# Why a 28 gauge?



## .45 (Sep 21, 2007)

I know some of you have 28's and I'm curious exactly why. 
Shells seem hard (kinda) to come by, 4 shot is really hard to find along with some 5's. Are they any good for duck, goose or turkey? 
I know to 'feed the village' a 12 gauge would be the right choice but I recently bought one and am quite impressed with it all. I'm trying to re-learn how to shoot trap with the thing. Full choke and all. 
Just curious what you owners have to say about them. Good or bad. Thanks!


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## Packout (Nov 20, 2007)

I love the 28. It kicks less and swings easy. It is just as effective for me as a 20 ga. We have killed turkeys, ducks, and smaller birds with a 28. And it is lighter to carry. I bought my Dad a 28 after he stopped hunting birds and it allowed me to go on another 10 years of hunts with him. The 28 ga is a favorite of mine. 

..


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## AF CYN (Mar 19, 2009)

I don't have one, but I think it would be funt to own one just to complete the shotgun collection. They're just cool.


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## Cooky (Apr 25, 2011)

The guns. It's hard to find a clunky 28 gauge. They feel nice, and I like the way they look. I hit pretty much the same as I do with anything else with almost zero recoil. The only exception was the Franchi AL48 I had for a minute, it was so light I couldn't swing it well and that little guy kicked! It was gorgeous though. I have a Remington 1100 and an 870 and will pick up an over under just as soon as the right one happens my way. You only have to reload about 500-600 rounds to pay for a MEC650 JR.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

The Tristar Viper G2 28 ga. is next on my list.


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## Dunkem (May 8, 2012)

I think we are all abit touched!! I have a 12, 16,and a 20, and would love to get a 28. My wife ask me "why"?, I replied "I don't have one". :mrgreen:


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## Pumpgunner (Jan 12, 2010)

I don't know if this is true or not but a buddy of mine that loves 28's told me that they produce better patterns because the shot column is square, meaning it's just about the same height as the bore diameter. Again I don't know if that's true or not but it makes sense in my mind!


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## toasty (May 15, 2008)

The good:
I can fit a days worth of shells in my front pocket. You can shoot all day long and not have a sore shoulder. They are light and snappy, great for fast moving birds and to carry all day long. They typically have higher coombs which fit my skinny face better. Less volume makes loading tungsten shot easier and use fewer spacers. Lots of great factory lead loads.

The bad:
Factory loads are a little more expensive. There are very few good no tox loads and nothing for turkeys, so if you want to hunt those birds you have to reload. The other issue is 28ga guns are very dependent on chokes. Have to be careful on choke size as .005 too tight and you have a 10" pattern at 30 yards and .005 too loose and a moose could walk through your pattern. .538-.542 constriction seems to be the sweet spot for most loads.

A 28ga with tungsten is as effective as any 12ga load you can buy. The tristar viper g2 is an excellent semi auto choice and is virtually the same gun at the Weatherby SA-08 in 28ga. There are a few of us on this forum that have put thousands of rounds through those 2 guns and love them.


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## .45 (Sep 21, 2007)

Thanks for the comments! Now I feel better about my purchase, a Weatherby SA-08. It is a real comfortable gun for me, size and recoil wise. 
The Viper is a beauty, Budsguns has a good price on both!


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## gdog (Sep 13, 2007)

True to size actions in 28 ga are too much fun. Love my little CZ 28ga and have taken all sorts of upland birds with it. Bought the kids a 28 ga Franchi AL48 and they can shoot it all day long.


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## Stimmy (Sep 10, 2007)

I am selling my 28 gauge over/under if anybody is interested. it is a savage/stevens, perfect shape. I have the box, all the chokes, etc. Sells at cablelas for $550, will sell for $450. PM me if interested and I can send some pics. located in ogden area.

Eric


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## sawsman (Sep 13, 2007)

'Ole .45 shoots that 28 pretty good, but he'll never go 100 for 100.

Dreamer. ;-)

.


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## hamernhonkers (Sep 28, 2007)

Do yourself a favor and sell that 28 now! It will ruin your life They are addictive little tools of the devil and no man deserves their curse.

You made a good choice with sa-08. Have two in the house, one 26" and one 28" barrel. Have a few more makes and models as well.

As far as hunting with them, I started 22 or so years ago with Remington express 870 chasing every upland bird the state had to offer, I then turned to waterfowl and turkeys the last few years and just can't seem to use anything else now. Got a couple of safes with 10's, 12's, and 20's that are just collecting dust.

The little 28 with factory and home loads is a is quite the bird and clay machine. Have fun and enjoy yours. Use it with in its and your limits and it will kill any bird you can hunt.













































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## .45 (Sep 21, 2007)

Wow....very nice hammer, very nice! And with a little 28, convinced me.


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## .45 (Sep 21, 2007)

sawsman said:


> 'Ole .45 shoots that 28 pretty good, but he'll never go 100 for 100.
> 
> Dreamer. ;-)
> 
> .


Hoo boy.....are you ever in the deepest of trouble..-O,-


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## CPAjeff (Dec 20, 2014)

I put thousands of rounds down the tubes of a Citori 28 in Argentina earlier this year and was completely amazed at the capabilities and absolute fun of this gauge. It is definitely on the “need to buy next” list!


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## Trooper (Oct 18, 2007)

You need a 28 gauge for the same reason you need a 6.5 Creedmore, to keep this chat going. If we all just bought a 12 gauge and a 30-6; what would we argue about? Habitat preservation? 
(Full disclosure... I love my 28 for grouse.)


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## JerryH (Jun 17, 2014)

Why a 28? Because they're sexy!! 

It is by far the most fun gauge to shoot. And cheap to reload.

Im looking for another 1100 if anyone has one?


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Why a 28 gauge? Because shells for 24 gauge are way too high.

Here's a couple 28s and some birds:









The double barrel is gdogs and the pump is my 1971 mahogany-stocked Rem 870.

.


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## BPturkeys (Sep 13, 2007)

For HEDoubleL sakes. Am I the only guy on here that don't have a 28g? And then there's PGoob, he shows up with a really cool little PRemington 870 that was made before most of yous guys were even born.


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## hamernhonkers (Sep 28, 2007)

BPturkeys said:


> For HEDoubleL sakes. Am I the only guy on here that don't have a 28g? And then there's PGoob, he shows up with a really cool little PRemington 870 that was made before most of yous guys where even born.


We keep waiting for you to get caught up with the times. Just cause your 3 times as old as goobs gun don't mean you can't catch up

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## Huntoholic (Sep 17, 2008)

Thought I was an odd duck when I bought my 28g. Remington 11-48. Love using it to Dove hunt.


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

and 11-48 in 28 gauge...wow that is an odd duck


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## Natural Born Killer (Oct 29, 2015)

28 gauge bronze viper for christmas, factory choke set and extended choke set,

why ? I didn't have one

( if you know how many guns you have you don't have enough)

, i will probably let my 11 year old granddaughter use it at the trap shoots, her 20 gauge 1100 and 870 are to heavy for her to swing fast,
and i can always shoot it out at the club......


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Huntoholic said:


> Thought I was an odd duck when I bought my 28g. Remington 11-48. Love using it to Dove hunt.


I have a couple of 11-48s in 28ga. Great guns.

.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

LostLouisianian said:


> and 11-48 in 28 gauge...wow that is an odd duck


Maybe, maybe not. There's been a lot of them on GunsAmerica in the last couple years.

.


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## hamernhonkers (Sep 28, 2007)

Natural Born Killer said:


> 28 gauge bronze viper for christmas, factory choke set and extended choke set,
> 
> why ? I didn't have one
> 
> ...


please post some pics of your new toy would ya.

I keep wanting to buy the bronze but every gun I get seems to end up going duck hunting and I just can't beat up a pretty gun

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## Huntoholic (Sep 17, 2008)

wyogoob said:


> I have a couple of 11-48s in 28ga. Great guns.
> 
> .


It is a sweet gun. The guy that owned it had a Lyman muzzle break put on it. It looks kind of funny cause the muzzle break is bigger around then the barrel, but its balance is really great. I bought it because it was different.


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## BPturkeys (Sep 13, 2007)

hamernhonkers said:


> We keep waiting for you to get caught up with the times. Just cause your 3 times as old as goobs gun don't mean you can't catch up
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


I ain't that old, why just a couple days ago I was talking with Toasty about upgrading to TSS shot...I think it's a fav with you boys shooting the 28's. Who knows, maybe theirs a 28 out there with my name on it.


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## hamernhonkers (Sep 28, 2007)

BPturkeys said:


> I ain't that old, why just a couple days ago I was talking with Toasty about upgrading to TSS shot...I think it's a fav with you boys shooting the 28's. Who knows, maybe theirs a 28 out there with my name on it.


Lol I know your not that old.

Toasty will get you set up well with the TSS.

My wife just shot this beautiful bird yesterday with a 7/8 oz load of TSS 9's at 35 yards. Laid him out clean.

Hope you do look into one, there a ton of fun.









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## .45 (Sep 21, 2007)

I'm really enjoying my 28. Light, comfortable, nice action and swing. I can shoot left or right handed and this little gun makes it very easy. I can't hit anything left or right handed but it sure is comfortable! :smile:


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## BPturkeys (Sep 13, 2007)

hamernhonkers said:


> Lol I know your not that old.
> 
> Toasty will get you set up well with the TSS.
> 
> ...


That's a nice old tom wifey shot their. Fall birds are so much nicer(eatin) than spring birds.

It sounds as though it's time I do some serious looking into a 28(why not, nothing better to do) and even more into TSS shot.

Maybe it's time to sell off the Ithaca Mag-10 and down size. I haven't used the Mag-10 for years although they are sweet, sweet guns. There is something about the raw size and power of a 10g mag, and yet these Mag-10's point and shoot like nothing else. So smooth and powerful.


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

BPturkeys said:


> That's a nice old tom wifey shot their. Fall birds are so much nicer(eatin) than spring birds.
> 
> It sounds as though it's time I do some serious looking into a 28(why not, nothing better to do) and even more into TSS shot.
> 
> Maybe it's time to sell off the Ithaca Mag-10 and down size. I haven't used the Mag-10 for years although they are sweet, sweet guns. There is something about the raw size and power of a 10g mag, and yet these Mag-10's point and shoot like nothing else. So smooth and powerful.


I don't know what they sound like but opening day at FB someone near us had a shotgun and the danged thing sounded like a Howitzer. The first time he blasted it off all three of use immediately looked at each other and said "what the eff was that?" I've never heard a shotgun sound like that before....very very strange


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