20 vs 28 gauge

[Ridge Runner]

I’d like to know where 16 ga is easier to find that 28! I can get ammo for my 28 easily. My 16 is a mail order only proposition. Glad I stocked up years ago.

Believe it or not I have seen 16 gauge and 28 gauge shells for sale at various Walmarts, but not at all of the Walmarts I've been in. Some of the "mom and pop" LGSs have 16 and 28 gauge shells on hand, of course at a heftier price than Walmart and online suppliers.

Then again I not only reload various rifle and handgun cartridge ammo, I also reload 12 gauge, and thanks to an AH member, 16 gauge shells. Now to get a 410, 28, and 10 gauge reloading presses and I'll be set.

FYI....finding 10 gauge shells are harder for me to find locally than either 16 and 28 gauge.

 

[jeanes]

I’d like to know where 16 ga is easier to find that 28! I can get ammo for my 28 easily. My 16 is a mail order only proposition. Glad I stocked up years ago.

My local Academy usually has 16 GA shells. Not like 12 or 20, but enough. I've even found steel waterfowl loads there in 16. They also stock 28's but never seen duck loads in that gauge.

 

[Hooked Now]

I've only shot a 28 a few times. I hit fewer birds, but that's me not the gun. I did find it swung really nicely and with a bit more practice I think I would prefer it. A 12 feels like a log at this point. As to ammo, you just need to plan ahead a little. I mostly order my flats for any gauge online at this point anyway. I'd go with the 28.

 

[BonUm16]

Recoil is a result of gun weight/mass of ejecta/velocity of ejecta. If recoil is of concern, a 6 1/4lb- 6 1/2lb gun firing a 3/4oz load at 1100-1200fps would be a sweet spot (IMO) for your intended use of the gun. I’d pick a 20 ga if forced to choose but I’d suggest deciding on the gun you like and handle that model in both gauges. Whichever feels better is the one.

I have a couple 10s, a decent amount of 12s, a bunch of 16s and a good number of 20s but only one 28. If I was honest with myself, I’d sell most everything else off and use the 28 most of the time. It just works for me but I typically only use it when it’s raining.

‘51 Skeet choked Rem 11-48

 

[Rubberhead]

I've considered this question for a lot of years. I have both and use both for hunting and clays. Here's the conclusion I've come to...

The 28 gauge has a reputation for "punching above its weight class". There are probably a lot of reasons for this but I think the two biggest reasons are 1) I think people expect the 28 to be a toy gauge so they are surprised when they find out it kills birds really well and 2) a lot of people compare with 28 gauge fed with premium shells (about the only thing available for the gauge) to the 20 gauge that they fed with bulk discounts shells from Walmart.

I really, really think that when fed with similar quality ammo, the 20 gauge does outperform the 28 gauge by the exact amount dictated by physics but for birds and clays, the difference is just about immeasurable or undetectable.

The bigger question is getting the gun weight heavy enough to keep the swing smooth and properly absorb the recoil while being light enough to make it "usable" for the normal length and distance of your shooting sessions.

 

[Russ16]

My local Academy usually has 16 GA shells. Not like 12 or 20, but enough. I've even found steel waterfowl loads there in 16. They also stock 28's but never seen duck loads in that gauge.

We don’t have Academy around here. Our choices for ammo are pretty limited. One more reason that sucks about where I live.

 

[meigsbucks]

I find myself shooting my 28 A LOT more than my 20. Not so much for recoil, but it just feels more natural.

 

[SBW1975]

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.

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.

28 gauge hands down. 28 gauge shells can be anywhere from 1oz of shot and down. Most inexpensive 12 gauge shells are also 1oz. This means pattern density with 1oz of shot is the same. 20 gauge loads are typically 7/8 oz of shot, 1 Oz 20g would be a heavy 20g load, same as the 28gauge. 28 gauge does everything a 20 can do and in most cases better!

 

[Hornedfrogbbq]

1

I find myself shooting my 28 A LOT more than my 20. Not so much for recoil, but it just feels more natural.

100%

 

[Tgood1]

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.View attachment 70070628 gauge hunt.

Out of curiosity what make and model .410 do u and your other members use?

 

[skydiver386]

There is a very soft spot in my heart for the 28. About 15 years ago I found a Remington 1100 Sporting 28ga and gave it to a wonderful woman I was engaged to. She wanted to learn to shoot clays and Skeet, but suffered 2 brain aneurysms and had multiple stents implanted in her head, and her recoil tolerance was near ZERO. I found a set of slot type ported choke tubes and some light loads to minimize recoil even more.

She took to that shotgun like a duck to water and loved shooting skeet, well except station 8. Unfortunately she passed away 2 years after I gave her that shotgun. That gun was used to train dozens of youth and women shooters before I made the mistake of letting it go.

I think the 28 is fantastic and for smaller birds with smaller shot sizes gives very little away to the 20.

For larger birds and larger shot sizes, the 20 is my pick.

If recoil is the main issue, I'd look at a gas operated gun vs the inertia operated guns.

 

[Dublinpiper90]

I like both, and depends on what your using it for, in your case a 28ga would fit the bill, I purchased my 1st 28ga last year a Browning Citori Gran Lighting, shot a ton of skeet and trap with it, went on a preserve quail hunt, light weight and accurate, and enjoyable. Now if I was hunting wild quail for instance I’d go with the 20ga just because wild quail in my area are far and few between. But for what you have list 28ga would be my take.

 

[Red Leg]

So I typically use a .410 on released quail and a 20 or 28 on wild birds. I do it because it is required or expected the places I hunt, But this gauge debate is actually pretty stupid, or at least ignorant, on our part. A perfectly balanced 12 bore English game gun will shoot a one ounce load in a perfect pattern with short shot string. I am afraid I am still not nuanced enough after 55 years of using shotguns to understand the ethical difference between one ounce of shot from a 12 or 20.

 

[Tbitty]

Pretty much an either/or proposition.

I did once have a 28ga Franchi semi-auto that I absolutely hated. No matter what ammo I used, it had immensely worse felt recoil than any 12 gauge with 3-1/2" magnum loads I've ever shot. Easily the worst gun I've ever owned.

Aside from that one however, all my other experiences with 20 or 28 are nearly indistinguishable in felt recoil regardless of shell selection. And I can't say that I notice a performance difference either.

If forced to choose one, I would pick a 20 simply for the ammo availability and selection factor.

 

[WAB]

One would assume you are not doing this with steel.

I used bismuth to good effect in my .410 and .28 on decoying mallards in Alaska. These were situations where I felt confident of shots inside 30 yards.