the pattern is that much smaller.

So, you do have to be more "accurate" with a 28, but it's a great gauge, IMO, since it has a "big" pattern for a "small gauge"...meaning much larger than a 410.

 

[PJR]

Are you a hunter that shoots clays or a clay shooter that sometimes hunts?

If you are a hunter then the Red Label in 28 gauge has a lot to offer. It's frame is scaled to the gauge whereas a lot of 28 guns come on 20 gauge frames. While I am not a fan of the Red Label in 12 gauge they are more appealing in subgauges. Try the triggers and the safety/barrel selector. Ruger triggers are sometimes not great and are tough to make better. The safety/barrel selector set up isn't something I like but if you don't mind it then the Ruger would be a good choice.

My 28 gauge o/u is a 32" target gun on a 20 gauge frame and weights 7-1/2lbs. Not great for hunting but exceptional for sporting clays and skeet. The Red Label comes in lengths of 26 and 28 inches and at 6lbs. is more of a hunting gun and one I'd find probably too light for clay targets.

Let us know what you decide.

 

[RKellogg]

I am going back and forth . As much as I can tell in the store , I like the Red lable . I can get one for about $900 . Now , a friend of mine tells me he will sell me his 1100 28ga for $500 . I am a hunter that shoots skeet sometimes , so I am not sure what to do . :banghead:

I wish all my problems were this bad .

 

[theCZ]

Personally I'd take the 1100 over the RRL. A friend just bought a 28ga 1100, and man is it a sweet little gun! A lot lighter than my 12ga 1100, and it feels equally at home on the skeet field and on the prowl for upland game. 28ga is my favorite gauge for skeet by far, I can't say anything bad about it except the price, but I reload, and then it's VERY cheap.



There's always time later to have both guns in your safe if you feel remiss about passing one up.

 

[RKellogg]

Is $500 a good price for the 28 ga 1100 . It is in perfect shape and it is an older gun . Thats all I know about it .

 

[theCZ]

The one my friend just got was a NIB 28ga field model. He paid around $850 for it, it came with a couple extended choke tubes and a 27" barrel. I've seen them advertised in Shotgun Sports for $750 before shipping and taxes. Seems like $500 wouldn't be too bad for one in good condition.

 

[PJR]

Something about that 28g in an 1100 or 870 just really trips my trigger.

Trips my trigger too considering I bought one of each in the last 2 months.

The 870 is a recent production Wingmaster and the 1100 is an early 90's skeet gun.

Love the 1100 but the 870 is taking some getting used to. It is so light that I'm either shooting in front of the targets or stopping dead and missing behind.

The major downside of the 1100 is that if you reload (and with 28 gauge it's a very attractive prospect) chasing down the hulls all over the field becomes a bit tiresome. Neat little gun though and I'm enjoying it a lot.

Now how did we get his far on a 28 gauge thread without Steve posting?

 

[45auto]

PJR,

Where did you find a 28 with 32" barrels if I may ask? Perazzi?

 

[redneck2]

Couple things about the 28....I had a Ruger in 28. Extremely light, about the same as a moderate sized .22. Very quick. I got over 50% on doves with it. I think that you subconciously know you've got less shot so you've got less range.

That said, IIRC you can get 1 oz loads, so that puts it in the same class a target 12's and 20's in a smaller, faster gun. Downside is shells are maybe 3x the cost of 12's. If you shoot a lot, the recoil would work you over due to the payload vs weight.

I ended up trading if off for a 12 O/U as I was getting into SC and the price and availability of shells didn't work. If you want something fast and light for upland work, it would fit the bill. I can't see getting a full frame gun in 28. YMMV.

 

[Scoupe]

Is $500 a good price for the 28 ga 1100 . It is in perfect shape and it is an older gun . Thats all I know about it .

Not a bad price for around here anyway. As mentioned above a new 1100 Sporting in 28 is gonna set you back $850. That gun comes with nice extended chokes and wood like you wouldn't believe for an 1100.

The small gauge 1100s command a premium. Used, figure $300 and up for a 20ga, $450 and up if it's on a standard frame and has a skeet barrel. So, the $500 for a pristine 28ga doesn't out of line to me at all. Would be great to get it for $450 though.

Also, as PJR mentions, be prepared to chase hulls into the next county.

 

[PJR]

Where did you find a 28 with 32" barrels if I may ask? Perazzi?

Yes. Guerini makes them in that length and if memory serves Rizzini does too.

 

[45auto]

Great, thanks.

Difficult to beat the Perazzi however!