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Thread: Schooling Requested: 28 Gauge O/U

  1. #11
    The shell order was split up and a full 250 round case of #7 1/2 was just dropped off. Four boxes are tape marked for the rainy day stash, two are going in my hunting gear crate, remaining four ready to wrap.

    When the #6 comes in, one box will be for patterning and such while the other two go in the hunting crate. Lonely straggler of #7 1/2 will be used by me to function check the Stevens and start breaking it in.

    Next ammo expenditure will be some field grade 16 and 20 gauge between #6 and #4 then back to grabbing the odd handful of 28 gauge. Any specific suggestions for recoil pads since the gun is on its way to my dealer?

  2. #12
    It has been a long time since I messed with a shotgun but the big names are Pachmayr Decelerator and Kick-eez.
    Code Name: JET STREAM

  3. #13
    Site Supporter P.E. Kelley's Avatar
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    The 555 is a excellent choice and the 555 in 28 was one I made and gave to my niece.

    As mentioned the 28 hits above its weight. I would not saddle a new shooter with a 410 as patterns
    often suck in comparison to the 28 (long shot column is thought to be the cause)

    GUN FIT cannot emphasized enough! Please cut and fit it to her!
    Guns are just machines and without you they can do no harm, nor any good

  4. #14
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    Dealey Plaza, Republic of Texas
    Wiley’s Gun Shop in Wills Point, Texas

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  5. #15
    Site Supporter
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    About no. 6 shot. The fairly light charge weight of shot in a 28 GA will produce sparse patterns because there are so many fewer no. 6 pellets. Consult a chart to verify and compare. This gauge with large shot and sparse patterns will discourage a young shooter. Some consider it an expert's shotgun anyway. I oz loads in this very light shotgun will kick. They may not pattern well because the small bore will distort some pellets. This GA is a 35 gun. Smaller shot make it work because they fill out the pattern.

  6. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by willie View Post
    I hunt with the 28 gauge and find it a joy to shoot. Be aware that beyond 35 yards effectiveness decreases. I urge you to put a skeet choke in the bottom barrel and an improved cylinder in the top barrel. This combination increases hit probability.The modified choke will be too tight between for the first 30 yards. The gauge is not suited for so called long range shots. The lighter shot charge produces patterns that are more sparse than 20's and 12's, and for this reason the 28 ga is best used at ranges of 35 yards and less. I have made shots at longer range but some luck was involved. Consider having a premium recoil pad installed, and at this time you may determine that reducing stock length by 1/2 inch or so will improve fit.
    This is excellent advice. I shot a lot of pheasant when I lived in CT, and my Beretta Silver Pigeon was set up just like this.

  7. #17
    I want a 28ga because they are cool, and if on the wild chance I would shoot a skeet tournament I could at least do three of the four guns with it.

    But I ended up with a 20ga, but I do reload, and it is pretty easy to do 3/4oz (did 100 targets last night).

    All good that you are getting a 28ga, just throwing this out as well.

  8. #18
    Abducted by Aliens Borderland's Avatar
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    No experience with a 28 ga but I always wanted to try one hunting. In the UK they are known as a sub gauge for women and children which makes sense. Everyone else shoots a 12ga in the field. I don't believe ga. has as much to do with hunting as many people believe it does unless we start talking about steel shot and waterfowl. The smaller gauges are just as effective if pattern (choke) and shot size are considered, for most game.

    Your shot selection seems appropriate and a double will give you some choke management. I used a sxs with double triggers for more choke management but a barrel selector will do the same thing more or less. I also used a Beretta sxs with a barrel selector. I hunted ruffed grouse, quail, huns and chukar with 7 1/2. It was all I ever needed. When you get to bunnies, pheasant and turkey heavier shot is the ticket.

    Regarding POI/POA, doubles are regulated to the same POI/POA at a certain distance. IIRC that's 40 yards so I don't believe that to be an issue, especially with mod and IC chokes. I was a huge fan of IC for upland birds and even skt or no choke for grouse. That was using a dog to flush or point.

    With choke tubes and a barrel selector you can dial in whatever you want with the game and cover that you hunt. For instance, hunting grouse in heavy cover I like the open choke first then the more constricted choke if I missed the first shot. That would be the case with most upland. Turkey would be different with both barrels tightly choked.

    A pattern board is essential if you want to optimize your loads and chokes.

    Here's a good forum for upland hunters. You will be inundated with excellent info there. It's what they do.

    https://uplandjournal.ipbhost.com/

    Word of caution. Pay no attention to the dog elitists. They get wrapped around the axel with that topic.
    Last edited by Borderland; 01-14-2021 at 12:16 PM.
    In the P-F basket of deplorables.

  9. #19
    Picked it up, today. Not surprised to confirm that the stock needs trimmed. Am surprised that it fits me pretty well.

    It arrived choked IC over C but I had a hunch and rechoked M over C. Using the 3/4 ounce charge of Fiocchi 7 1/2, it showed promise. At 15 yards, both were still fairly tight with the modified barrel being notably moreso. The 25 yard line showed the cylinder bore getting to its limit and the modified doing very well. Despite the 25 yard line's indications, cylinder was still good for a grouse and modified for a bunny or squirrel with a few more pellets total in my marked tatget zones. In this case, sideways B-27 ten rings. I was looking for several in the X and fair few in the 10 with the paper catching more of the pattern to quickly look for signs of voids. I think we may end up further tightening the top barrel in the end for tree rats.

    But I'll leave it here for now and save any choke tweaking for the kiddo's experience. We'll see how the mod. choke throws #6 before getting ahead of ourselves.

  10. #20
    More notes for my own future reference:

    - At 35 yards, the modified pattern looks and has a pellet count vert similar to the 25 yard cylinder bore performance. While thee cyl. choke got lucky at 35 with pellet count in the preferred target zone, just on the lower left corner of that was a large void. Given that 7 1/2 shot is light, I'd leave it choked M/C

    - I am very happy with 7 1/2 three-quarter ounce shells through the cylinder choke. Expected the payload to have trouble getting out to 25 yards as it's around my personal limit for 1oz 16 gauge loads of #6 in my chopped guns. But it looks perfect for partridge. Need this ammo rush over so I can score some Brenneke slugs and try out, as well.

    - Just like my 16s, modified seems to give almost exactly ten extra yards of usable range. Also like my 16s, the 28 just seems to want to pattern well. Maybe the old duffers were on to something, as usual.

    - Kid needs to pattern the #6 through the modified, improved modified, and full chokes. The 7 1/2 is lighter than I like for bunnies and nutters. Not to say I stand much chance of getting her to drop the hammer on a rabbit.

    - Definitely need to make a focused point of dry manipulation after kiddo goes to bed so I can have this action loosened up by the big day. Application of grease right out of the box helped but it has a loooong way to go.

    - Trigger pull on the top barrel is notably heavier than the bottom. Either is better than the Magtech 199 single-shots I've spent time with so no real complaint.

    - Need to come up with simple dry and live drills for the safety/selector. That is very much going to require reps to build automaticity. Especially given that it is not automatic.

    - Similar to above but regarding discretion versus physical manipulation, drills to work barrel selection in the field. Probably just be target at unknown range from seven to 40 yards. Get a bead, fire, and check pattern density on target withing a par time to prevent dilly-dallying. Would double as a test of safety/selector usage in the field.

    - I think I like the mechanical trigger. Particularly at this price point. Don't think I'd trust a fancier system to last.

    - No signs of doubling, so far. Barrel selector also looking good.

    - The frame size is nice. For me, it carries a treat. Just stepping up to a twenty, it would go from doable for a slender kid to a pig.

    - The 7/8 ounce charges of #6 are going to be sporty in this lightweight. Will start keeping an eye out for 3/4 ounce loads of it to compare.

    - Extractors were the correct choice over ejectors. In addition to hull management and saved money for ammo, it will be handy for breaking the gun open when crossing obstacles. Don't know how that didn't cross my mind before purchase or any point before I broke it in half to hopscotch across an icy brook on the way to the logyard.

    - It's officially time to save up for a Mec. Or two since wife wants to spend more time with her 410, God help me. Every person in the house is officially running a different gauge. Only one of them has promo loads available. It's mostly my fault.

    - Turkey season is getting closer and I need to remember a tighter choke for older child's Mossy 510.

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