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28 Gauge


Tillyflo
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Evening all, 

New to the forum so please forgive me if this has been covered in the past. 

I'm considering the purchase of a 28 gauge. I do a fair bit of roost shooting and the 12 bore is great but I fancy something different. Moreover I like to shoot rabbits over my dogs in the summer and wondered what the 28 would be like for that as well as walked up and rough days for mixed bags of pheasant, woodcock and partridge during the season.

Anyone with experience of a 28? 

Any any advice on best cartridges and loads would be genuinely appreciated. 

Thanks in advance. 

TF. 

 

 

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Fab little guns. 
 

years ago I bought a browning cynergy 28 hunter. 
 

Great for your standard driven day and also walked up when the birds flush close in. Lighter loads than a 12 combined with size 6 shot  doesn’t go well on birds getting up early. 
 

acquiring cartridge, never a problem or buy in bulk.  

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12 hours ago, Ultrastu said:

I looked at a 28b .

Basically decided i would get it .then asked the rfd about carts. He said we dont have any ." Oh can you get me some "  - er not really " 

Its still on his racks  2 years later at a much reduced price . Not the guns fault.  


Just cartridges will deliver them to your house. 

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11 hours ago, The Heron said:

My wife bought me one for my birthday I absolutely love it took it on a shoot day and yes I missed a lot but it makes you concentrate and when you hit them down they come and the great thing is you can carry it all day long 

What kind you choose?

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Like shooting a 410, I think using a 28gauge is confidence in the gun in your hand. I have shot alongside a number of shooters with a 28 gauge and have seen some excllent shooting.

I seriously looked at getting one a few months ago but eventually decided to stay with my 410 and not chip and chop about.  If you shoot one gun well then stick ith it is my motto.

Again like the 410,  size related action not a 12 gauge with 410 barrels, the 28 gauge is a joy to carry and you can put a mornings shells in one pocket. 

Heron,   not a sneaky move there on your wifes part ?????  Does she shoot as well:rolleyes:

Edited by Walker570
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28ga and .410 are by far my favourite gauges. I find the enjoyment of shooting the smaller lighter guns far outweigh the frustration of missing due to being a smaller gauge (which 99.9% is my error)

 

Tried going back to my 12ga but didn't enjoy it half as much and ended up missing just as much. I'm currently selling both my 12's and sticking to 28ga and .410. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

28gauge excellent, providing you use a suitable cartridge for your needs, ok, got an o/u any shell’s will work light to carry, if shooting clays 21gram 9s does the trick. A400, minimum wt needs to be 21grms and 70mm cartridge to recycle the action efficiently, Rhino do extended chokes which pattern well. The pattern at 30yrds if compared to a12gauge using similar chokes and cartridges (eg 24gram /full choke) the pattern is very similar in spread, however the 12 has more pellets ,but the 28s coverage is more than adequate for reasonable clays and light rough shooting! 

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I have shot a 28 for years on driven and walked up. They are a super gauge and I now have a Guerini with 20&28 bore barrels so I do not have to change guns. I have not gone super light in guns and recommend 21-24 gms in 6 for game. It will kill at sensible ranges if you put the pattern in the right place. Eley VIP is a good cartridge but frankly I haven’t used a bad one. For clays I am happy to drop to 18 gms. Do not be tempted to use 12 g loads as it defeats the object.

go for it

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Whenever I have a walked up rough shooting day my 28g really puts a smile on my face I use 28g- 6s and I'm able to carry it round all day, for clays I use 24g- 7.5s with pretty good results. I would suggest getting one with 30" barrels but that's only my preference. P.S. welcome to the forum.

Edited by rapid .25
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2 hours ago, rapid .25 said:

Whenever I have a walked up rough shooting day my 28g really puts a smile on my face I use 28g- 6s and I'm able to carry it round all day, for clays I use 24g- 7.5s with pretty good results. I would suggest getting one with 30" barrels but that's only my preference. P.S. welcome to the forum.


28g 6’s through a 28 bore? What are they like? :) 

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Like a 12 bore load?

But the 28 bore O/U will weigh as much as a light 12, or more, otherwise the 12 bore load is gonna kick.

My mate had a 28 bore Mcnab Highlander weighed nearly 6lb, but now has a pair of Guerinis weighing nearer 7 lbs. To me that is a heavy 12 bore. My 12 weighs 6 lb 2 oz.

Edited by London Best
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38 minutes ago, London Best said:

Like a 12 bore load?

But the 28 bore O/U will weigh as much as a light 12, or more, otherwise the 12 bore load is gonna kick.

My mate had a 28 bore Mcnab Highlander weighed nearly 6lb, but now has a pair of Guerinis weighing nearer 7 lbs. To me that is a heavy 12 bore. My 12 weighs 6 lb 2 oz.

I was just thinking that 😂 a 28 bore shooting a load that your easily see in a 12 bore... I thought the 28 bore must be a lot lighter ... then then surely would kick like a SOB! 🤔

Edited by Lloyd90
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1 hour ago, Lloyd90 said:


28g 6’s through a 28 bore? What are they like?  

Hi Lloyd, I use Lyalvale express supreme game 28grm-6s, they do everything I want in the field , they hit like a mule but have very little recoil, I have just ordered a slab of R.C. 28 grm in 6s with a cork wad to try out, ordered from just cartridges at a very good price, £117 slab, got to be worth a try,

Edited by rapid .25
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48 minutes ago, London Best said:

Like a 12 bore load?

But the 28 bore O/U will weigh as much as a light 12, or more, otherwise the 12 bore load is gonna kick.

My mate had a 28 bore Mcnab Highlander weighed nearly 6lb, but now has a pair of Guerinis weighing nearer 7 lbs. To me that is a heavy 12 bore. My 12 weighs 6 lb 2 oz.

I think weight is debatable as 'balance' is far more important.  I have a Yilditz 410 with 30 inch barrels. I had a 28 inch barreled model first off but the balance of the 30s makes a great improvement for ME...6ft plus and 15stone and may not suit a person 5ft 8in and 8stone wet through....horses for courses.    Good balance can make a gun seem much lighter..

Like the actress said to the bishop...it falls to the hand nicely.

I am a bit of a 410 nut but have played with getting a 28 just for comparison purposes of course.  I think that and a 16 gauge are probably the very best all round game gun gauges for sensible shooting.

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52 minutes ago, Lloyd90 said:

I was just thinking that 😂 a 28 bore shooting a load that your easily see in a 12 bore... I thought the 28 bore must be a lot lighter ... then then surely would kick like a SOB! 🤔

Most British made 28 bore doubles weigh about 5 to 5 1/4 lbs, but they were only designed for 2 1/2 inch cartridges with 16 grams of shot. The American standard    2 3/4 inch cartridge carried 21 grams (3/4 oz). It is only comparatively recently that powders have been developed that will allow 28 gram to be fired from a 28 bore gun.

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5 hours ago, London Best said:

Most British made 28 bore doubles weigh about 5 to 5 1/4 lbs, but they were only designed for 2 1/2 inch cartridges with 16 grams of shot. The American standard    2 3/4 inch cartridge carried 21 grams (3/4 oz). It is only comparatively recently that powders have been developed that will allow 28 gram to be fired from a 28 bore gun.

21g of 7 shot, I imagine would be a lovely walked up cartridge. 

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I like a 28 bore a lot. They are really sweet to shoot with the right cartridge. I picked up a Beretta 687 28 bore a few years back. It's got a 14 7/8 lop and has 30 inch barrels choked half and 3/4. I think it was a special order or something as it wasn't imported by GMK.

They are a surprising good hide gun. My 28 bore is on the left of the photo and my mates 12 bore is on the right.  We took alternate shots on the day and it went 50/50 ish.

I don't know whether you can still get these Bornaghi 28 bore shells? These 24 gram No 7 are really nice.

I'm afraid to say folk go wrong when they buy a 28 bore which is best described as a "boys" gun and the fit and dimension(s) are all wrong. You can get them man sized !!   

mid3.jpg   

born22.jpg

 

 

 

    

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