Of all the shotgun gauges--from the big 10 through the .410 bore--the 28 may well have been, until recently, the most misunderstood, least appreciated, little-used of them all.
For years only skeet shooters regularly shot 28s, and then only because the guns were mandatory for all-gauge competition. Lately, however, shooters who appreciate efficiency, low recoil, and sweet handling guns have been discovering the 28 in numbers large enough to prompt several manufacturers to introduce enticing new 28-gauge guns and a wider range of ammo.
What is it about the 28-gauge? Should everyone be hopping aboard this small bore's bandwagon? Is the 28 a novelty or are there sound reasons behind its newfound popularity?
The 28 is not, obviously, a shotgun for all purposes; no cartridge holding only 3/4 of an ounce can be. However, the 28 fills an important small-bore niche just below the 20-gauge, since it's far more efficient that the .410.
"There's a big difference in efficiency between .410 and 28," says Winchester's Director of Technical Marketing Services, Mike Jordan, "The .410 has such a long shot column in relation to its bore that it deforms a great deal of shot. On the other hand, the 28-gauge load is mysteriously balanced--there's something about the relationship of the bore to the payload that makes it perform beautifully."
Not only does the 28-gauge hold more 1/16 to 1/4 oz. more shot than the .410, it does so in a roomier hull, thus reducing the stacking pressures that deform shot upon firing. A much larger percentage of 28-gauge pellets than .410 pellets stay round and fly true. In fact, .410 patterns are so poor that shooting industry standards prescribe 25-yard pattern testing for .410s instead of the 40-yard distance used to evaluate all the other gauges. Sporting Clays scores also confirm the superiority of the 28 over the .410. Both USSCA and NSCA now sponsor small-bore events where the little guns fire a scaled-down course, and 28-gauges routinely average higher than .410s.
How does the 28 compare with the 12- and 20-gauges? A long-standing myth maintains "small-bore guns hold their shot together" and thus pattern tighter than larger bores. In fact, a full-choked 12 and a full-choked 28 will shoot the same diameter patterns. The difference is that the lighter load will have fewer pellets to spread across the pattern, and the effective center core of the pattern--the dense part that smokes targets and puffs birds--is smaller with the smaller gauges, making them a little harder to hit with at longer ranges.
Even so, the 28 gives away very little to the 20-gauge, according to Jordan: "Look at [registered] skeet scores," he says, "Shooters should do better with the 20, but 28-gauge scores are almost as high. The 20 is a little more efficient than the 28, the 16 slightly better than the 20, and the 12 is the most efficient. The biggest gap of performance in all, though, is between the .410 and the 28."
Pattern efficiency tells only half the story of the 28. The recoil of the 2-dram, 3/4 ounce 28-gauge target load is remarkably mild, which is one of the reasons shooters do so well with the little cartridge. Almost anyone shoots better when they relax and don't fight or duck the gun. And besides, shooting without feeling beat up afterwards is just more fun.
Far too many beginners start with guns that kick too much or are too difficult to hit with. Two quick examples: A well-off friend of mine had a beautiful featherweight side-by-side 20-gauge gun made for his wife when she mentioned she'd like to learn shotgunning. Light 20s kick far more than most people realize. The first time Claire pulled the trigger, the gun smacked her hard on the cheekbone and bruised her shoulder. She never shot it or any other gun again.
At my gun club not long ago I watched a father lead his young son out to just behind the traphouse for a shooting lesson. He handed the poor kid one .410 cartridge after another as the boy tried vainly to hit clay targets with the little gun.
Either beginner would have been better served by a 28, which combines the light recoil of the .410 with the 20's pattern efficiency without the drawbacks of either gun. While gas-operated 20-gauge autoloaders also make great beginner's guns, it's safer to learn with break-open or pump designs that don't automatically reload themselves. A 28-gauge pump or single shot makes an excellent choice for a new shooter. The drawback to the 28 is the high cost of 28-gauge ammo, since beginners need to shoot a lot. You'll have to reload if you plan to start a shooter with a 28.
In the field, the 28 is growing ever-more popular with quail hunters, grouse hunters, and woodcock specialists who like its lightweight, easy-carrying heft, and quickness. Dove hunters, who fire many shots in an afternoon, appreciate the low recoil of the light cartridge. On shooting preserves where ranges are close, the 28 shines on pheasants and chukar and there are even a few hunters--mostly pointing dog purists--who regularly take wild pheasants and other large birds with 28s.
One reason the 28 does well on game is that its efficiency results in a short shot string; it may not have that many pellets in the load, but they all arrive at once--round, hard, and moving fast. The 28-gauge hunting loads travel at 1,295 fps, 70 fps faster than a comparable 20-gauge load, 160 fps faster than a .410. That means each pellet hits a little harder, and each shot requires a hair less forward allowance.
What limitations does the 28 possess as a field gun? First, there are no steel loads for 28s, which rules them out as waterfowl guns. Nor is the 28 the gauge for shooting large shot; there would be, for instance, only 101 pellets in a 3/4 ounce load of #4, hardly enough for adequate density at long range. In fact, for long-range shooting of any kind, stick with a 12-gauge; 28s are at their best under 35 yards, and are truly at home in close cover where the quick handling of the little guns far outweighs any disadvantage in their lighter shot charge.
Twenty-eight-gauge guns themselves come in two varieties: some are merely 28-gauge barrels on 20-gauge frames, while others are scaled down to truly petite size. They range in weight from five pounds or so on up to around seven. Truly light guns are delightful to carry, quick and deadly at close range, but they demand flawless technique on the part of the shooter. Heavier guns may not feel wand-like when you pick them up, but once they've started moving they don't want to stop, generating momentum that helps shooters make a positive follow-through.
Mike Jordan, who owns and hunts enthusiastically with two different 28s, sums it up: "light guns are easy to carry," he says, "but I shoot better with a heavier gun." If a 12-time All-American shooter shoots better with a heavy gun, you probably will too.
A few trapshooters, tired of 16-yard overkill with 1 1/8 loads, are beginning to look at the 28 as an alternative to 12-gauge shooting. Trap is a game where, if you haven't noticed, competitors sometimes smear Vaseline on their cheeks to keep them from splitting open under the pounding of 12-gauge recoil as they grind up repetitive 100 straights. Some people are ready for a change.
At the 1993 Grand American Handicap in Vandalia, Ohio, Briley Manufacturing put on an exhibition shoot with 28-gauge tubes in 12-gauge trap guns hoping to popularize 28-gauge trap as a practice event, for fun, or as a handicap system for 16-yard shooting. Participants loved the event, several recorded straights, and most shot scores close to their 12-gauge averages, according to Chuck Webb of Briley. Webb didn't say, but it's a good bet that no one's cheek split open, either.
The problem with any 28-gauge shooting, but especially trap and skeet, is the high cost of factory shells: at best a dollar more per box than 12-gauge loads and often more. The high price of 28-gauge ammo is not a price-fixing conspiracy by ammo companies, but an economy of scale; the immensely more popular 12-gauge and, to a lesser extent, 20-gauge loads can be mass-produced in huge, cost-effective amounts, even though they require more powder and shot.
If the more people shot 28s, ammo costs might eventually drop, and the 28 might become the first choice for everyone in a small gauge gun. Certainly there would be more broken targets, less crippled birds, and fewer frustrated beginners if the 28 finally took over from the .410 as America's favorite sub-20 bore.
Ruger's popular Red Label O/U is now available in a 6 1/4 pound 28-gauge gun with screw-in chokes and comes in 26-inch or 28-inch barreled configurations.
Browning's BPS, introduced in 1994, is a heavyweight among 28s at seven pounds. That extra weight dampens the 28's already light recoil even more and aids smooth swinging; I've been shooting one lately and it should make a great skeet and dove gun. It has screw-in chokes and the choice of a 26-inch or 28-inch barrel.
Remington has temporarily suspended production of all small-bore guns, including last year's new 28-gauge 870 Express. The company hopes to resume production in 1996. Meanwhile, there are used 28 gauge 870s and 1100s out there if you look for them.
Trapshooters interested in the 28 saw Briley manufacturing unveil the "Icon 28" in 1995. It's a single 28-gauge tube designed specifically for 30-inch, 32-inch, and 34-inch barreled break-action trap guns. Like Briley's "Companion" 28-gauge tubes (introduced last year for 26-inch, 28-inch, and 30-inch barreled doubles) the Icon 28s will drop into virtually any 12-gauge double without special fitting.
Last year Orvis began offering a 20/28-gauge barrel set of its Uplander O/U. The gun is made for Orvis by Beretta then custom-fitted to the buyer's measurements by the Orvis gunsmiths. Fitting takes six weeks and the combo costs $3,750.
Weatherby's Orion II, made by SKB, has been around in a 28-gauge model for about five years. The gun features a nitride finish with game birds on the receiver and is fitted with choke tubes.
While the H&R/New England Firearms 28-gauge single-shot hammer gun is not a new product, at $100 to $169, it's the least costly 28 on the market. The gun is available in a youth model as well as adult sizes, and might make an excellent trainer for young shooters.
Remington, Winchester, and Federal all make skeet and sporting clays loads for the 28 these days, loading the standard 1,200 fps target load with hard 8s (8 1/2s for Federal) for sporting, 9s for skeet. The Big Three also load 28-gauge hunting ammo with 3/4 oz. of shot at 1,295 fps. Winchester's lineup includes a one-ounce hunting load that will beef up 28s to near 20-gauge performance. Although the Winchester load is slow at 1,125 fps, it will add authority to a 28 in a pinch. Federal includes 28-gauge loadings in its excellent Premium line, offering 28 shooters high-quality, copper-plated shot to get the best performance from small guns in the field.
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