Upland 20 gauge SxS

26" or 28"?

Well im gonna save some more money and buy a CZ Bobwhite in 20 gauge for my upland and small game needs.

I currently own a Remington 870 Wingmaster 12 gauge with a 3" chamber and a 28" barrel that I use for waterfowl. I figure a 28" barrel is good on a waterfowl gun because 90% of the shooting is done while "swinging".

This CZ is going to be an upland gun and the biggest game I will be shooting will be pheasent, for the most part it will be used for squirrel, rabbits and grouse. Allthough there is alot of "swinging" in upland hunting there is also alot of "point and shoot" type scenarios especially on small game. Will the 26" barrel on the CZ Bobwhite be enough barrel for these needs? Im saying I know it will be great for rabbits, squirrels and grouse in the woods, but is it long enough to be effective in open fields for pheasent?

If you had to choose between the 26" or 28" for my needs which one would it be? Thanks
 
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I think most will agree that it's a matter of choice. I bought the 26" barrels with my CZ Bobwhite in 20 ga., but not because I thought 26" would be better than 28". I bought the 26" because I already have other 20 ga. SXS's in 28". So, for me, it offered more options.
 
Max-4 said:
If you had to choose between the 26" or 28" for my needs which one would it be? Thanks
Click to expand...

I'm afraid it's a question that only you can decide.

As already stated by SS, this would be more a personal preference much like preference for certain style of clothing, shoes, the type of vehicle one drives etc.

Will one be sacrificing a lot by going for let's say 26in bbls in the event you are unable to find one with 28in tubes - I shouldn't think so.

Sure, if you were chasing Upland birds in the Prairie Provinces here or places in the US where the flushes may generally be far out then longer barrels may provide you with an edge. Having said that, there are plenty of people who hunt those regions and are perfectly at ease with 26in bbls.

When hunting Pheasants in ON (read Game Farm scenario), how far out do you think that those birds burst cover specially with Pointers used? Obviously, it would be sporting to let the bird clear at least about 30yrds before taking the shot.
 
If I were doing mine again, I'd get 28" barrels as they are very easily stopped in mid-swing.

But the choke is more important than barrel length. Most short barrels are (fixed) choked IC/Mod, which is great for open-plain sharptails or pheasant. But a little too tight for grouse in the bush.
 
Grouse Man

So is there 2 styles of hunting for grouse? One would involve a very open choke and just shooting center mass. While the other involves a full choke and requires you to aim at the head?

Which works best for Ontario grouse, I realize if a grouse flushes at 20-30 yards you likely wont get it with a full choke.
 
The point and head shot grouse are the "sitting ducks" up north. Ones by my buddies cottage up at Sudbury sit there while you walk up to them, you can shoot them with a bb gun. The flushing ones are the ones down around here. They are both Ontario grouse, which one do you hunt normally?
 
28"

Well I have decided, I just bought a Yildiz single shot TK-36 in .410 with a 26" barrel so I will use that for the northern Ontario grouse and rabbits in the thick bush.

This allows me to buy a CZ Bobwhite 20 gauge and only use it in southern Ontario for small game, pheasent and grouse. I will be getting the 28" barrels on it, I just got to hold and swing a 28" CZ Ringneck 20g at Epps and it felt great to me. 28" it is!!!
 
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