28 gauge wingshooters!

hoytcanon

hoytcanon

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For those of you hunting upland birds with 28 gauge shotguns... What is your platform? What is your favorite quarry and what are your pet loads (factory or home rolled)???
I am shooting a Rem 1100 and a Browning Citori O/U, for ruffed grouse, spruce grouse, sharpies, and pheasant, with occasional foray's for woodcock, snipe and wood ducks and teal... I am a fan of the "little gauge" for the finess that it brings to sport shooting.
 
Recently re acquired a Remington 870 Express in 28 bore that I once owned. I will use it for ruffed grouse, spruce grouse and woodcock. I will even try it out on the Sharptail grouse in Manitoba this fall. I shoot Challenger 3/4oz loads of #6 and 71/2. I do have a box or two of Winchester 1 oz #6. I will save that for the wide open shooting SW Manitoba has to offer.

Darryl
 
I currently have three 28 gauge shotguns, a Citori Sporting Clays Special Edition, a Citori 625 Feather 3 barrel set, and a Cynergy Feather, which is listed for sale on the EE. As far as hunting loads, I use Fiocchi Golden Pheasant in #6 or #7-1/2 shot size for Hungarian Partridge,Sharptails,Ruffed Grouse, or Ringnecks.
 
I use an 870 Wingmaster LW Small Bore in 28 and it's a hoot. For Ruffies I stick with the 3/4 oz 6 or 7.5's and usually choke up with IC. I am also considering picking up a Weatherby SA-08 in 28ga as well,

Patrick
 
I had been shooting Federal Wingshok ammo (3/4 oz of #6's), but my LGS just got in a skid of Challenger Magnum Game loads, 3/4 oz of 6's and 7 1/2's... They are $12 cheaper/box... Which is incentive to try them out... Is anyone else shooting these loads? Madtrapper... How do you like them?
 
I am waiting for a case to be delivered from Cabelas. The Challenger web site says they are very fast. 1350 plus IIRC. I used a lot of Challenger target loads in the past and found them to feed well and have very consistent performance. I have only used them on game birds not in a target situation. I believe the "magnum" designation of the new loads refer to the FPS not the charge weight. They are priced right in my opinion and Canadian made. What's not to like?

Darryl
 
madtrapper143 said:
I am waiting for a case to be delivered from Cabelas. The Challenger web site says they are very fast. 1350 plus IIRC. I used a lot of Challenger target loads in the past and found them to feed well and have very consistent performance. I have only used them on game birds not in a target situation. I believe the "magnum" designation of the new loads refer to the FPS not the charge weight. They are priced right in my opinion and Canadian made. What's not to like?

Darryl
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1,350 is only a touch faster than their Sporting 28 gauge which is listed as 1,330 and Challenger is pretty reliable about their velocities. Most of their ammo is on the faster side.
 
At present my favourite 28 gauge upland game gun is an Ithaca Model 37 with a 26 inch barrel.I use it on partridge(ruffed grouse) and rabbits (snowshoe hare).My favourite load of late years has been Challenger with number six shot and a modified choke.In the past C-I-L Imperial were my favourite 28 gauge loads.

Interesting that the new 28 gauge Challenger shell boxes are marked magnum.As stated above I too believe this is for the faster speed of the 28 gauge Challenger shell and not the load weight.I have some old 28 gauge Western boxes and shells that are marked magnum,but these shells have a full ounce of shot.

For myself I find the one ounce loads handy when I use the more open chokes.
 
Hunting Ruffed and Spruce Grouse with my old Savage 220 single shot and I'm still on the box of Rio birdshot that it came with when I got it.
 
I have two 28's -- much prefer them over 20's -- just something about them the way they break clays and fold birds. I have a baby framed English stocked Ruger Red Label and one of those new Weatherby's that absolutely loves me -- shoots where I look. I use and have used 28's for Ruffed Grouse, woodcock & peasants over a pointing dog -- never felt under gunned.
Cheers.
 
My love of the 28ga started in the mid 60's when I was forced to shoot the gauge in the 4 gun skeet events in a 870
It was not long before it replaced my 16ga for upland hunting and today I use it for everything except waterfowl hunting.
For clays I reload old compression formed AA with win primers, unique powder and win wads all 3/4 oz with no.9 hard shot for skeet and 7 1/2 for trap. Do them all now on a mec 9000G to the tune of 5000-8000 a year when I am shooting regular
On the hunting I reload old remington rxp and federal hulls for the semi's since I lose a lot of those and AA & STS for the pumps etc.
Use lawrence copper plated shot in no. 5, 6 and 7 1/2. The shot is expensive at 50 bucks for a 10 pound bag but works well on all upland birds with no.5 my favorite for phesants.
Like grouser I normally hunt over two french Britts. There is nothing like it. I have my sights also on a new weatherby semi from prophet river as soon as I can get some extra cash in my sock. I cleaned up a lot of my collection in the past 5 years and sold off a lot but managed to keep a few different 28ga's just what I call working man's guns nothing real high end ranging from a cooey 84 to an original winchester model 12
Not hard to see what my favorite one is with choke tubes

 
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Got my case of "magnum" 28 gauge Challenger from Cabelas today. It is just 3/4 oz sporting at 1330 fps. Double checked my order and that is what Cabelas has it catalogued as. 5 boxes of #6 and 5 boxes of #7 1/2. It will work fine through the fixed MOD of my Express 870.

Darryl
 
I bought and use a CZ Redhead o/u for upland. Recently picked up a single shot 28 that I plan to give to my daughter when she gets her licence. I was able to find an older MEC loader for the 28 as well, but have enough factory that I haven't had to put it to use yet.
Grouser said:
I use and have used 28's for Ruffed Grouse, woodcock & peasants over a pointing dog -- never felt under gunned.
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Unlike Grouser, I prefer not to shoot "peasants", I use them as gun-bearers and the like...lol
 
The love of my life. SKB 605 Sporting in 28 ga. presentation case and 5 chokes. The yard sale Gods were watching over me that day.

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Love the 28. Got back into it several years ago after a long stint with the big 12. I have a CZ partridge (sxs) and a Beretta 686 (o/u). So far, I've done the vast majority of hunting with the CZ. I'm not fussed if it gets scratched up a bit and I just prefer a double-trigger english grip sxs.. I shoot ruffed grouse (mainly) but also a few sharp-tails, and have done some quail & pheasant hunting down south. I gave the ducks a try last year with the only steel shot I could find (Winchester #6). Did ok on early season birds, but went back to the 12 when the birds got wiser. No preference on brand or load (I just stockpile 28 ammo whenever I find it), but I use #8 for quail and some grouse, # 7 1/2 for most grouse and #6 for sharp-tails, pheasants and early ducks. A re-loading acquaintance is going to set me up with some bismuth #5 for ducks... only a few weeks away!
 
badgreenbird said:
Love the 28. Got back into it several years ago after a long stint with the big 12. I have a CZ partridge (sxs) and a Beretta 686 (o/u). So far, I've done the vast majority of hunting with the CZ. I'm not fussed if it gets scratched up a bit and I just prefer a double-trigger english grip sxs.. I shoot ruffed grouse (mainly) but also a few sharp-tails, and have done some quail & pheasant hunting down south. I gave the ducks a try last year with the only steel shot I could find (Winchester #6). Did ok on early season birds, but went back to the 12 when the birds got wiser. No preference on brand or load (I just stockpile 28 ammo whenever I find it), but I use #8 for quail and some grouse, # 7 1/2 for most grouse and #6 for sharp-tails, pheasants and early ducks. A re-loading acquaintance is going to set me up with some bismuth #5 for ducks... only a few weeks away!
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BGB be sure to let us know how the handloaded 28 gauge Bismuth works out.I have some loaded up in number 5 ,but other than at the pattern board have never got around to using it.
 
I purchased my Girlfriend an H&R 28 for her first firearm. I am planning to sneak it out during our up-coming dove season, we have used basicly every commonly available offering, I prefer the Challenger 3/4 oz 4's for ground swatting and Winchester AA's for clays and pigeons.I wish some a company would offer 10 or 11 shot in the 28 or .410 to shoot vermin in out buildings with.
 
I have been shooting and hunting the 28 for quite a few years, got two hunting buddies converted over to it too. Now they swear by it and claim they were the ones that started with it first in our gang! Mine is a Savage Milano, and I shoot whatever comes out of the game vest pocket, the Milano doesn't seem to care what I put in her, she just kills what she is swung on.
 
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