The 28 gauge shotgun

[airedale]

 

While not having a big following among mainstream hunters and clay bird sports one of my favorite firearms is a Turkish made CZ Ringneck side by side double 28 ga, slim and trim along with light weight 5 ¾ lbs make it a joy to carry and is of very good quality. I love using it for early season Squirrel, Grouse and Woodcock, it also works well on Pheasant as long as I stay within it’s moderate range.

 

The only drawback I have for the 28 ga is the shells, they are not easy to find, there is not a good variety of factory loads and when I find some in stock they are expensive compared to what the cost of other common gauge shells sell for. I get around those aggravating shell drawbacks by loading my own. I picked up a MEC Jr press set up for 28 ga on ebay for a decent price which allows me to produce ammo in line with cost and quality of the more popular gauges.

 

So as of late on the crappy weather days I have been spending some time brewing up a variety 28 ga hand loads, everything from ¾ ounce standard loads to some heavy loads that are for all intents the same as 20 ga and even loaded some non toxic IXT shot in case I get a crack at a low flying duck. I now have a nice supply of 28 ga ammo for just about any type of small game hunting or clay bird target practice I want to do.

 

Gee! that gives me an excuse to pick up another shotgun to utilize all these shells LOL!

 

Not wanting to spend a lot of money I was seriously considering the NRA’s shotgun of the year the TriStar “Viper” auto loader, manufactured by another gunmaker from Turkey that has received rave reviews from all that have tested it. But while I do like autoloaders when it comes to wing shooting I have always been a double man at heart. Already having a pretty nice side by side in the CZ Ringneck my sights turned toward over and unders, a style of shotgun which I do not currently have an example of. The O/U shotguns can get pretty pricey but while on the TriStar site researching the Viper I saw they had a pretty extensive line of O/Us and they were entry level priced. One model that really caught my attention was the Hunter EX LT weighing an astounding light 4.8 pounds. A firearm that light would have to be nice to carry especially for a geezer like me, I realize it is entry level and a little rough around the edges, no Perazzi for sure but at 71 years of age I do not think I will be firing it enough while hunting to wear it out.

 

Now last but not least was the way I went about making the purchase, for the first time I used “Davidson’s Gallery Of Guns”, it is an internet firearm distribution system that teams up with local FFL dealers. The site uses a search feature called the ‘Gun Genie’ to find the exact firearm you are interested in. Once found you will see if it is available-in stock and dealers within a 25 mile radius of your zip code will be listed showing their total prices with fees and tax. Choose the dealer you like best and purchase, the firearm will be shipped to that location where you can complete your purchase and pick it up.

 

https://www.galleryofguns.com/default.aspx

 

The TriStar was picked up today, my initial impression is it is a good buy for the money and will make for a good field gun, I will be shooting it soon. Pictured below is the CZ Ringneck along with the TriStar hunter, the CZ is no doubt a better quality shotgun but it should be as it costs almost twice as much.

Al

Edited September 3, 2019 by airedale

[Rattler]

I have the exact same CZ Ringneck in 28 gauge.  It gets a lot of use during Grouse hunting season.  I don't reload shotgun shells, so I stock up on 28 gauge when I see a good buy.  Probably have enough to last the rest of my life now, just like all other ammo I would need.  

 

[wildcat junkie]

Winchester Super X loads are the same 1 oz payload as 20 ga and only 15 fps slower at 1205 fps compared to 1220 for 20ga.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/2900660032

 

They worked phenomenally well on pheasants in my DeHann 28 ga SXS. Dehann was the sole distributor of Huglu shotguns before CZ Squeezed them out.

[mike103]

I shoot the 28 for registered skeet and do not see much difference than the 20.

I snowbird in Florida now and have gone quail shooting at a plantation three times.

First time I used a 12 autoloader. Major over kill.

Second time I used a 20 O/U. No issues.

Third time I used a 28 O/U and my son used the 20.

I saw no difference at all except the price of the ammo. The quail did not complain.

I think all this 28 love is overrated.

[Rattler]

The advantage a 28 gauge offers over a 20 gauge is less recoil and less shot stringing with the same load of shot in the shell.  There is very little difference there besides price.  It's better to compare it to the .410 as it has far greater advantage in that respect.

[Hunter007]

I kinda of like the feel of recoil with a bigger caliber or gauge gun .

I just use a  strap on recoil pad if I know I'm going to be shooting it a lot  if it's cold out  using a heavy jacket which helps a lot is enough to not bother me  most the time .  The one advantage I do like about smaller caliber and gauge  guns is the lighter weight  of them .  

[turkeyfeathers]

A good friend of mine has the shotgun slam on turkey.  Had a dickens of a time finding someone with a 28 gauge to borrow for that one and forget about finding a turkey load for it   

[wildcat junkie]

6 hours ago, Rattler said:

The advantage a 28 gauge offers over a 20 gauge is less recoil and less shot stringing with the same load of shot in the shell.  There is very little difference there besides price.  It's better to compare it to the .410 as it has far greater advantage in that respect.

Seems like you might have the shotstring thing bass acwards.

[Rattler]

1 hour ago, wildcat junkie said:

Seems like you might have the shotstring thing bass acwards.

My bad.  A 28 gauge has less shot stringing when it uses less shot (3/4 ounce) in the load, often referred to as a "square load".  Far less stringing than a .410 load of any size.

Edited September 8, 2019 by Rattler

[airedale]

Spent yesterday afternoon with a good friend wringing out the 28 ga TriStar on clay birds and he was shooting his new TriStar Viper semi auto in 410. 

I must say I did some pretty fair shooting, I think because of the light weight and the way this gun shoulders, fits and points for me is what made my hitting of targets go well. All 50 of my handloads went bang and there were zero problems with functioning of the gun. All and all I am as happy as the proverbial pig in shit, this is going to make one nice carrying gun for Grouse and Woodcock.

As for my buddy he did not fair so well when it came to busting targets. One really has to be on with the 410, with 1/2 ounce loads there is not much shot in the pattern. When we went out in the field to pick up broken and unbroken targets we found quite a few with just one or two pellet holes. The Viper gun itself worked flawlessly and was a beautiful piece of workmanship with outstanding wood. For me the 410 is more suited to Rabbits and Squirrels than wing shooting.

Anyhow we had a good time and can't wait for small game to get into full swing.

Al