28 ga: Semi or SxS?

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BlackRam

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Have a couple of 28 ga shotguns and absolutely love them for hunting grouse!
My wife seems bent on the beautiful Remington 1100 Sporting 28 becoming hers!
So, I have been looking at another nice 28 ga, and for very similar money have the option of the Benelli Ethos or a Weatherby Athena SxS. Both have beautiful wood. Been thinking of the Ethos as it has the 3" chambers, although I have yet to see that ammo on a shelf anywhere...but would like to use it on pheasant if I ever get the opportunity.
Which would you choose, and why?
 
My go to upland gun is a 28 gauge Grulla SxS with English stock and two triggers. I have shot well 100 pheasants with the 28 gauge, using 2-3/4" nickel plated loads.
 
The 3 inch Ethos would be my pick.Light fast shooting gun for use in the uplands.With more and more places requiring non tox shot,the 3 inch could well come into its own, in keeping the 28 gauge alive and well in the uplands, in the near future.Would think the 3 inch 28 gauge would work very well on pheasants.As for using a 20 gauge instead of a 28 gauge,why bother with a 20 gauge, when a nice light weight 12 gauge, shooting light loaded 12 gauge shells would work just as well and probably better.Just my opinion.:)
 
28 gauge said:
The 3 inch Ethos would be my pick.Light fast shooting gun for use in the uplands.With more and more places requiring non tox shot,the 3 inch could well come into its own, in keeping the 28 gauge alive and well in the uplands, in the near future.Would think the 3 inch 28 gauge would work very well on pheasants.As for using a 20 gauge instead of a 28 gauge,why bother with a 20 gauge, when a nice light weight 12 gauge, shooting light loaded 12 gauge shells would work just as well and probably better.Just my opinion.:)
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I agree, a light 12 would be better than the smaller gauges.
 
I love the 28 gauge and I have two. A Remington 870 pump and a Mossberg semi auto. They are not in league with the ones you are asking about but still darn nice guns.
My favorite would be my Mossberg semi auto, it's a great little chicken gun.:)
 
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JIMMY 808 said:
3 inch chambers on a 28ga wouldn’t bother.

Just get a 20ga.
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But, the 28 gauge is a scaled down from the 20 gauge and slightly larger iirc when it comes to the Remingtons at least.

I have no opinion on the Benelli or the Wby other than they are nice guns...having onlly seen pics and never handled.
Do post a pic when you decide and maybe a range report should you try out the trap range before grouse.
Rob
 
I have never seen 3" 28 gauge ammo on the shelf, does it actually exist? And if so, why? As the OP remarked, the 28 is perfect for most grouse hunting, he isn't looking for a bigger or heavier gun for pheasants or ducks, he wants a replacement 28 gauge grouse gun . Wise man, get brownie points by giving your wife a nice little grouse gun that she really likes and buy a new gun for yourself.
Win/win.
 
Westward1 said:
If he is shooting wild birds, it may not be the best choice.
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AFAIK, nobody shoots domestic birds. But, I'm being facetious - I know you mean 'as opposed to released pheasant'. But the truth is grouse and pretty much all smaller game birds are best hunted with light and lively sxs's with straight stocks and double triggers. In my experience, pheasant and sharptail are tough birds that require heavy loads. Most other upland birds are easily taken with the lightest of loads. For this reason, I would gravitate toward a 7 to 8 pound gun for pheasant, whereas grouse and partridge guns hit the sweet spot at 5.5 to 6.5 pounds. It's all about the load you will be shooting. But, in my mind, you can't beat a sxs in the uplands. Period.
 
From what I have been able to learn, Fiocchi developed the 3" 28 ga shells for the introduction of the 3" chambered Benelli Ethos. And there have been people who have successfully harvested pheasants with these, in a #5 load if memory serves. Mostly, I hunt ruffies, blues and ptarmigan with the 28. Would be fun too hunt chukar and Hungarians with it too!

Just wanted to hear from others who have actually used either one of these shotguns and get their thoughts on them. I owned a Browning BSS in 20 ga with the straight grip for a short time, but was unable to get any shots at the few pheasants I did see while bowhunting antelope in southeastern Alberta. (Do prefer the 20 ga to the 12, but that is just my personal preference from the few times I have been doing a little sporting clays shooting. As a lefty, I have found that I do better with the semi's and pumps than I do the O/U's. Have never tried the SxS on the range, or wing shooting. Just been at grouse on the ground.)I do like the 20, but am growing to like the 28 even more!

Nice to hear that someone has had good success on pheasant with the 2 3/4" loads in a SxS! What weight of shot were you using?

Have read some good reviews on the CZ's and even the Huglu...but am really wanting one with pretty wood! Something as pleasant to the eye as it is to handle at the range or in the field!
 
Not sure if you mentioned being left-handed before. If you did, I missed it. Left-handed side by sides are exceedingly rare. This is primarily because, except for the top lever, they're pretty much ambidextrous. Still, I can see the top lever being a deterrent. That could be a factor in your preference for pumps and semis ahead of U/Os as well. I'm trying to imagine using my SxS's left handed.

Some might read this and say BS, anyone can shoot any shotgun. That's true, but everyone shoots better with shotguns that fit.
 
The 3" is nothing more than a marketing ploy in 28ga that is going no where. It is like a 3" 16ga
Not required nor will one be able to find ammo
A 28ga 2 3/4 loaded with plated no.6 shot will take any pheasant if you can hit it
The 1100 sporting is a nice gun and if you watch some have beautiful wood
The sxs you will get in the price range of the 1100 are not quality firearms IMO and yes the CZ will go bang and do the job for just upland hunting and little volume
I also have a weatherby semi and a franchi in 28ga but the 1100 sporting would be my choice in a semi
In a pump the wingmaster or ithaca 37
I still have 33 or 34 average joe models I call them in 28ga in my collection and stopped buying the turkey made ones just because they were 28ga
Cheers
Not sure what is wrong with the sporting wood and some have better than this for a upland gun
WARYuPN.jpg
 
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AlbertaJohn said:
I love the 28 gauge and I have two. A Remington 870 pump and a Mossberg semi auto. They are not in league with the ones you are asking about but still darn nice guns.
My favorite would be my Mossberg semi auto, it's a great little chicken gun.:)
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That mossy must be new out in the past two years is it
I have never seen one but also stopped buying 28ga 2 years ago when my daughter went back to university so am not up to speed any more
Cheers
 
SxS vs semi, that's a personal choice. I have had both and kept the double, only because I reload for the 28ga and didn't like chasing after my hulls and losing some. As for chamber length, I have been shooting 28ga for the last 5 years with 2 3/4" shells without problems. Including ducks over decoys with reloaded bismuth shot. No problems, if the gun I was looking at had 3" chambers that would be a bonus but it wouldn't be a deal breaker if it didn't and I probably never use 3" in it. If you need more shot go up a gauge.
 
BlackRam said:
From what I have been able to learn, Fiocchi developed the 3" 28 ga shells for the introduction of the 3" chambered Benelli Ethos. And there have been people who have successfully harvested pheasants with these, in a #5 load if memory serves. Mostly, I hunt ruffies, blues and ptarmigan with the 28. Would be fun too hunt chukar and Hungarians with it too!

Just wanted to hear from others who have actually used either one of these shotguns and get their thoughts on them. I owned a Browning BSS in 20 ga with the straight grip for a short time, but was unable to get any shots at the few pheasants I did see while bowhunting antelope in southeastern Alberta. (Do prefer the 20 ga to the 12, but that is just my personal preference from the few times I have been doing a little sporting clays shooting. As a lefty, I have found that I do better with the semi's and pumps than I do the O/U's. Have never tried the SxS on the range, or wing shooting. Just been at grouse on the ground.)I do like the 20, but am growing to like the 28 even more!

Nice to hear that someone has had good success on pheasant with the 2 3/4" loads in a SxS! What weight of shot were you using?

Have read some good reviews on the CZ's and even the Huglu...but am really wanting one with pretty wood! Something as pleasant to the eye as it is to handle at the range or in the field!
Click to expand...

I use Fiocchi Golden Pheasant in #6 for pheasant, released or wild, and for sharptails and Huns. 90% of my pheasants are released, but I have taken wild birds as well. I hunt exclusively over a pointing dog. Some people don't shoot SxS guns as well, but I have shot clean rounds of skeet with 28 gauge fixed choke SxS shotguns. If it fits me, it really isn't a huge issue for me, which type of shotgun I use.
 
3macs1 said:
That mossy must be new out in the past two years is it
I have never seen one but also stopped buying 28ga 2 years ago when my daughter went back to university so am not up to speed any more
Cheers
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The Mossberg and the Weatherby sa28 are both great guns. They are built by Armsan in Turkey. I short circuited the "built by for" deal and bought a Cre28 Armsan from contributing dealer Trade Ex. Retails and around 600.00 and is a lot of gun for the money. Comes with nice grade Turkish Walnut, a pile of stock shims, 3 screw in chokes, hat and a sling. Armsan is really turning out quality built for dollar spent firearms. They are very popular in the UK with pigeon shooters and clay shooters. Mine weighs 5 1/2 lbs. with a 26" barrel.
Darryl
 
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