saw these on the internet, and was thinking of having the local gun store order one up for me. any experience with these? looks nice (wood and all) will primarily use it for rabbit hunting, and the occasional shooting of clays. thought of getting a 410 for rabbits, but being i've never shot a 28 ga, and would liek a really nice, "odd" gauge gun to use. any input would be appreciated thanks

I'm not a particular fan of the 1100, but if you like that particular shotgun, there's certainly nothing wrong with the gauge. The 28 is a wonderful little gun that throws all the shot you need for upland birds and small game. You'll love the negligible recoil and the lack of muzzle blast. Don't bother with the "heavy" 7/8 and 1 oz loads. Stick with the 3/4 oz for everything and enjoy.

I've got one coming and am already in love with it. I've also got .410 on the way.. Just trying to complete my 1100 collection.

Hello,
The 28 is a great little gun. I think there is some auto's that are scaled down to fit. I have a 870 that I use on stocked pheasants. Works more like a 20. The .410 was stripping feathers off.
John

byf42:

I know the 1100 well but have only seen the 28 ga. in use by a lady who co owned a Canadian hunting lodge. She used it on ruffed grouse very effectively.

The Rem.1100 itself only has one flaw for me. There is a gas ring that is part of the assembly -and if you should happen to be doing this in bad light and drop that ring, you can spend a few minutes on your hands and knees cursing Remington engineers!. Otherwise I think it's a great auto. BTW, I can't quite fully agree with Stonecreek that a 28 "throws all the shot you need for upland birds.." If it's a pheasant, you had better be close in and right on with a 28 ga. It's all a matter of opinion, of course. Just my thoughts.

quote:

Originally posted by gerry375:
byf42:

BTW, I can't quite fully agree with Stonecreek that a 28 "throws all the shot you need for upland birds.." If it's a pheasant, you had better be close in and right on with a 28 ga. It's all a matter of opinion, of course. Just my thoughts.

My experience with pheasants is that if you want them to die in the air and stay glued to the spot that they fell, you had best use rifled slugs , which make the 28 as good as a 10 gauge! Serously, pheasants are tough and I'd rather have a 12 when hunting them, but I wouldn't turn down a trip to the field with a 28 loaded with 4's, 5's, or 6's; and I'd skip the Hail Mary shots, also.

Technically, I guess turkeys are upland birds also, but so long as you're talking about dove, quail, grouse, and partridges, I'm about as confident in bringing home a limit with a 28 as I am any larger gauge.

Stonecreek:

I enjoyed reading your post. (Yeah, I agree about pheasants. Either they fold and drop like a stone or I think a 20mm cannon would be best!)

You did mention about skipping the Hail Mary shots! With that reservation and, of course, not counting turkeys ( I completely forgot about them) I can agree about using a 28. I saw a lady using one on ruffed grouse. She knew how to shoot and if she could get a ruff in clear air (no leaves) she killed them dead. It always impressed me because I used a 12 -and often missed in "clear air". Glad to know that this "damyankee" and a Texan can agree on a few things! Regards from a New Yorker who wishes he lived west of the Mississippi!

In my "old age" I've gotten to the point that I just about refuse to hunt with anything other than a 28 gauge. I did use a 20 O/U for ruffed grouse a few years ago on a trip to Minnesota, but that was only because a 28 was unavailable. And if I ever got around to going for pheasants (unfortunately, the season competes with deer), I'd probably drag my old, dust-covered Auto-5 12 gauge out of the safe. I prefer shooting turkeys with a small rifle loaded with FMJs, so that just leaves dove and quail in my neck of the woods (or lack of woods, that is ). I spend the most time on doves (again, quail season competes with deer), and I just love to knock the little gray buggers out of the air with my 28 while my buddies complain that the 1 1/4 oz high brass loads they're shooting in their 12's just aren't stout enough to catch up with high flying doves

One excellent chore for the larger gauges that I don't use my 28 for: I live in the country in a house surrounded by big live oaks. They're a bitch to trim the dead limbs, so once or twice a year, I'll pull out a 12 gauge with # 4's and "clean up" the dead branches (it's best to wait until the wife's gone to the hairdresser or grocery store to perform this task). The resulting ground litter is pretty messy, but it makes excellent kindling for the fireplace , and the whole process is much more satisfying that climbing around on a ladder with a saw like some kind of grossly aged, overweight, and clumsy chimpanzee.

Stonecreek:

How I envy you where you live! ( I never thought about how good the 12 was instead of a chain saw!)

nice! using the 12 gauge instead of a chainsaw... has to be more enviromentally friendly! thanks for the input on the 28 gauge.. mostly will use it for rabbits, saw a couple on line and at the gun store, and it sure does look nice, plus, i collect cartridges that i've shot (exception being a 8 gauge i'm trying to coerce iconoclast into selling me!) and the 28 will do perfectly in there as well. thansk again everyone, looks like i have an excuse to buy another shotgun!!!