28 gauge O/U expertise wanted

Redneck Hippy

Redneck Hippy

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Looking at getting a 28 gauge mostly for upland hunting.
I run Beretta SP1 in all the other gauges and like them well enough, but thinking of trying something different (maybe)

Looking hard at the Franchi Instinct L with the steel case hardened receiver mostly on cost, but would like to hear some real world experience with that as well as the BR110, FAIR, Browning, etc. offerings in that $2-3500 price bracket.

Thanks!
 
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I've owned several 28's a CZ Mini Bobwhite, a Boito, Fausti Dea, several FAIR's, and I often use a set of Briley Side Kicks in my 28 gauge vintage SxS guns with great success.
I also had a Tikka 412s 12 gauge that was an incredibility good fitting gun for me, and I shot it with a set of full length Briley 28 gauge tubes.
The tubes unfortunately added a bit of weight to the gun so it was a bit heavy to carry but great on the skeet field. It was a deadly gun on partridge over a good dog using #9 skeet loads however!
https://imgur.com/1Iymvmo
All of the 28's I've owned were great, although the Boito was very clunky and bought only as a replacement while waiting on a better gun at the time.
Cat
 
Well don't know if I qualify as an expert but have had quite a few 28g.Have a new Franchi LX IN 28G and found it quite a delight to shoot Fit and finish was very clean for what I thought was a reasonable price. .The trigger was great something I was concerned about. Was looking at Fair as well as Huglu before I made my pick. Although there are some that throw Turkish under the bus I have had several in other gauges that were quite good but could not get the barrel length I wanted. Rizzini and Beretta are also a great option seen a Beretta 28 for quite a reasonable price after I bought my Franchi. Have hunted with 28 mostly semi auto and pump but the Franchi fills a nice spot in my upland niche.
 
I had a BR110 in 28g and was more than happy with it, the fit and finish was excellent and it felt great in the hands. I ended up selling because I focused mainly on 20g for 95% of my shooting but wouldn’t hesitate to buy another if the day ever comes
 
I've seen 28 gauge from 4 1/2 lbs to over 7 lbs.

Maybe it's just me but if I wanted a hunting gun in 28 gauge (I have one) it better be noticeably different than my 20 and 16 gauge guns. And specifically I mean light. Harder to shoot, I know but what is the point of having a 5 3/4 lb 20 and a 5 3/4 lb 28 gauge?

My Francotte 28 is 4 3/4 lbs and feels unlike any other gun I own. As it should. It is more than 1/2 lb lighter than my lightest 20 gauge.
 
canvasback said:
I've seen 28 gauge from 4 1/2 lbs to over 7 lbs.

Maybe it's just me but if I wanted a hunting gun in 28 gauge (I have one) it better be noticeably different than my 20 and 16 gauge guns. And specifically I mean light. Harder to shoot, I know but what is the point of having a 5 3/4 lb 20 and a 5 3/4 lb 28 gauge?

My Francotte 28 is 4 3/4 lbs and feels unlike any other gun I own. As it should. It is more than 1/2 lb lighter than my lightest 20 gauge.
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I get what you’re saying. The .410 Beretta I have is 6 ozs heavier than the 20. And the .410 has a 4” shorter barrel! Doesn’t really bug me yet but seems weird. .410 receiver is smaller, gun still feels “handy” but a pound lighter would be nice.
The 20 Beretta with 30” barrels at 6lbs 2ozs feels like a magic wand
 
My .410 is a Baikal and is 6.4lbs. That is unreasonable in my opinion but I never hunt with it. The 28 is as I say a niche gun it is 3" as well should I chose to go that way. My favourite upland is my Rizzini Artemis light 20g which tips the scales at 5.4 lbs. with 28" barrels. This is truly a wonderful firearm to shoot and pack, the 28g Franchi is almost 6 with steel receiver I can live with that.
 
Redneck Hippy said:
I get what you’re saying. The .410 Beretta I have is 6 ozs heavier than the 20. And the .410 has a 4” shorter barrel! Doesn’t really bug me yet but seems weird. .410 receiver is smaller, gun still feels “handy” but a pound lighter would be nice.
The 20 Beretta with 30” barrels at 6lbs 2ozs feels like a magic wand
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I kinda stick to that because, theoretically ballistically speaking, the larger the bore the better the pattern if everything else is equal. So a 6 lb 28 just shoots worse than a 6 lb 20 gauge. It's why I have 5 1/2 pound 12 and 16 gauge guns. And why I like my 5 lb single barrel 12 gauge for grouse. Lighter than any other gun I have but for the 28 and a second shot on ruffies is usually a waste of ammo. LOL

That Beretta sounds like a nice gun. Great weight and barrel length that just helps you shoot better.

BTW, all this is out the window if the gun is for clays of any sort.
 
reddog said:
My .410 is a Baikal and is 6.4lbs. That is unreasonable in my opinion but I never hunt with it. The 28 is as I say a niche gun it is 3" as well should I chose to go that way. My favourite upland is my Rizzini Artemis light 20g which tips the scales at 5.4 lbs. with 28" barrels. This is truly a wonderful firearm to shoot and pack, the 28g Franchi is almost 6 with steel receiver I can live with that.
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Good to hear your Franchi comes in under 6
I have developed a healthy distrust of the manufacturers specs…
 
There is nothing more rewarding IMO than shooting a Ruffed Grouse on the flush. I shoot the odd one out of the truck but the vast majority are on long walks with the dogs. Several times a year I will breast a grouse with zero pellets in the body. One pellet in the head, a couple in the neck, maybe a broken wing is much more common than a center pattern. As much as I enjoy carrying a light weight 28, the love affair is quickly over if I question my gun after a miss. 20 to 25% more pellets in the air simply ups your odds. This is especially true when shooting trough leaves and brush like is most often the case.

I had two identical FAIR SXSs one in 20 and the other in 28. I liked the 28 much more as it had nicer wood and I shot both equally well at clays. When it came to killing grouse, the 20 was just the superior gun. When it came to open field pheasants, the 20 was head and shoulders above the 28. It is just capable of throwing a heavier load with better patterns, at the same time patterning light loads equal or better than the 28.

I tried the same experiment with a 605 SKB 28 that I absolutely loved with similar results. Beautiful gun but I like pictures that include dead birds more often than not.

And not quite as big a factor is cost of ammunition. I like to shoot my guns for practice and 20s are much cheaper to shoot than 28s.

A gun that weighs the same, patterns heavy loads better and costs less to shoot just makes more sense to me....but if I stumble across another nice 28 I will no doubt have to test the definition of insanity once more.
 
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I shoot a lot of 28 gauge, about 3000 rounds at skeet every year, plus it is my go to upland gun, for sharptails, Huns and pheasants. The attraction of the 28 gauge, is only realized with a scaled frame. If the 28 is built on a 20 gauge frame, as many are, the 28 gauge is actually heavier than a 20 guage. I shoot an English stocked two trigger SxS, and I kill as many birds as I did with a 20 gauge, the 1/8 oz difference in payload is insignificant. I shoot 7/8oz of nickel plated shot for hunting, and I load my own 3/4oz skeet loads, for slightly less than I can load 20 gauge target loads. I have killed around 300 upland birds with the 28 gauge to date.
 
I wasnt saying the 28 cant kill. Just merely stating its terminal performance is often over rated. Its not a square load as often repeated. Its a step up from the 410 and can hold its own against the 20ga for upland but a larger bore throws a more even pattern given the same shot weight.
I love my Lil xplor 28 but on the patterning board its 2nd to my 20ga. The 20 throws a wider more evenly consistent pattern
For most upland the 28 is perfectly fine. The 20ga really pulls ahead when using bigger pellets and steel loads for waterfowl
 
Correct me if I'm wrong but it looks like the 28 has a longer shot column and me thinks that would produce a denser pattern while the 20 may have a wider pattern but not as dense.
Does that make sense? Asking because I really don't know.
669357605_1652728555864673_7090957533071658219_n.jpg
 
AlbertaJohn said:
Correct me if I'm wrong but it looks like the 28 has a longer shot column and me thinks that would produce a denser pattern while the 20 may have a wider pattern but not as dense.
Does that make sense? Asking because I really don't know.
View attachment 1127521
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With equal choke, the patterns will be about the same width. Density will depend on the amount of shot in each shell.
 
stubblejumper said:
With equal choke, the patterns will be about the same width. Density will depend on the amount of shot in each shell.
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A full choke 20g will be wider than a full choke 28g would it not?
btw the 28 was a 3/4 oz and the 20g was a 7/8 oz, both are 7 1/2 shot
I'm just trying to understand this. :)
(scratching my head) :confused:

btw don't mean to derail from the OP's thread.
 
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