28's

I love the 28 gauge, but in a SXS gun!
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Clay at Prophet River has some killer deals on Fausti O/U guns at the moment, I'm not sure if he has any 28's however.
he does have a VERY nice Cesar Guerrini on the EE right now however!:D

I had a deal fall through on a SXS CZ Bobwhite 28, and am going to put it up for sale again , but if yoou are looking for a O/U , either Will Bilozir or Clay will be hard to beat for a decent gun.
What is your price range BTW?
Cat
 
A proper 28ga be that an O/U or SxS must come with a few basic ("inherent" may be another word that could apply here) features such as scale appropriate frame, weight, balance etc. Personal preferences, budget range obviously will further drive the selection process from that point forward as far as an individual is prepared to proceed towards such goal.

At the present time, IMHO, the aforementioned basics of 28ga breechloading double guns start with current manufactures like CZ (the least expensive and they produce both O/U and SxS models). Further up the ladder are brands like Franchi, Browning (read some specific models of Cynergy and Citoris), Fabarm, Fausti, Rizzini, Beretta, CG and so on.

Among semi-autos, Weatherby is offering a (Turk built) 28ga semi for 2011, then you have the Remington, Franchi and the Benelli. Never cared much for Remington :) but I've handled the Franchi and the Benelli - both are nice guns inside their own individual realms. However, in terms of overall build quality and design, as a field model, I believe the Benelli Legacy 28ga has no other semi competitor in NA at this point in time.

Admittedly, I have no favourites to speak of, well, at least as far as firearms (including shotguns) are concerned mainly due to so much diversity available....my loyalty, however, always rest with something that has the correct attributes i.e. in terms of configuration, balance, handling and most importantly gun fit.
 
When my son was offered any gun in my vault for getting his Inter provincial millwright's ticket, he chose my FAIR O/U, partly because it fit him, and partly because it was a28!
he sees no reason for shooting anything heavier for upland birds of any kind or bunnies.:D
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I love the little CZ Bobwhite as well, on its scaled from it weighs in at right around 5.5lbs. She's a solid little gun that simply will not break!
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sledman8002002 said:
Be it a semi, pump, single, SXS or O/U, there's never been a 28 that I've carried, shot, handled or shouldered I didn't like. No way that I can (or could) pick a favourite, they're all my favourites.
Be forewarned...you may need another safe once you buy one...:D
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We are joined at the hip with this one. I can never have enough 28ga.
 
Myself my lower limit is 20, but ten years ago my favorite was 12. So anything's possible I guess......
I'm pretty sure after a long hard day of fighting briar patches and willows, a well made 28 sxs would feel nice to shoulder & point when you need to shoot.
 
catnthehatt said:
When my son was offered any gun in my vault for getting his Inter provincial millwright's ticket, he chose my FAIR O/U, partly because it fit him, and partly because it was a28!
he sees no reason for shooting anything heavier for upland birds of any kind or bunnies.:D
DSCF0277.jpg

I love the little CZ Bobwhite as well, on its scaled from it weighs in at right around 5.5lbs. She's a solid little gun that simply will not break!
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Talk about a buffet........;)

A German Short Haired Pointer, a couple of pheasants, a trio of chukars.
A 28 gauge o/u and a proud face. If you shot all these feathers on the wing, that is great shooting. :cheers:
Thanks for sharing.
 
kamlooky said:
Talk about a buffet........;)

A German Short Haired Pointer, a couple of pheasants, a trio of chukars.
A 28 gauge o/u and a proud face. If you shot all these feathers on the wing, that is great shooting. :cheers:
Thanks for sharing.
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Is there any other way to shoot a pheasant and be proud of it!:D
This was the first bird hunt for my son's dog, and my son trained him as well,
Louie is his first gun dog!:)
Cat
 
catnthehatt said:
Is there any other way to shoot a pheasant and be proud of it!:D
This was the first bird hunt for my son's dog, and my son trained him as well,
Louie is his first gun dog!:)
Cat
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A little off topic, but that might be one of the nicest looking dogs Ive seen.
 
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hogiron said:
A little off topic, but that might be one of the nicest looking dogs Ive seen.
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I'll be sure to pass the compliment along to my son!
Louie is as fast as greased lightning, has not a mean bone in his body, and WILL NOT bump a porcupine!! Crap, he won't even bump a bird, he's as solid a pointer as you will ever see!:)
Cat
 
I saw no mention of the fine built domestic Ruger Redlabel in 28ga? Am I the soul guy with one here that actually likes hunting with one?
I bought mine when they first came out, and at the time was buying my first house, so before giving the bank every last dime I had at the time, I bought a straight grip Ruger Redlabel with 28" barrels with chokes! It came with the nicest wood I ever saw on any Ruger high grade gun! It is light as a whip and fits me perfectly, I have been offered to sell it many times, but I would only let go for another vintage SXS or combo gun! I am sure it weighs 5.5 LB's at the most! I only take it out on nice late fall days as I wish to keep it from getting to damaged from stoppen threw the thickets in the early season, and no rain for it! I guess I pamper this one to much, but oh well it looks like the day I bought it!
My next 28ga will be a Merkle shotgun drilling in 28ga. with light thistle engraving and case hardening! Dale Z!
 
I've owned three 28 gauge o/u and one semi.

Many 28 gauge o/u are built on 20 gauge frames. I don't think this is a huge issue. Comparing Beretta frames it's hard to notice the difference visually and in the hands. My current 28 is on a 20 gauge frame and I appreciate the extra weight for targets and haven't found it a problem in the field.

I'd avoid the Remington 1100. I owned one as a loaner/teaching gun meant for women and younger shooters. Parts breakage was an issue.

Another reason for an o/u is the ability to keep your hulls. 28 gauge ammo isn't cheap and reloading can really reduce the costs if you are shooting a lot.
 
Claybuster said:
Many 28 gauge o/u are built on 20 gauge frames. I don't think this is a huge issue. Comparing Beretta frames it's hard to notice the difference visually and in the hands. My current 28 is on a 20 gauge frame and I appreciate the extra weight for targets and haven't found it a problem in the field.
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The two 28's I pictured have a full 3/4 lb. difference between them, the box lock being 5lbs. flat.
My CZ is somewhere in bewteen IIRC.
All are built on scaled frames, but the Uggie is a side lock, so is naturally a bit wider across the breach.
The weight difference is not noticed consciously after a while,but in the afternoon of walking 5lbs. feels pretty good!!:D
Cat
 
I have had a couple of 28s now, first a Stevens 512 O/U I picked up for a little over $500 new. Now I have a Franchi Veloce 28, I much prefer the Franchi and plan to keep her forever, but I would like another. Maybe a properly scaled SxS with chokes, and the Benelli Legacy 28 has caught my eye more than once too!

Can't have too many 28s!
 
Crashman said:
the Benelli Legacy 28 has caught my eye more than once too!
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Frankly, when I first noted the advertised weight of that shotgun, I was quite skeptical in visualizing the dynamics of handling such a light field model even for a 28. However, my perception shifted rather quickly when I had an opportunity to properly inspect the shotgun - needless to say, that little gun is balanced very nicely and would be an excellent tool particularly for Woodcock/Quail/Ruffed Grouse as well as for jumpshooting pudddle ducks.
 
Where does a guy track down info on those FAIR guns? Can't seem to find a website or anything. Can't believe what ruger wants for a red label :eek: Are they on glue?

Trying to keep it under the 2k range
 
I thought fair had gone out of business recently.
Love to join the 28 club, but I only get out few times a year for upland and can't justify the cost.
 
sherlockbonez said:
I thought fair had gone out of business recently.
Love to join the 28 club, but I only get out few times a year for upland and can't justify the cost.
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I can't see that, they are a very strong Italian company from what i have read abotu them.
Where did you hear this, it would be interestig if it was an article I could read!
Cat
 
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