I used to hunt grouse with a Winchester 101 choked M/IC in a 28. I sold it and have kicked my rear end ever since. Best gauge out there for grouse in my opinion.
I used to hunt grouse with a Winchester 101 choked M/IC in a 28. I sold it and have kicked my rear end ever since. Best gauge out there for grouse in my opinion.
12g with #7.5 or 6 loads, got 20-22 this season. Doubled from the previous year, think I bagged out 3 different times. Was a good season all around.
I started with a 410 then went to 12 gauge cause of ammo cost, then to 20 gauge cause the ammo is the same price as 12 gauge. But I still want to try a 28 gauge, my son is getting almost big enough to start using a 410, but I’d rather start him with a 28 gauge if all the stuff I’ve read is true. But those 28’s are expensive, old beat up cooey’s for $250..... ouch
I bought a Franchi 28 gauge for hunting grouse and fell in love with the gauge. It is perfect for hunting grouse with a dog or walking them up. I like it so much that I decided to use it when road hunting and just messing around in the bush. I didn't want the Franchi bouncing around in the truck or handing it to the grandkids or wife to collect those roadside grouse. What I use is an adapter that is basically the size of a shotshell that converts a larger bore to 28 bore. This works great in the inexpensive and light single shot shotguns that break open to load. Much more effective than a .410 caliber shotgun and with about the same recoil as a .410. The ones I use are called "Little Skeeters" and for a modest sum let you enjoy the benefits of the 28 bore.
"The problems we face today are there because the people who work for a living are now outnumbered by those who vote for a living."
I started out with a 28 gauge when I was a kid... and after a few decades of blasting away with various 12 gauge guns, have largely returned to the 28 for all upland and some waterfowl hunting. It's a great gauge, and I have several shotguns in scaled frame. A joy to carry in the woods and fields, and shoots enough payload to get the job done. No better gun for the uplands in my opinion. I shoot lots of grouse and early-season ducks in BC every year with the 28. I was just in Nebraska where I used one of my 28 gauge SxS on pheasants, quail, prairie chicken and cottontails with great effect.
In the 1970's , Bob Brister wrote "Shotgunning - the art and the science". It summarized the results of thousands of test rounds he fired trying to learn what happens to a shot string. It is kind of comical - he had a low trailer with the targets on it. The trailer was hauled by an old station wagon with his wife at the wheel. Anyway, everything you ever wanted to know about shot strings is there. A chapter is devoted to the 28 gauge. He found that the cartridge produced a shot string that was round and on the the same plane - rather than a long ragged string . He proves that a 28 gauge will deliver a lot more shot on target. I have a Ugartechea side by side with 25 inch barrels.It is a little whippy for skeet stations 3,4 & 5 but when a grouse explodes from under your feet, nothing gets on target faster. I have taken it to Quebec and Nova Scotia for woodcock. It was perfect ! Many happy memories with that little fun !
I reload 28 gauge. 3/4 ounce of #6 for birds. I think Brister demonstrated that 3/4 ounce is the best for 28 gauge. 7/8 oz. wasn't as good.
I'd love to try a 28. I've got a pointing dog if anyone wants to get together. Located in the east Kootenays but would travel.
28 ga. shotguns are pretty scarce, I’d like to find one.
Sort of like looking for a chicken with teeth..
Lord, Please help me to become half the man my Dog thinks I am..