20 vs 28 gauge

[Ltach578]

I know its probably a dead horse and I did a search, only found some goofy banter. I sold my Benelli Ethos Sport 12 gauge. I now need to replace it. I'm an oldie (73) and don't like the recoil anymore. SO, I'm going to a 20 or 28. I only hunt doves and shoot SC, 5-stand and Skeet.

In y'alls opinion, if I buy a 28 will I be giving away many birds? I think modern factory loaded 28's will keep up with the 20.

I don't shoot a ton of rounds so the slightly higher ammo costs is not a worry

I respect everyone's opinion here.

 

[Russ16]

There may not be a better dove gun than a 28. Unless you’re shooting for real money will all be plenty for 5 stand as well.

 

[Jay Kelley]

You should be fine with a 28. I went down to 20 a few years ago, but I still hunt pheasant and chukkar.

 

[Mark Biggerstaff]

I enjoy the 28ga, especially the Beretta A400, very pleasant and easy on the shoulder.

 

[wesheltonj]

You will get your birds, but 28 is not my first choice for dove. I only have a 28 as some of the quail places look down on anything else.

 

[WAB]

I love the .28. I have literally put hundreds of thousand rounds through shotguns, and many of these with a .28. The .28 gives up nothing inside 30 yards. If you see an honest 30 yard overhead target you will be amazed (hint: very few trees in the world grow to that height).

My main piece of advice would be to avoid ultralight 28’s. It is very, very difficult to shoot a 5 1/2# gun accurately.

 

[DLSJR]

You’ll be fine with a good 28 gauge. I did nearly all my duck hunting for the first 50 years with 12 gauges. Then, 7 years ago I sold my property and joined a duck club in Idaho that only allowed sub-gauge guns, 20, 28, 410’s. So I bought guns in all those gauges. 28’s do just fine on decoying mallards and we’ve shot hundreds of them with 28’s. Greater Canadians are a bit more challenging but with good quality shells and keeping shots inside 25 yards I’ve shot a few dozen honkers with 28’s.

The 28 is ideal for doves, quail, most ducks and a lot of fun to shoot.

 

[Boone66]

You’ll be fine with a good 28 gauge. I did nearly all my duck hunting for the first 50 years with 12 gauges. Then, 7 years ago I sold my property and joined a duck club in Idaho that only allowed sub-gauge guns, 20, 28, 410’s. So I bought guns in all those gauges. 28’s do just fine on decoying mallards and we’ve shot hundreds of them with 28’s. Greater Canadians are a bit more challenging but with good quality shells and keeping shots inside 25 yards I’ve shot a few dozen honkers with 28’s.

The 28 is ideal for doves, quail, most ducks and a lot of fun to shoot.

A duck.club that only allows sub Guage guns? Did they give a reason?

 

[DLSJR]

A duck.club that only allows sub Guage guns? Did they give a reason?

They believe by hunting each blind only once or twice a week and with 28’s & 410’s, they hold more ducks. They’re not as loud, so they don’t chase birds out as much. When the birds are down from Alberta/Saskatchewan, it’s about as good as duck hunting can be. Many days that 3 of us have brought in 21 green heads shot with 28’s.

The club actually dropped 20’s a few years ago and now is only 28s & 410s. They work a lot better than you might expect. 410’s are a faint drop off but 28’s are fine out past 30 yards and 30 is as far as we shoot.

28 gauge hunt.

 

[leslie hetrick]

if i didn,t load it would be a 20 ga all day and i have both, a rem 28 ga and a beretta 20 ga. more options with factory loads with the 20 ga and cost. for doves i shoot fed 20ga 7/8 once #7.5 or #8 shot. i load with mec 9000,s. years ago i found 3 flats of win 28ga with 1 once # 6 shot for 60.00 a flat and still have just about 2 flats left, it.s my favorite load for ring necks and rabbits.

 

[Altitude sickness]

I used to participate in organized dove hunts with several clubs in the southeast. I struggled to get my limit with a 12 gauge and one box of shells.

While watching the more proficient achieve it with a 20 gauge. And they were upset if they didn’t shoot 12 birds with 12 shells.

In many cases it’s the Indian. Not the bow.

My deceased brother in law could handily beat me using his .410 and me with a 12

 

[codofish]

I feel like I give up about 10% effectiveness going from 20 gauge to a 28. And about 10% effectiveness going from a 12 gauge to a 20. Many people believe the 28 gauge is the sweet spot for a good pattern, which is more important than the number of total pellets in the shell.

Now the .410 is a huge drop off from the 28. I have only hunted plantation quail with two people who were good enough to use them without crippling a lot of lost birds. .410 is for experts and braggarts and it becomes obvious quickly which one you are.

 

[Russ16]

A duck.club that only allows sub Guage guns? Did they give a reason?

Very common out west. I don’t know of a club in CA that allows guns over 20 gauge

 

[Mac13]

20 years ago or so, hunting quail near San Angelo with some friends, our dogs (gsp’s) treed a bobcat. We were about 30 yards away and before I could get the words out my buddy shot it with a 28 ga. Using #8 shot. I was scared to death that cat would be wounded and injure one of the dogs but he was dead on impact.

Only disadvantage you will have is number of pellets in your pattern vs a 12ga. You will probably need to use a full or extra full choke depending on how far you intend to shoot. Advantage is the gun will be lighter, have less recoil and swing way better.

 

[mdwest]

I prefer a 20… but that’s honestly only because of the “Walmart” factor… I can pretty much walk into anywhere that sells guns and ammo anywhere in the US and find lots of 20ga options on the shelf… where 28 is harder to get, and there are less readily available options once I find it somewhere (other than online)…

All of that said, I absolutely agree with what others have already stated… a 28 is an absolutely wonderful dove gun, will do just fine at 5 stand, etc… and is certainly nice and easy on the shoulder… I think it will do everything you are asking of it very nicely…