WHY THE 28 GAUGE ?

[diver dan]

Why a 28 gauge shotgun ? I hunted with a 16ga remington pump almost all my life chasing rabbits.I even hunted them with 410 , and I can see that , but out of the blue came this 28ga , why ? Is it better for quail/grouse ? I can imagine what the cost of shells are going to be , and how much shot could be in that little thing , just seems dumb to make them. I havent even seen 28ga shells for sale.Am I missing something ? Just wondering.

 

[Robert Richardson]

Best as a bird gun, you need to be a very good shot to use it. Some guys say it's more sporting.

 

[Twangbanger]

You have to reload, but it's significantly better ballistically than .410, and in good brand guns, you can get a 28 which is lighter than a 20.

 

[Whip_McCord]

I got a couple 28 gauge shotguns because I loved shooting my buddy's 28 gauge Merkel SxS. Nice, light guns that are fun to shoot. Fun gun for skeet. Never hunted with mine, but should be nice and light in the field.

They did not come from out of the blue. They have been around since 1903. There also used to be 24 and 32 gauge shells.

 

[Mgderf]

Why a 28 gauge shotgun ? I hunted with a 16ga remington pump almost all my life chasing rabbits.I even hunted them with 410 , and I can see that , but out of the blue came this 28ga , why ? Is it better for quail/grouse ? I can imagine what the cost of shells are going to be , and how much shot could be in that little thing , just seems dumb to make them. I havent even seen 28ga shells for sale.Am I missing something ? Just wondering.

You act like it was introduced last week.
I've never used one, but I've heard of people using a 28ga for as long as I can remember.

 

[BigMoose]

28 and 32 is a common small bird gun

 

[diver dan]

I am 69yrs old and have never seen a 28ga till last night at walmart.And I been in blythes in griffith my whole life,cousin worked there.Do you rabbit hunt with this ga or quail , seems TOO small of a gauge.Whats the range on this gun ?

 

[Leo]

I love a 28 gauge for dove sized birds in the brush, and rabbits. At 3/4 oz of shot, they are lot more effective than a 1/2 oz .410. They are also small, light guns with almost no recoil. 28 gauge is also an event in skeet shooting. I do not like having to search for and pay the price of 28 gauge shells. They can be as much as 3 times the price of a 12 gauge target shell. Reloading is a must if you shoot skeet.

I have all 3 pairs of subgauge tubes that are fit to my main 12 gauge over and under. It allows me to legally compete, but I am still swinging a heavy 32" O/U gun, plus the weight of the sub gauge tubes for small gun class. Like delivering pizza in a Freightliner. I am thinking of ordering up 28 and .410 tubes to fit my Beretta 20 gauge skeet gun and just use that gun for subgauge class. I would like to try a 20 with a subgauge set before I buy. I have heard tube sets are right at $2000 now. They were $1300 when I got my first set. Still cheaper than barrel sets.

It is only money, they print more everyday......

 

[DoggyDaddy]

It is only money, they print more everyday......

They print more every day, which is why it takes more of our money to buy the same stuff!

 

[Michigan Slim]

I've got a Browning BPS in 28. Love it. Great dove and rabbit gun. I hit better with it than my 12.

 

[Limpy88]

The amount of things ppl miss is usually high. Easiest piont is that most ppl dont notice how many ppl drive the same car till they buy a new one.


28ga is a very efficient bore. In registered nssa 28ga at one piint had higher straits shot than other gauges. 28ga has been around longer than anyone alive today. And before pandemic was on every walmart shelf in the country. And nearly every non tactical based gun shop I have ever been to.
They are great for rabbits and birds. Decided guns are light and great fun to shoot. A 28ga gun built on a 20ga or 16ga frame isn't as fun.

So when most ppl only have 1 shotgun a 20,12 is better as you can get a deer.

Love shooting 28ga. Reloading is 1/2 the powder and shot of 12ga. So materials go further.
I would take a 28ga over a 410 anyday. Only reason I have 410 is for registered skeet shooting(N.S.S.A)

The cost is the same for 28ga to 410 new shells. They aren't produced in even the 10th of amount of 12ga or 20ga. So they are always high.
Modern ammo has really changed that 20ga is my main go to now for non clay target shot gun use . Though is I was going for a small flyingbird gun only. A 28 ga sxs or o/u would be the perfect choice.


Since the 410 and 45 have the same chamber diameter, it has help both of them stay alive.
Modern ammo is no match for old men clingung to nostalgia and resistance to change.

Shot with a couple of old men that love 16ga. Wouldn't call them a normal ppl by any stretch of the imagination. With modern ammo 16ga is pointless. And unless you have some wild hair for a new gun or already have one. There is no point to them. Alot are all built on 12ga frames so you lose in extra weight of the gun. 12ga can do every thing 16ga can when reloading.

 

[Jaybird1980]

I am 69yrs old and have never seen a 28ga till last night at walmart.And I been in blythes in griffith my whole life,cousin worked there.Do you rabbit hunt with this ga or quail , seems TOO small of a gauge.Whats the range on this gun ?

I've had mine for at least 25 years. Not sure how small you think it is. It is bigger than 410 and smaller than 20. Plenty big enough to hunt with.

 

[Hardscrable]

I recently sold my 870 Wingmaster in 28, 60’s manufactured. Like has been said, personally preferred to 410.

 

[Indyhd]

I've been a 20 gauge fan all my life, and always wanted to pick up a 28, but at this point a bit too late. The handling of a 20 autoloader in the field is fantastic, and I would think the same in a 28 would be as good or better. My favorite field gun is an SKB auto in 20 gauge, and I can't even remember the last time I had my 12 gauge 870 out if the house.

 

[Michigan Slim]

Just handled a CZ double at the old hardware store in Syracuse. If it wasn't already sold I would have walked with it. Built on a true 28 frame and just stunningly pretty. The next one he gets is mine.

 

[BJones]

I prefer the 28ga when shooting skeet. It is lighter and has less recoil than the 20ga. I also shoot it much better than the 20ga

 

[two70]

Shot with a couple of old men that love 16ga. Wouldn't call them a normal ppl by any stretch of the imagination. With modern ammo 16ga is pointless. And unless you have some wild hair for a new gun or already have one. There is no point to them. Alot are all built on 12ga frames so you lose in extra weight of the gun. 12ga can do every thing 16ga can when reloading.

I'm not sure there was ever really a point to the 16 gauge, modern ammo or not. Maybe just to be different. Otherwise its just a 'tweener where no 'tweener is really needed.

 

[spencer rifle]

28 and 32 is a common small bird gun

Us CW reenactors who have a Spencer use 32 gauge shells (resized and cut down) for blanks, after replacing the original rimfire breech block with a centerfire one. They can be reloaded several times before the primer pocket gets too loose to hold in the primer. Only have seen them made by Fiocci.

 

[BigMoose]

Us CW reenactors who have a Spencer use 32 gauge shells (resized and cut down) for blanks, after replacing the original rimfire breech block with a centerfire one. They can be reloaded several times before the primer pocket gets too loose to hold in the primer. Only have seen them made by Fiocci.

Rio and Fiocci are the two that make loads for them.

32 Gauge seems to be popular for Tranqulizer dart guns, but I am not sure those guns are interchangeable in any way with 32 Gauge Shotshells.

 

[Limpy88]

I'm not sure there was ever really a point to the 16 gauge, modern ammo or not. Maybe just to be different. Otherwise its just a 'tweener where no 'tweener is really needed.

There was 100 years ago. And really in the last 20 have things really changed. IE 9mm replacing 40cal as the gap in power isn't there anymore.
The one guy likes to buy 16ga British sxs. Most are 75 years or older.