Ok, here goes again,

Both gun CAN be used for up to pheasant sized birds. I've also seen quite a few does taken with 410 slugs.

The 28 gauge can be almost as effective as a 20 gauge with good 3/4 oz loads. The bigger the bird the bigger the shot used and eventually depleted thin patterns is what you can expect. But I can think of no better gun to be used if you're a skilled shooter and are going after dove, quail, grouse and other birds over pointers.

The 410 as a game getter is fine, just remember these shells are not made for #6 shot and up. So if you want to bust pheasant with a 410 you'll need 1400FPS #7.5 size of the hardest shot you can get your hands on. Even with all of this you'll still need to shoot within 25 yards or risk crippling the bird.

 

Many people think of the .410 as a beginners gun, but in reality it should be considered as a gun for only the very experienced good shooter. The .410 may be OK for shooting stationary game such as squirrels or sitting rabbits, but it is not a gun for the wingshooter unless you can break at least 23 of 25 consistently on the skeet field. Even then, you must observe the limitations of the gun.

A far better choice for the young or smaller statured hunter (male or female) is a 28 gauge.

 

Good posts and obviously better advice than I can give. I've yet to shoot the 28 gauge, but love what I hear about it and its potential. However, I can tell you from boyhood experience (my first ever shotgun was a Winchester singleshot in .410) that starting a wingshooting with a .410 is a tremendous handicap.

I'd also forego 28 gauge as a beginning gun and go straight to a twenty gagger for the novice.

But for an experienced shooter, according to one game warden I once met the 28 gauge with proper loads is a balanced and incredible "killing machine."

If you reload your ammo or have access to home-brewed loads, acquire some #7 size shot, preferably copper or nickel plated when chasing birds like pheasants. Personally I believe 7 1/2's are to small for a 2 1/2 or 3 pound rooster, but a #7 will be bigger than a #7 1/2 shot and give denser patterns than with #6's. This would give you three choices to better fine-tune your shooting capabilites. This might seem like splitting hairs to some, but confidence in shooting and your equipment can make all the difference! And even prove the pundits wrong! Paper and armchair "ballistics" and performance be damned. The proof is indeed what works in the field and the number of pellets that actually hit the bird has shown me thats the one critical factor that means the difference between a killed bird or missed/cripple.

Try searching the website for Ballistic Products for reloading supplies for 28 gauge hulls, wads, and either lead, copper-plated, or nickel-plated shot.

I'd leave the .410 for the skeet range and squirrels in treetops, and acquire some #7's and #6's in nickel-plated shot for pheasants and grouse. Use Magnum (not chilled) shot in #7 1/2's and 8's for doves, quail, and skeet. FWIW.

Good luck.

 

The biggest cons to either of the two is finding inexpensive shells for them. As mentioned reloading is a great option, but the cost is high if you only plan on just hunting, it saves in the long run if you are going to use them for target shooting.

I've shot a couple of double guns in 28ga and they are a real pleasure to shoot, virtually no recoil to speak of and there is plenty of pellets to break a skeet target or a dove.

 

I ocassionally hunt with both guns, and would definitely suggest you choose the 28. I consider the 28 the ultimate dove and quail gun since in my experience it patterns better than the 20, and is much more comfortable to shoot.

The .410 is a poor choice for hunting once you get beyond 20 yards or so. If you believe the writings of Bob Brister this is largely due to the fact that the deep shot column and small bore diameter lead to excessive shot deformation and stringing. The patterns are great for brush country quail, but beyond you have so many deformed pellets flying out of the spread that it loses it effectiveness as a hunting gun. I mainly shoot one sparingly, and at very close dove.

 

well ty, ok the 28 or 20 sound better to you guys. but no definative preferance. how much does a 20 gauge kick? i like the looks of the over and under guns and sxs, but still would like recomendations on a light shotgun, quality not showy :lol: . i live in the south and the game here is smaller i am told. Deer, lots of quail, dove, duck, turkey, rabbits and squirrel. my father used a sxs 12 ga for all his hunting, never owned a rifle that i know of just the 12 gauge sxs and a .22 pistol. i am a petite person and prob wont ever hunt deer or turkey (but may take a shot if given the opertunity ) i would like to hunt small game for the pleasure and table. why do shot guns have more than one choke? what choke is best for my needs? what is the diff tween a 410 magnum and reg shell? the 20 ga. is magnun too, but not the 28 ga?, sorry for all the ?'s guys but please help :?

 

If you're a novice and just getting started, go with a light wieght 20, ammo will be muuuuuuuuuuuuch cheaper! And you'll have a much better selection, especially if you might want to bust a deer or gobbler occassionally. FWIW, no buckshot or slug loads are offered for a 28 gauge.

The big and only real practical reason there are "magnums" in the shotgun world is to put more pellets into the pattern and down range. This however can have a very negeative effect on pattern performance and consistency. Each gauge is optimal with a certain amount of shot and even shot size, but ignore size for a moment. If you consider the shape of a Coke can, its round and cylindrical in shape - the same way shot pellets are loaded in a shotshell. What most shooters don't understand is that the longer that shape gets, or the taller the shot "column" gets because more pellets are added to the "shot column" or "shot charge," the less balanced and more strung out a pattern is going to get. There's alot to grasp at ounce when learning about shotgun physics and dynamics, but less is usually more in shooting a well tuned shotgun, not MORE, MORE, MORE!

A twenty eight gauge does its best with a 3/4 to 7/8 ounce load of shot. The 20 gagger with 7/8 to 1 full ounce of shot, the 16 with 1 to 1 1/8 and the 12 with 1 to 1 1/4 ounces of shot. The smaller the gauge, the better it will pattern with smaller and smaller sizes of shot too. This is because the less amount of shot you have, the pellets need to be smaller for there to be many of them (if you're shooting an once of shot in a 16 gauge and have 300 pellets in that shot charge, for there to be 300 pellets in a .410 the pellets have to be considerable smaller). Conversely, the larger the gauge, the better the patterns will be with larger shot (bird shot is what I've been implying so far, but buck are buck shot when they reach a size larger then BB or BBB. The main thing to remember about pellet size is when it gets bigger and bigger, pellet count gets fewer and fewer. In my opinion, pellet count in a pattern and distribution are far more important overall, than individual pellet size or individual velocity as well.

I've never shot the 28 gauge, but I know is rapidly nearing the end of its relaible perfomance when pellets get larger than 5's for example, and if it was me, I'd try to limit what I'd shoot to 6's and smaller. If I needed something larger than 6's in a pattern, I'd get a bigger gauge or try "fudging" by shooting copper or nickel platted shot instead of just lead. Copper and nickel plated pellets pattern better and have truer "flight characteristics" than lead, and they often cut through feathers and penetrate the game better too.

But understanding and appreciating the finer qualities of the different types of shot is a who nuther can of worms too! Can be extremely important, but not necessary at the moment and more info than you want perhaps.

With what you might be shooting however, #7 1/2, #8, and #8 1/2 size shot might be better choices of shot size than 6's.

To get back to your question, a 28 gauge is a pleasant and sweet gauge to shoot, and it does its job remarkable well when used "properly." Same can be said for the 20 gauge, although the 20 is more versatile and can shoot 3 inch shells stuffed with 1 1/8 or 1 1/4 ounces of shot. Like I said earlier, less is usually more in shotshell perfornce, although the "magums have their uses. I believe most shooters "overuse" magnums however.

Also, almost every American shotshell and gauge out there uses 2 3/4 inch length shells as their standard length for field and target loads. The 28 Ga only comes in 2 3/4 inches as well as the 16. The .410 comes in a 2 1/2 inch length as well as a 3 inch length. With the use of non-lead in waterfowl hunting, the 3 1/2 inch 12 gauge was developed, although 3 inch shells have been available for quite some time in the 20 and 12 gauges.

Europeans shoot some odd gauges like the 14, 24 and 32, but they're rarely seen in the US.

If I was in your situation and really looking for a gun for a small-framed shooter or novice, I'd get a small-framed, light-weight 20 gauge with 3" chambers in an auto. I'd rarely use 3" shells however (that rare occassional gobbler comes to mind, or even #2B buckshot at a whitetail from a tree stand), but the option to use them is built into your choice of firearm.

For quail, doves, grouse and even released pheasants and chukar, your twenty with 7/8 or 1 ounce loads would serve you very well! If you ever got into reloading and were shooting a pumpgun or over/under, you could concoct 3/4 ounce loads (reduced 20 gauge loads) to shoot at skeet at normal ranges and if you decided this was necessary, to use on quail for instance - if they were flushing really close to your gun and 7/8 ounces seems a little heavy. BUT! Reduced loads might not function in a semi-auto gun. in an O/U this wouldn't be a factor and in a pumpgun you're the power behind its function.

As a beginning shooter, I'd recommend you get an automatic instead of an O/U, unless you're already well experienced. A gun like an auto will allow you to shoot slugs and buckshot at deer and might be a better choice for turkeys too.

Hope I haven't overwhelmed you with this post. Surely others will add their resposes too. I've already said too much although I've studied and participated in hunting, shooting, and reloading for over 30 years.