20 vs 28 gauge

[mdwest]

@rookhawk both Benelli & Beretta make high quality 28 ga semi autos for low $2000 range, they weigh 5 1/2 & 6 1/2 lbs respectively. !

Beretta also makes the 686 Silver Pigeon in 28ga.. it comes in at 6.3 lbs.. it'll set you back about $2700..

That said, I believe its built on the same frame as the 686 20ga.. but.. due to the thinner barrels is slightly lighter than the 20..

The 686 and 687 in 28 are probably the most common O/U's I see among the clays shooters that compete in 28ga events..

 

[HankBuck]

Beretta also makes the 686 Silver Pigeon in 28ga.. it comes in at 6.3 lbs.. it'll set you back about $2700..

That said, I believe its built on the same frame as the 686 20ga.. but.. due to the thinner barrels is slightly lighter than the 20..

The 686 and 687 in 28 are probably the most common O/U's I see among the clays shooters that compete in 28ga events..

@mdwest - You are right and forgot about Beretta 686/687 in 28ga - bought one (687) for my Son years ago - didn’t know you could still get one for under $3000.

 

[Altitude sickness]

Extended stock. And a 3rd tier maker. But still a nice English gun at a good price.

 

[Altitude sickness]

Im not proficient enough to use a 28 or I would have bought it.
Settled on a Westley Richards 20 this week.

 

[Jaime hunt]

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

You’d be stunned at how effective a 410 loaded with TSS is on any bird, including Honkers. I’ve got a friend from the south who comes to hunt waterfowl with me in Idaho. He brings Foxtrot Ammo TSS shells loaded with a mixture of 9’s&10’s. He’s got right at 300 pellets in a 3” 410 load. I’ve seen him shoots dozens of mallards and probably 20 big Canadians with that little gun and it’s devastating. My son was breasting out a bunch of honkers we’d shot and he called to tell me he had to toss some of the breasts as they were too bloodshot to eat. I asked him what the heck he was shooting in his gun and he replied that the birds he shot were fine but that some of the birds shot with those TSS shells were a mess. He also told me he picked the backs of some of those birds and that a lot of the pellets had gone clear through the geese. I have it for high-end and new old stock (NOS) versions are you interested in it

 

[jeanes]

28 gauge 2 1/2" ammo might be a bit difficult to find. Definitely not in every Walmart or Academy.

 

[WAB]

Im not proficient enough to use a 28 or I would have bought it.
Settled on a Westley Richards 20 this week.

The difficulty is not in the shot charge, you give up very little between a 3/4 oz charge and a 1 1/8 oz charge. The difficulty comes with trying to point a whippy 5 pound gun in the right direction. A 5 pound gun sounds like a great idea right up until you’re trying to hit a 35 yard crosser in a stiff wind.

I did a LOT of ruffed grouse and woodcock hunting as a young engineer in the coverts of New Brunswick. I carried a 5 1/2 pound ‘O’ frame Greener in 2” 12 ga. With 25” tubes. The gun was deadly snap shooting in that thick stuff. When I moved to Wyoming I found it completely uncontrollable on sharp tail and pheasant.

The British perfected the game gun at roughly 6 1/2 pounds throwing a 1 1/16 oz shot charge from a 2 1/2” 12 gauge. Trying difficult shots with a gun one to one and a half pounds lighter than that sporting short whippy barrels is not a formula for success.

I do have a 28 ga that I shoot extremely well. It is a Browning ultra XS sporting clays gun with 30” barrels. However, it is actually heavier than a classic British game gun.

 

[Altitude sickness]

WAB the Westley Richards 20 I just purchased is 5.5 pounds also. But I don’t Quail hunt. Or shoot clay birds of any style.

It will be used strictly for Woodcock and Grouse in the northern Michigan woods. Thick brush and very little time to acquire the target and shoot once. Sometimes you get two shots.

 

[casey]

Some men have a weakness for drink, others, beautiful woman. My addiction is 28ga. shotguns. I've owned over 25 of them through the years. I presently house six. I've never owned a 20, I have 10, 12, 16, 28 gauges and a couple .410 bore but never a 20. Some day I will own one prehaps.

 

[Red Leg]

The difficulty is not in the shot charge, you give up very little between a 3/4 oz charge and a 1 1/8 oz charge. The difficulty comes with trying to point a whippy 5 pound gun in the right direction. A 5 pound gun sounds like a great idea right up until you’re trying to hit a 35 yard crosser in a stiff wind.

I did a LOT of ruffed grouse and woodcock hunting as a young engineer in the coverts of New Brunswick. I carried a 5 1/2 pound ‘O’ frame Greener in 2” 12 ga. With 25” tubes. The gun was deadly snap shooting in that thick stuff. When I moved to Wyoming I found it completely uncontrollable on sharp tail and pheasant.

The British perfected the game gun at roughly 6 1/2 pounds throwing a 1 1/16 oz shot charge from a 2 1/2” 12 gauge. Trying difficult shots with a gun one to one and a half pounds lighter than that sporting short whippy barrels is not a formula for success.

I do have a 28 ga that I shoot extremely well. It is a Browning ultra XS sporting clays gun with 30” barrels. However, it is actually heavier than a classic British game gun.

I have a 1920"s era 20 bore Henry Atkins that I have used quite a bit on released quail and woodcock. However, as you observed, it is a bit like shooting a flyrod and has proven a difficult choice for doves or any driven birds.

 

[casey]

28 bore has a remarkable reputation for hitting above its weight class. The top max load is 15/16ths of an ounce so they are quite formidable for your tasks.

The problem is that you're going to get an awful 28 gauge until you're spending well, well into 5-figures. It will be very heavy, all for the perception of being diminutive when it is not.

On the other hand, a British vintage 12 bore boxlock with 2.5" chambers will typically shoot a 1 ounce load, marginally more payload than your modern 28 bore. The gun will weight 6.5lbs and carry better than the 28 bore mass produced options.

In addition, all things being equal (shot charge, velocity, gun weight) the larger bore diameter will always have a superior pattern. A 12 bore with a 15/16 charge will have a more even pattern, lower pressure, less shot malformation, and less stringing than an identical scenario from a 28 bore.

You should try a Merkel 280EL or a Parker Reproduction DHE. I own both and both are a joy. The Merkel with 28" barrels weighs 5# 2oz. It is a well balanced little bird gun. The Parker is a bit heavier at 5# 9oz. Both can be found for well under $ 10,000. A Fine British 28 will be about the same weight and feel but of course, be a lot more money. I've been privileged to shoot a Lang, a Purdey, and a MaKay-Brown ,all in 28 and they are all as fine as man can create. Just all are out of my price range. There are fine guns out there, you just have to love the pursuit of them. Iwouldnt shoot 1oz loads in the Brits or my Merkel but I do in the Parker and the other 28's I own.

 

[Altitude sickness]

I have several handicaps. I’m right handed and left eye dominant, and have never been good at shotgunning. Also, i’m just a poor shotgunner period.

I’ve shot with enough naturally gifted shotgun athletes to know it’s not just my left eye. My deceased brother-in-law was one of them. unbelievable with a 410.


I’ve considered a crossover stock. But you still pay a premium for a fine English shotgun, even with a crossover stock. and when my wife or daughter have to sell all my guns, she won’t get squat for it.

I wish I would’ve switched shooting hands like I did in bow hunting, but I did that long ago.

So with my newly purchase not yet received 5.5 20 gauge. Using it for Woodcock or grouse. what do you experts say. is it still too light? Is there a way to add a little weight?

 

[casey]

Not too light at all. You will be snap shooting birds, not a continuous swing like skeet. Try some sporting clays when you get it. Try to find a course more geared to hunting shots. If it feels too whippy, get a leather barrel guard and put some lead tape in it. I have six 28ga guns. The heaviest is 6# 2oz. My lightest is 5# 2oz. I shoot them both well on grouse and woodcock. However, on the skeet field I shoot a 8#10oz tubed Beretta much better than I could my little Merkel at just over five pounds. That Merkel is faster on game birds but not smooth on clay birds if that makes sense. Lot nicer to carry also! I am left eye dominant also. i try to find guns that are neutral in cast or I have the stock bent. Shot left handed all my life but am strongly right handed. I shoot pistol and bow right handed though. Rifle and shotgun ,lefty.

 

[Altitude sickness]

As I said, I am a poor iron site and shotgunner, but I can relate to the way I shoot a heavy rifle much better than a light one. An extreme example is I actually shot my 505 Gibbs free hand better than my 308 lightweight

 

[HankBuck]

I have several handicaps. I’m right handed and left eye dominant, and have never been good at shotgunning. Also, i’m just a poor shotgunner period.

I’ve shot with enough naturally gifted shotgun athletes to know it’s not just my left eye. My deceased brother-in-law was one of them. unbelievable with a 410.


I’ve considered a crossover stock. But you still pay a premium for a fine English shotgun, even with a crossover stock. and when my wife or daughter have to sell all my guns, she won’t get squat for it.

I wish I would’ve switched shooting hands like I did in bow hunting, but I did that long ago.

So with my newly purchase not yet received 5.5 20 gauge. Using it for Woodcock or grouse. what do you experts say. is it still too light? Is there a way to add a little weight?

@Altitude sickness - If you “Can’t shoot where you’re looking” it doesn’t matter what shotgun you shoot or what it weighs. I assume you’ve tried closing (or covering) your dominant eye —- leaving you ONLY one eye to align over your barrel? You can also wear shooting glasses and “block out” the Center of one lens with a circular piece of tape (about the size of a penny) over your dominant eye to help shift/force your other eye to acquire your target. Blocking out only the Center of your Non dominant eye allows you to see peripheral vision and walk thru the woods relatively easily while hunting.
If it were ME — My starting point would be to take a lesson from a certified NSCA/NSSA instructor, you can find a list of them by State on the NSSA/NSCA website. A few hours with a qualified instructor will save you a lot of time & frustration listening to people like Me (and others). When you speak to the Instructor in advance and explain your problem they will tell you if they think they can help — it is a fairly common problem so you should find some help and well worth the $150-$200 for a few hours of instruction.

 

[Altitude sickness]

I do tend to squint my left eye, but as you know, that impacts depth perception

 

[rookhawk]

I have several handicaps. I’m right handed and left eye dominant, and have never been good at shotgunning. Also, i’m just a poor shotgunner period.

I’ve shot with enough naturally gifted shotgun athletes to know it’s not just my left eye. My deceased brother-in-law was one of them. unbelievable with a 410.


I’ve considered a crossover stock. But you still pay a premium for a fine English shotgun, even with a crossover stock. and when my wife or daughter have to sell all my guns, she won’t get squat for it.

I wish I would’ve switched shooting hands like I did in bow hunting, but I did that long ago.

So with my newly purchase not yet received 5.5 20 gauge. Using it for Woodcock or grouse. what do you experts say. is it still too light? Is there a way to add a little weight?

You've drawn the lucky straw my friend. You know what is absolutely worthless? Best London guns with crossover stocks. I saw a $25,000-$30,000 pair of Charles Lancaster sidelock ejectors years and years ago languishing at auction unsold. I assumed it would be a nice thing to own for $4000 figuring I'd restock them if I needed to. A.) No-way to restock them since all the tangs were bent making restocking crazy expensive, and B.) Nobody wanted them in the USA just like in the UK.

Bottom line, get crossover stocked guns, your dollars will go very, very far.

 

[HankBuck]

I do tend to squint my left eye, but as you know, that impacts depth perception

@Altitude sickness - that will have only a marginal negative impact on your shooting - compared to real Cross Eye Dominance. There are some outstanding competitive “One Eyed Shooters” in skeet, likely fewer in Sporting Clays. While it is Not the best way to shoot a shotgun it is far better than shooting Cross Eyed. Going back to my earlier point - speak to a certified Instructor, you won’t find the answer in a Post and “the Age Clock” is ticking away (as it is with All of us !)

 

[Altitude sickness]

I have been coached in golf and shotgunning. I can watch him and somebody can tell me how to swing a club like Tiger Woods. but it sure doesn’t mean I can do it.
I’m not saying I can’t hit anything with a shotgun. If I couldn’t, I surely wouldn’t be buying them. It’s just a man’s gotta know his limitations.

I’m sure some more formal coaching would help but i’ve come to accept that I’m an average Shotgun shot.

 

[rookhawk]

I have been coached in golf and shotgunning. I can watch him and somebody can tell me how to swing a club like Tiger Woods. but it sure doesn’t mean I can do it.
I’m not saying I can’t hit anything with a shotgun. If I couldn’t, I surely wouldn’t be buying them. It’s just a man’s gotta know his limitations.

I’m sure some more formal coaching would help but i’ve come to accept that I’m an average Shotgun shot.

If you're left-eye dominant shooting righty and you're "average", you're actually a magnificent shot that is missing a lot of your left to right crossers and you're barely clipping the birds by shooting right of them on straight away shots.

You should borrow a crossover gun from somebody and shoot it for a few outings to see if you're truly mediocre, or if you're better than you think shooting and just shooting the wrong gun.