Is that a british thing? You don't see 28 gauge in the US much. Pretty much .410 for kids, 20 for I don't know, and 12 for men. Then again, I don't know much about shot guns as they aren't my thing.

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"In the world I see you are stalking elk through the damp canyon forests around the ruins of Rockefeller Center. You'll wear leather clothes that will last you the rest of your life. You'll climb the wrist-thick kudzu vines that wrap the Sears Towers. And when you look down, you'll see tiny figures pounding corn, laying stripes of venison on the empty car pool lane of some abandoned superhighway." T Durden

Very few 28s in Canada. Probably 10/30/50 mix of 410/20/12 for upland. We generally don't take upland all that seriously though like the Europeans do. 12 is simply more versatile while being cheaper to shoot.

I hunt upland/shoot clays with a Turkish CZ Mallard and waterfowl with a Fraanchi Affinity. The Turkish guns seem to be where the value is but I sure would love an Italian O/U.

I reload my own so that is not a problem. A 28 is lighter than either the 20 or 12. I'm thinking sxs. Hunting all day means fatigue can set in on the shots late in the afternoon.

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When it's good, it's good. When it's bad, you suffer.
Dan

Be a man and go with a 10 gauge.


Wish I could help you, I honestly didn't know they made a 28 ga. I shoot a 20 ga, but that's mainly for hunting deer with slugs. Would a 28 ga have as much punch as say a 20 or a 12?

I firmly believe that Beretta 686 and 687 variants represent the best value in the O/U market, ranging from the 686 Silver Pigeon 1 with a price of ~$1900 all the way up the scale to the fancier wood and better engraving at ~$4k where you can get a set of 28 gauge barrels and a set of .410 barrels. You can browse some nice looking models at Joel Etchen Guns in PA.
I primarily use the 28 gauge for ruffed grouse and woodcock in the woods of WI and MN and sharptail and huns on the plains, all behind pointing dogs. I've killed a number of pheasants as well, but if that is my primary target, I'll just grab a 20 gauge for just a little bit of insurance. I also have PW reloaders in 12, 20 and 28 gauge, but most of the time I just grab a box of factory Winchester #7-1/2 skeet loads and head to the woods, saving the hulls to reload for the skeet field.

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"Life is fragile - we are all just a slip or a car crash away from being a very different person."

I have a Spolar. It sets up relatively easy after changing gauges. Thank you for the advice.

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When it's good, it's good. When it's bad, you suffer.
Dan

Kinda +1

I've never seen a 28ga that I can remember. And I still see 16 gauges around (the guns, only very rarely the rounds).
The US way is typically 20 gauge for upland and waterfowl. 12 for turkey and deer and bear (and moose). 410 for... Pistols? I don't know.

OK, really, like Forge says, it's 12 gauge for everything. Even though it's overkill for anything smaller than a turkey. My wife has blown a squirrel into two pieces with a 20 gauge.