Many years ago, before the no lead rule I shot , low, slow and big geese with a .410 and 3/4 oz #6's and did well with it, I now have 3" 20 ga and find it is good for everything I need, but I did shoot a Remington self loader in 28 a number of years ago, was not impressed, it was heavier then my sxs .410 and 20ga and did not impress me with any really good patterns, also awkward to handle, may have been too long for my short arms, really do not see why use 28 , .410 is more of a challenge, 20ga is much more flexible, 7/8 oz to 1 1/4oz loads over the counter and very nice guns, many on actual 20ga size actions.
Don

I have a 28ga.Ruger Red Label that I think a lot of, they come with 5 screw in chokes,handle well and are an excellent shotgun for the money. I bought a NIB 50th anniversary model(gold inlays) for $1,195.
Stepchild

P.S. All O/U's are not created equal, had a .410 Citori a while back(bought new) that shot around 8" high and the same to the right and they told me that it was within Browning specs and refused to correct the problem.

Thanks for your replys. I shoot 2 Citori's at this time 12 and 20 just field use. I think both are fine guns but I must say the 28 ga. Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon S looks good to me for doves. I have shot a friends and enjoyed it. Do any of you reload thisgauge? I reload everthing else I was planning on reloading this one also. Thanks again.

I have a Browning and Beretta 28 ga and like them both . I have shot a friends Ruger a lot but prefer the others.I saw a Caesar Guerini recently I liked a lot. The Browning would be my choice as a skeet gun, the Beretta as a field gun.
The LLBean guns are made by Rizzini and labeled SIG.

I have a 28 Ga O/U franci veloci and it actually weighs 5.5 pounds. I bought the extra full choke for it so I have all the chokes and it's one helluva sweet hunting gun.

The 28 Ga is a far better hunting machine than the .410 and I have that as well.....but the 28 is a fantastic upland ga and in a light O/U it's a dream.

I have a 28 gauge in a Verona (Rizzini) in a combo gun. It has a set of 28 and 20 gauge barrels. It is on a 20 gauge action of course so part of the advantage of the 28 gauge frame is lost. Verona does make on one that frame and it is under 6 pounds. I just like the 28 gauge for quail and chukar hunting as well as skeet. There is a mild recoil difference but still noticeable on a skeet field.

I do agree that the 20 gauge is more versatile but then the 12 is probably more versatile than the 20. For smaller game I like to use the smaller bores. There will be a s/s 28 gauge in my future.

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I must say the 28 ga. Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon S looks good to me for doves. I have shot a friends and enjoyed it. Do any of you reload thisgauge?

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Yes. I shoot skeet, in 12, 20, 28, and .410, and I reload for all of them. I think the 28 ga. is my favorite for skeet. I reload 28 ga. with 3/4 oz of #9 shot for 1200 f.p.s., using Hodgdon Universal Clays or Alliant Unique powder, in Winchester or Remington hulls. I also sometimes use Federal hulls, but those are not as good for reloading in my opinion. 28 ga. hulls are the most difficult to obtain without buying them, as they are the least used on the skeet range, and the ones that shooters are most likely to pick up.

I use a Browning Citori 4-barrel set, so the smaller gauges use the same frame as the 12 gauge. This would be too heavy for carrying a lot in field hunting, but it is useful to have a heavier gun for target shooting, where you shoot a large number of shots in a short time. The heavier gun lessens the recoil, so you do not tire as quickly from all the shooting.

LE270, what kind of 28 gauge reloader do you use? I am getting back into skeet shooting, and the gun I usually take is a Beretta 686 field gun. And yes, those factory skeet loads in 28 gauge are around $7 a box in my area. I've been saving AA hulls for quite some time but have yet to purchase a press, hence the question...

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Originally posted by johnnyreb:
LE270, what kind of 28 gauge reloader do you use? I am getting back into skeet shooting, and the gun I usually take is a Beretta 686 field gun. And yes, those factory skeet loads in 28 gauge are around $7 a box in my area. I've been saving AA hulls for quite some time but have yet to purchase a press, hence the question...

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I have a MEC Versamec -- it's an older non-progressive press -- for which I have the loading die sets for all 4 gauges (12, 20, 28, .410). I would not recommend such a single-stage press if you want to load a lot of shells, say ten or more boxes a week, unless you have a lot of time on your hands. For larger quantities I would recommend a progressive press. But I do recommend MEC shotshell loading equipment, especially if cost is a factor for you -- I think MEC shotshell loading equipment gives the best performance/price ratio. Moreover, MEC equipment seems to be the most widely available and the least fussy or idiosyncratic to use, and the MEC people are helpful if you call them on the phone.

If price is an issue for you, it is frequently possible to buy used MEC equipment at attractive prices.

Johnnyreb,
I am loading a 28 on a Ponsness Warren 800B that I bought on Ebay. Once dialed in, it is making nice reloads but getting it tuned was a pita. Ebay has some good buys on MEC reloaders also.

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I have a MEC Versamec -- it's an older non-progressive press -- for which I have the loading die sets for all 4 gauges (12, 20, 28, .410). I would not recommend such a single-stage press if you want to load a lot of shells, say ten or more boxes a week, unless you have a lot of time on your hands. For larger quantities I would recommend a progressive press.

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I should add that I think single-stage shotshell loaders are a good way to begin shotshell loading because setting up a progressive loader so that it works properly can be a real pain, especially if you are not familiar with shotshell loading. Using a single-stage press means that you are far less likely to get messed up, spill powder and shot all over the floor, and so on. If you make a mistake, it's only one shell and one stage, so you can easily recover and get things going properly again. Once you understand the process of shotshell loading, then you can more easily move up to a progressive press.