Is it just me, or are 28 gauge shotguns becoming more popular?
RoaminWade
RoaminWade,
Yes the boomers are purchasing more 28 gauge guns, because the boomers are aging and want lighter guns to hunt with, especially Grouse & Woodcock hunt. I own 4 SXS 28 gauge guns and one O/U. I am probably the exception to the rule however, I still Grouse & Woodcock hunt and I am in my mid 70's right now. I purchased all but one these 28 gauge guns in the last 5 years.
all the best,
Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith Man
Yes the boomers are purchasing more 28 gauge guns, because the boomers are aging and want lighter guns to hunt with, especially Grouse & Woodcock hunt. I own 4 SXS 28 gauge guns and one O/U. I am probably the exception to the rule however, I still Grouse & Woodcock hunt and I am in my mid 70's right now. I purchased all but one these 28 gauge guns in the last 5 years.
all the best,
Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith Man
The 20 gauge used to be my favorite. Nowadays, it’s the 28. I’ve bagged a whole bunch of wild quail with it and have scored more 100’s at skeet with it than any other.
It is helpful to know that the 3/4 ounce 28 gauge load is better than the 7/8 ounce 20 gauge load, in guns ranging from 5 3/4# to 6 1/4#.
It is good to know that 28 gauge guns exist under 5 3/4# for those who carry a gun much more than they shoot a gun.
It is aspirational to know that 28 gauge shooters are often finer and wiser shooters than many of those shooting other gauges.....gives one a target for which to shoot.👍
It is good to know that 28 gauge guns exist under 5 3/4# for those who carry a gun much more than they shoot a gun.
It is aspirational to know that 28 gauge shooters are often finer and wiser shooters than many of those shooting other gauges.....gives one a target for which to shoot.👍
Boomer here... Bought a 686 SP1 baby frame 28GA for doves last year. I'm careful with my shots and couldn't care less about limits. I like the light gun and the minimal recoil.
Just you.
“We typically sell 80 percent 12-gauge, 15 percent 20-gauge, and the other 5 percent makes up all the rest,” says Dan Compton, product line manager for Federal Premium. “The 16-gauge ammo has seen a steady increase in demand over the last eight years. This is mainly due to increased offerings from gun companies in lightweight upland guns. Prior to that, the 28-gauge saw a surge in popularity.”
“We typically sell 80 percent 12-gauge, 15 percent 20-gauge, and the other 5 percent makes up all the rest,” says Dan Compton, product line manager for Federal Premium. “The 16-gauge ammo has seen a steady increase in demand over the last eight years. This is mainly due to increased offerings from gun companies in lightweight upland guns. Prior to that, the 28-gauge saw a surge in popularity.”
Everything everyone said in this thread is true. But there is one more thing. The cool factor.
Many of us grew up without a lot of money. We shot what was cheap. But we read Gene Hill, the Upland Shooters Bible and The Upland Shooters life and many more.
And now we have a little disposable income and not much time left. And many of us don’t live where there is an abundance of wild birds. And a 28 can easily kill any pen raised birds.
So we shoot cool guns in cool gauges.
Life, boomers lives, are too short to shoot ugly guns.
Many of us grew up without a lot of money. We shot what was cheap. But we read Gene Hill, the Upland Shooters Bible and The Upland Shooters life and many more.
And now we have a little disposable income and not much time left. And many of us don’t live where there is an abundance of wild birds. And a 28 can easily kill any pen raised birds.
So we shoot cool guns in cool gauges.
Life, boomers lives, are too short to shoot ugly guns.
No, 28 gauge guns are not the new rage. They have been popular for more than a century. I shot a .410 bolt action in the sixties. It was a shotgun by all metrics then and not a novelty. The same holds true today, shooters and buyers have choices. Shotguns are not like wives, you can have more than one.
I went goose hunting with a friend who had a borrowed 10 gauge single shot. I could not stop laughing, that thing was so big! The shells looked like sticks of dynamite. It all hinges on our perception of what is the proper proportion for the task at hand. Little birds, little guns. Big birds, bigger guns. Your choice on what constitutes little and big. So many choices, so little time.
I went goose hunting with a friend who had a borrowed 10 gauge single shot. I could not stop laughing, that thing was so big! The shells looked like sticks of dynamite. It all hinges on our perception of what is the proper proportion for the task at hand. Little birds, little guns. Big birds, bigger guns. Your choice on what constitutes little and big. So many choices, so little time.
I have enough shotguns that if I had to move them all it would take two trips with my pickup to get it done. In that pile of guns is one 28 gauge.
This 28 gets shot once a year in Georgia over pinewood quail, one of those old Southern hunts with a necktie, wagons and four course dinner in the field...a tradition.
The current fad aspect is cute but its just that...a fad. Theres nothing magical about the 28 its just another reason to buy another gun...which is as good a reason as any.
This 28 gets shot once a year in Georgia over pinewood quail, one of those old Southern hunts with a necktie, wagons and four course dinner in the field...a tradition.
The current fad aspect is cute but its just that...a fad. Theres nothing magical about the 28 its just another reason to buy another gun...which is as good a reason as any.
I’ve said many times. If someone made a retro 410 bolt action us boomers would snap them up. Better hurry we ain’t getting any younger. lol.
“The current fad aspect is cute but its just that...a fad”.
I thought me widow maker was going to fail me when I read this.
Might have to pull the trigger on the 28 gauge I’ve been lusting over.
Yea you thought I was going to give up which one I was looking at. Hardly you bunch of thieves and pirates. Lol.
Might need another case of 28’s just to be sure.
I thought me widow maker was going to fail me when I read this.
Might have to pull the trigger on the 28 gauge I’ve been lusting over.
Yea you thought I was going to give up which one I was looking at. Hardly you bunch of thieves and pirates. Lol.
Might need another case of 28’s just to be sure.
I’m a boomer and proud of that fact. I’ve shot 28 gauges for close to 40 years. Currently in 28 ga, I have a Rem 1100, and a Beretta SPV. Both are dove killing machines. Also, I have three brothers and a son that shoot 28ga, again at doves.
And I load 100% of the shell I shoot in these guns.
And I load 100% of the shell I shoot in these guns.
I turned 60 last year and had just spent 3 months helping care for my 94yo Mom who was in great health until she fell at home. The last 3 months were tough but I did get to spend a lot of quality time with her. One Sunday after a hard day and she drifted off to sleep, I started searching the web for a Browning 28g CXS. I had always wanted a 28g and this experience told me that time slips by too quickly to not shoot something I want. I ordered one. It was a therapeutic, I need this purchase. Best decision ever! Now when I shoot it, I think of my Mom and consider it a gift from her.
I bought an Ithaca Model 37 28 gauge because I'm an Ithaca fan. Never thought I'd actually use it much. Turns out it's a pheasant Terminator. I'm amazed how accurate I am with the gun - and how deadly it is. I shoot Fiocci Golden Pheasant #5.
I think it’s a culture/ego thing. It reminds me of the late ‘70s when there was a surge in ultra-light fishing. Talk of super sensitivity touch and delicate presentations, yadda, yadda, yadda. But, guys who wanted to crow about their skill with “ultra-light” gear were spooling up with 10 – 12 lb line on the little reels, not the 4 lb line they were designed for. We kind of see the same thing with the current 28 ga crowd: 3 “ chambers, TSS, etc.
My fascination with the 28 ga was born of an afternoon of watching the American Sportsman with my Grandfather, where I first learned of the little gun. It was later reinforced by the writings of folks like Gene Hill who lauded the little 28 gauge as a light, nimble gun for such endeavors as dove shooting and woodcock hunting.
In my mind, a 28 ga should be a trim SxS or O/U with 26” or 28” barrels choked IC/M and weigh less than 6 lbs. I’ve shot a lot of doves, a few quail and several woodcock with 3/4 oz of #8s, and quite a few pheasants with 3/4 oz or 7/8 oz of #6s over a good pointing dog where shots are about 15 - 20 yds. I’ve even shot a few wood ducks with 7/8 oz of #7.5s along a little creek where shots were inside 25 yards in the days before non-tox requirements. But, I never felt compelled to try to pack something out of the ordinary in the little gun and take it to the big water duck blind or goose pit.
60 years after becoming fascinated by the little 28 ga I’m still fascinated with it and just enjoy the little gun for what it is with no interest in trying to make it something it’s not.
My fascination with the 28 ga was born of an afternoon of watching the American Sportsman with my Grandfather, where I first learned of the little gun. It was later reinforced by the writings of folks like Gene Hill who lauded the little 28 gauge as a light, nimble gun for such endeavors as dove shooting and woodcock hunting.
In my mind, a 28 ga should be a trim SxS or O/U with 26” or 28” barrels choked IC/M and weigh less than 6 lbs. I’ve shot a lot of doves, a few quail and several woodcock with 3/4 oz of #8s, and quite a few pheasants with 3/4 oz or 7/8 oz of #6s over a good pointing dog where shots are about 15 - 20 yds. I’ve even shot a few wood ducks with 7/8 oz of #7.5s along a little creek where shots were inside 25 yards in the days before non-tox requirements. But, I never felt compelled to try to pack something out of the ordinary in the little gun and take it to the big water duck blind or goose pit.
60 years after becoming fascinated by the little 28 ga I’m still fascinated with it and just enjoy the little gun for what it is with no interest in trying to make it something it’s not.
It's a gun. It has it's place, just like any other.
Is it better suited to some activities, more so than others? Sure it is. Then again how many of us would use a 12ga. 3", 1-1/2oz, #4, for woodcock, doves, quail, wood ducks, etc.
3/4oz to 1oz loads can cover quite a bit shooting interests. They just won't cover them all.
I'm still trying to understand the angst over a 1oz load in 28ga shell?? Why do I need a 20ga to shoot 1oz loads?? If it works, and you like it, use it. We don't seem to flip the equation and ask why folks that are loading 12ga. shells with 1oz.loads, and not buying a 20 gauge, or a 16ga.?
Why do I use a 28? If I can hit the clays with a 3/4oz 28ga. I can "really hit them" with 3/8oz more shot out of a 12ga. 1-1/8oz load. It's just a mental thing.
Is it better suited to some activities, more so than others? Sure it is. Then again how many of us would use a 12ga. 3", 1-1/2oz, #4, for woodcock, doves, quail, wood ducks, etc.
3/4oz to 1oz loads can cover quite a bit shooting interests. They just won't cover them all.
I'm still trying to understand the angst over a 1oz load in 28ga shell?? Why do I need a 20ga to shoot 1oz loads?? If it works, and you like it, use it. We don't seem to flip the equation and ask why folks that are loading 12ga. shells with 1oz.loads, and not buying a 20 gauge, or a 16ga.?
Why do I use a 28? If I can hit the clays with a 3/4oz 28ga. I can "really hit them" with 3/8oz more shot out of a 12ga. 1-1/8oz load. It's just a mental thing.
Gentlemen,
The 28 gauge gun has it's uses, especially in the Grouse & Woodcock woods, no body is forcing anybody to purchase and use one however. Purchase and use what ever gun makes you happy, become a member of the NRA and promote gun owner ship of all different kinds of guns.
all the best,
Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith Man
The 28 gauge gun has it's uses, especially in the Grouse & Woodcock woods, no body is forcing anybody to purchase and use one however. Purchase and use what ever gun makes you happy, become a member of the NRA and promote gun owner ship of all different kinds of guns.
all the best,
Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith Man
Are they becoming more popular? It seems so but it appears that all subguages are becoming more popular. I purchased my first 28 ga about 25 years ago for skeet. I enjoyed using my 20 ga so I figured why not go down a ga and very seldom use a 12 for skeet to this day. I do only shoot skeet for fun and club competitions. I also use the ga for Grouse in northern Wisconsin. I just purchased an older Winchester 101 28 ga with 26" barrels last winter and had it bored out to sk/sk. It has become one of my favorite shooters. I do not think it is an ego thing or a fad. I do not see the sportman's purchasing these selling them off any time soon. As Dave said we are getting older and looking for something lighter. A lot of us have hunted all our life, are fairly decent shots and are confident with hunting and shooting with a smaller ga scattergun. As I said I do not see the sportman's that are purchasing them selling off any time soon but their children might be a different story.
Good hunting to all.
Good hunting to all.
I started hunting with a 12 gauge, then trap shooting using a 12 gauge.
years of carrying that heavy 12 gauge SxS for upland game convinced me to go to a lighter gun, picked up a 20 gauge. used the 20 for a good number of years.
then a shooting & hunting buddy that was surprised by some of the shots I made on Pheasants said I should try a 28 gauge. In 1993 I came across a 20/28 combo and have used the 28 exclusively for upland birds and sometimes for skeet & sporting clays. it is so much fun I cannot imagine not using a 28.
if you dont have 1 , you dont know what you are missing
years of carrying that heavy 12 gauge SxS for upland game convinced me to go to a lighter gun, picked up a 20 gauge. used the 20 for a good number of years.
then a shooting & hunting buddy that was surprised by some of the shots I made on Pheasants said I should try a 28 gauge. In 1993 I came across a 20/28 combo and have used the 28 exclusively for upland birds and sometimes for skeet & sporting clays. it is so much fun I cannot imagine not using a 28.
if you dont have 1 , you dont know what you are missing
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