Gun Dog Forum

Anyone use a 28 gauge on pheasant?

I have shot lots of pheasants with a .410, a 28 can do the job. You have to be a better shot though. Try a full choke.

I have hunted with a couple of guys that have used the 28 effectively on pheasants. Two important things I learned from watching them be successful....

1. Be a good wingshooter
2. Know the limitations of both yourself and the gun/load

These two guy routinely shot more birds than the average shooter armed with a 12 gauge.

I've shot sporting clays and hunted with one of the fellas that owns Rice Creek Hunting. Probably the best game shot I've been around. He'll shoot preserve phez with a 28.

I started out with a 12 gauge and I am now hunting pheasant with a 28 ga. I kill just as many birds as I use to if not more.

My best luck has been w/ 1 oz. loads of #6 shot. Try to shoot the forward part of the bird. Stop at 30 yds going away and 35 yds broadside and you will humanely dispatch wild birds. I have been using modified choke and despite the naysayers that say 3/4 oz loads are superior, I assure you that 1 oz. loads are superior. My dispatch percentage has been higher on wild birds with 28 gauge than any other gauge. Probably because I focus more and use more self control in shot selection. If you have any sense of decency, you have got to pass on more birds, but the small gauge satisfaction is worth it.

winchestermodel50 wrote:My best luck has been w/ 1 oz. loads of #6 shot. Try to shoot the forward part of the bird. Stop at 30 yds going away and 35 yds broadside and you will humanely dispatch wild birds. I have been using modified choke and despite the naysayers that say 3/4 oz loads are superior, I assure you that 1 oz. loads are superior. My dispatch percentage has been higher on wild birds with 28 gauge than any other gauge. Probably because I focus more and use more self control in shot selection. If you have any sense of decency, you have got to pass on more birds, but the small gauge satisfaction is worth it.

I do not understand the "small gauge satisfaction" thing, and I have been shooting 28 gauge on quail, woodcock, and dove since the 60's. It is a very capable load, but I shoot 12ga 5's on phez. Not saying others shouldn't hunt with the 28, just I don't think it more sporting or takes a better shot.

original mngsp wrote:I have hunted with a couple of guys that have used the 28 effectively on pheasants. Two important things I learned from watching them be successful....

1. Be a good wingshooter
2. Know the limitations of both yourself and the gun/load

These two guy routinely shot more birds than the average shooter armed with a 12 gauge.

Best advice you will receive in this thread is posted right there.

Thanks for the input. Saw a nice little Browning Citori O/U 28 w/straight stock at the gun shop today. Just curious how they were on pheasant. Pointed like a dream, fast handling, lightweight and I've heard they pattern well. They wanted a tish over $2k though.....

Sure made my sticker peck out!

I found a nice little 28 O/U a few years ago as well but I had 2nd thoughts and went 20ga instead.

Heres why. When your out in some back country away from hoke what size shells do most little stations have? 12ga and 20ga. You have to go to a dedicated and aerious hunting store to find those specialty rounds. Atleadt with a 20 you have a much better chance of finding rounds than with a 28.

RyanGSP wrote:I found a nice little 28 O/U a few years ago as well but I had 2nd thoughts and went 20ga instead.

Heres why. When your out in some back country away from hoke what size shells do most little stations have? 12ga and 20ga. You have to go to a dedicated and aerious hunting store to find those specialty rounds. Atleadt with a 20 you have a much better chance of finding rounds than with a 28.

Good point but I'm normally always prepared when it comes to hunting supplies so I wouldn't worry about that too much. Plus I always bring a back up gun on hunting trips in-case something happens to my main gun.

Are 28 shells spendy?

They are more expensive than 12 and 20 ga shells and not as much selection because they are not as popular. Not sure on prices around you but here they are about $10-$12/ box for target loads and $22 for federal Wing-Shok (Cabela's Canada). I dont see anything else coming up yet for 12 or 20 theres a dozen or 2 different choices.

Brooks Carmichael wrote:I started out with a 12 gauge and I am now hunting pheasant with a 28 ga. I kill just as many birds as I use to if not more.

+1

Rob

There seems to be a new interest in folks wanting to shoot 28g there is nothing wrong with it it just cost double what a 20g costs and not much diff
Fester

I recommend checking out ballistic products incorporated on their website. They have some nice recipes for pheasant loads. If you own a 28 guage a mec Jr is a very useful and money saving tool.

Have hunted with folks who use a 28ga. I consider it a great guage for the experienced wing shooter but a poor choice for the average hunter. A tighter choked gun is required and you have to be able to really center your target. Over pointing dogs and out to 35 yds, as good as any....but I think you need to be a btter than average shooter and know the limitations of the gun....JMHO.

Please explain the 28's limitations? The one I shoot patterns better than any 12 pattern I have seen. Shot string is the different for one but not sure of any others?

Less shot, needs smaller shot to avoid deformation, must use tighter chokes to get enough on target. Pattern the 28 at 40 yards with 5's and compare it to a 12. A 12 patterns well with up to 1 3/8' ounces, while a 28 does best with 3/4 ounce loads.

As with a rifle, follow Robert Rourak's advice, USE ENOUGH GUN.

There is nothing sporting about wounding game.

I enojy the 28 for many applications, but not for wild pheasant or ducks. If you all think it works well on pheasants, why not geese? Turkey? Does it have no limitations? I reject the notion it takes more skill to use effectively, more luck perhaps.

Please keep in mind I am an experienced 28 shooter, prefer it for smaller birds.

Neil,

When I get invited to go phez hunting with some people I do work for, I get the "look" when I uncase the 20g. I'll typically kill more birds than they and with fewer shots. But when a phez sails across at 40 yards I seldom shoot. They get all, "Why didn't you shoot?" Yet there they are tossing lead with no reasonable expectation of hitting the bird, much less killing it. I understand my limitations, and I prefer to shoot birds off point.

I did at one time want a 28g. But with the non-tox regs and sometimes finding yourself far from the truck when you cross on to a non-tox parcel...I'll just stay with the 20g.

I do not understand the "small gauge satisfaction" thing, and I have been shooting 28 gauge on quail, woodcock, and dove since the 60's. It is a very capable load, but I shoot 12ga 5's on phez. Not saying others shouldn't hunt with the 28, just I don't think it more sporting or takes a better shot.

I dove, quail and pheasant hunt with a O/U 20 gauge. My shotgun weighs 4.5lbs with 26in barrels. It is about comfort for me. When walking long distances I can break it and rest it on my shoulder which is an added safety factor. I never get tired carrying the shotgun. A comparable 12 gauge is 9-10lbs, double the weight.

Aggie007 wrote:

I do not understand the "small gauge satisfaction" thing, and I have been shooting 28 gauge on quail, woodcock, and dove since the 60's. It is a very capable load, but I shoot 12ga 5's on phez. Not saying others shouldn't hunt with the 28, just I don't think it more sporting or takes a better shot.

I dove, quail and pheasant hunt with a O/U 20 gauge. My shotgun weighs 4.5lbs with 26in barrels. It is about comfort for me. When walking long distances I can break it and rest it on my shoulder which is an added safety factor. I never get tired carrying the shotgun. A comparable 12 gauge is 9-10lbs, double the weight.

I don't believe that the average 12gauge weighs twice as much as an average 20 gauge, I believe the difference is going to be closer to 1#. What kind of shotgun are you shooting now? Who makes a 10# 12gauge?

I think for the smalller birds the 28 works well. Grouse, woodcock, quail often fall with just 2-3 pellets on target. Density of pattern is not as big an issue. Wild phez are a lot tougher.

I never get tired carrying the shotgun. A comparable 12 gauge is 9-10lbs, double the weight.

Excuse me .... but this nonsense. Beretta makes a 12ga Ultralite that weighs about 6 lbs (and kicks like a mule with high brass loads). My 16 ga guns weigh between 5lbs 14oz up to 6 lb 10oz and my sawed off CYL/CYL 12 ga grouse gun weighs 6lb 3oz. If 6 1/2 lbs wears anyone out, they need to get to the gym.

I don't hunt them much, never have. They were extra when we'd be out after Huns and Chukar. I liked 3 7 1/2 shot for them but found it crippled to many pheasants so went to #6 shot. If I was to hunt pheasant's on purpose, do once in a while, I take my 16 loaded with 1 1/2oz of six's. for Quail, Huns, Grouse and Chukars, love my 28 and 7 1/2's. At some point I think hunter's have a responsibility to use enough gun. I don't like using anything smaller than a 6.5 on elk or a 243 on deer.

DonF wrote:.... If I was to hunt pheasant's on purpose, do once in a while, I take my 16 loaded with 1 1/2oz of six's.....

That would be a very full 16 gauge....might want to measure twice and post once.
But the 1 1/4 load works a treat in my Auto 5 Sweet.

The 28 is a fine shell for grouse-sized and tenacity gamebirds, on the high end, to a heavy 30 yards.
For wild pheasants, the 28 will also work since not much won't when pointed correctly, pelleted for the bird, choked appropriately and employed judiciously.
The issue tho is one of operating at more of an extreme of limit with the 28 and if a myriad of conditions, some gunner controllable and some not, rear their head then the 28 becomes a very poor choice.
A swell choice a 28 is at times but one seldoms hears of shots with a 28 where the limit was misjudged, birds were lost or returned with their head up....a ruffed grouse and a wild pheasant with their heads up...two very different critters.
The 28 gauge today is more a popular Internet "I have and use" than much else.

Mountaineer wrote:

DonF wrote:.... If I was to hunt pheasant's on purpose, do once in a while, I take my 16 loaded with 1 1/2oz of six's.....

That would be a very full 16 gauge....might want to measure twice and post once.
But the 1 1/4 load works a treat in my Auto 5 Sweet.

The 28 is a fine shell for grouse-sized and tenacity gamebirds, on the high end, to a heavy 30 yards.
For wild pheasants, the 28 will also work since not much won't when pointed correctly, pelleted for the bird, choked appropriately and employed judiciously.
The issue tho is one of operating at more of an extreme of limit with the 28 and if a myriad of conditions, some gunner controllable and some not, rear their head then the 28 becomes a very poor choice.
A swell choice a 28 is at times but one seldoms hears of shots with a 28 where the limit was misjudged, birds were lost or returned with their head up....a ruffed grouse and a wild pheasant with their heads up...two very different critters.
The 28 gauge today is more a popular Internet "I have and use" than much else.

OOps! your are right. That should have said 1 1/8oz loads. Boy is my face red!

Would that my mistakes were all that minor.

My wife hunts with a Browning citori feather light, o/u with 24" barrels and its lighter than the Beretta. My Beretta 686 ultralight o/u with 26" barrels is 4.5lbs. Both guns have solid wood stock and forearm. Both you can leave on your shoulder and they will rest there as you walk without keeping a hand on it. Do the 12 gauge ultralights have real wood or composite? I skeet and sporting clay shoot with a Beretta 682 o/u with 30" barrels and its 9.2lbs with solid wood stock and forearm. If I shoot all day with it, I get tired and don't mount and swing it as well at the end of the day. I can't tell you how much my hump-back weighs, but its a mule and its not a o/u. I have also lugged around semi-autos and just don't like it as they are uncomfortable to carry long distances. 20 gauge shells weigh a little less, cheaper and you can put more in your bag. Really its personal preference, I upland hunt and do a lot of walking, the smaller gauge o/u's are comfortable and I don't have any problems killing birds. I would love to hunt and own and 28 gauge but have enough shotguns to do everything I want. When I find the right one I'll splurge I am sure, side by sides are my preference actually.

A Beretta Ultralight O/U that weighs 4 1/2#?, a 20 gauge?
That's very interesting.
And......nope, can't think of a worse scattergun, if one actually exists.

Weight is such a non-issue other than a bit of it makes swatting stuff easier.
That from a 60 year-old appalatchian grouse hunter.
Forget weight other than at the extremes of either end....favor balance and trigger pull.

Light 12 Auto 5s can be 7 3/4# or so...nice pheasant scatterguns tho I prefer the Sweet 16 @ 7# for long carrys.
The 12 BUL, if hot is added to the long.

Aggie007 wrote:My wife hunts with a Browning citori feather light, o/u with 24" barrels and its lighter than the Beretta. My Beretta 686 ultralight o/u with 26" barrels is 4.5lbs. Both guns have solid wood stock and forearm. Both you can leave on your shoulder and they will rest there as you walk without keeping a hand on it. Do the 12 gauge ultralights have real wood or composite? I skeet and sporting clay shoot with a Beretta 682 o/u with 30" barrels and its 9.2lbs with solid wood stock and forearm. If I shoot all day with it, I get tired and don't mount and swing it as well at the end of the day. I can't tell you how much my hump-back weighs, but its a mule and its not a o/u. I have also lugged around semi-autos and just don't like it as they are uncomfortable to carry long distances. 20 gauge shells weigh a little less, cheaper and you can put more in your bag. Really its personal preference, I upland hunt and do a lot of walking, the smaller gauge o/u's are comfortable and I don't have any problems killing birds. I would love to hunt and own and 28 gauge but have enough shotguns to do everything I want. When I find the right one I'll splurge I am sure, side by sides are my preference actually.

A Beretta Ultralight 12 gauge weighs in at 5.5# didn't even knew they had a 20 gauge model, however when comparing weight of guns probably a better comparison would be "like" models, not an "ultra light" to a skeet gun with 30" barrels. Comparing like guns (20 gauge to 12) you will usually find a difference of around a pound not 5#s.

Gun fit is much more important than gauge. Go with the gun that "feels" the best (points where you're looking) and shoot it within it's limits. You'll ultimately hit more targets/game with a guns that fits you, as opposed to the one you choose based on gauge.

Look you can kill phez with BB gun, so I surely do not care what you all shoot. But the fact is a 28 is less than half the gun than a 12, I don't agree it is more sporting or takes more skill. That's all.

Neil wrote:Look you can kill phez with BB gun, so I surely do not care what you all shoot. But the fact is a 28 is less than half the gun than a 12, I don't agree it is more sporting or takes more skill. That's all.

I dont get this. Ballistics tell a different story. Maybe its true with shelf ammo but not with custom loads game bird loads. Oz of shot is an ounce of shot, 1300fps is 1300 fps. The only real difference is shot string & choke used to achieve desired pattern. Thats my experience anyway. But if you buy shells off the shelf then the 12 being twice the gun may be true.

You are right 1 ounce is an ounce, gauge does not matter.

I have four 28's in my safe, I trully love them for small game, skeet, and even sporting clays, anything you can shoot with 8's or 9's.

But not one of my 28's will shoot 1 oz of 5's or 6's with a good pattern. So you are left with 3/4 oz loads, compared to 1 3/8's or even 1 1/2 oz for the 12. Thus half the gun. And I am not even mentioning what happens to patterns when you up the velocity and tighten the chokes.

Please shoot whatever you like, I just don't think it more sporting or takes more skill to use a 28 on large

The 28 is adequate for pheasant. I've shot a number of wild phez with them but whoever said that the 1 oz loads don't pattern well is right. A 20 ga will pattern much nicer with a 1 oz load and even though the velocity isn't much different, I believe the 20 gauge is a better chocie for wild phez. I should mention that I hunt with quite a few guys using 28's so I do respect the capabilites of that guage.

I used to be a bigger is better guy. I recall thinking that anyone who shoots less than a 12 at phez was foolish. I hunt with a 20 exclusively now. I also think that most phez hunters make the mistake of going with too heavy of a shot payload. 1 1/8 to 1 1/4oz 12 ga and 1 oz 20's are optimum loads for wild phez, IMO. Leave the 3" shells for turkey hunting.
The 28ga guys I hunt with all shoot 1 oz in them. I think they might be better off going to 3/4 but none of them do.

On shot size, I saw some guys recommending 7.5's, if you shoot a close flushing bird with those, they really can fill the bird with pellets. I like 5's and 6's in the 20ga, 4's in 1 1/4oz 12 ga loads. One or two pellet holes is better than 8 of them.

Be a good wingshooter.If I shoot all day with it, I get tired and don't mount and swing it as well at the end of the day.