28 gauge ammo

Plannerman

Plannerman

Active member
Anyone shooting a 28 gauge for pheasant, sharpies or huns??? Hunting over a young pointer and looking for any suggestions on ammo. Thinking Fiocchi GP #5's.
 
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I have a 28 that I used all last season on pheasant, sharpies and Huns. I used fiocchi gp 6’s in lead. And I used Kent upland 6’s in bismuth. No complaints on bird killing with either. I also picked up some Boss bismuth in 5’s but haven’t really had the chance to compare them to the others. I hunt over a GSP. It was my first year with the 28 and I’m extremely happy with it. I shot a modified or improved mod choke all season. If you have the fiocchi in 5’s they should work well. Good luck!
 
Chessie 67 said:
I shoot B&P Extra Rossa 1 1/16 loaded with # 6. If you hit them good inside 35 yards they will die; be careful of of the straight away shots…
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Wow, I had no idea they could cram that much medium-size shot in a 2-3/4" shell & make a legit pheasant load out of it. That's pretty impressive. I see they also make 'em in #5, which would be my personal preference. Would help quite a bit with the straight-aways. Cool.
 
For sharpies and huns, yes. 7.5 shot, 3/4 oz, or 15/16 oz…I’m not a ballistics guy, but I read a lot, there are those who say patterns may get compromised when stuffing too much shot in a shell.. I’m told 3/4 oz is optimal for the 28 gauge. Just passing on what I’ve read and heard.
 
I hate losing birds, and I’m not likely to pass on shots, so I’m usually shooting a 12 gauge, 1.25 oz of lead #5’s at 1200 fps…nothing extreme, but lethal. I will carry a 16 double on occasion as well, which is fine for me. And a 20 on the odd occasion as well with an oz of #5 lead. My Parker Repro 28 gauge is tightly choked, maybe I’ll take it for a walk early season for pheasants…and will try to be selective…
 
Chessie 67 said:
I shoot B&P Extra Rossa 1 1/16 loaded with # 6. If you hit them good inside 35 yards they will die; be careful of of the straight away shots…
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1 1/16oz. in a 28 sounds like a recipe for disaster. Hell, a 1oz. load in a 28ga I've never heard anything good about. Tall shot columns in a narrow bore are a recipe for deformed pellets and shot stringing. Increased breech pressure, more shot in contact with the walls of the bore, and a few other factors I'm forgetting make for a terrible down range load, but a good spreader load at VERY short range. On a true crossing bird you are looking at very poor pattern density. I wish I was a better shot, and could Annie Oakley Wild roosters with a .410. I'm not that good, but love pheasant hunting. I shoot at them with a 12 and do my homework on load and choke. A 16 gauge I can make sense of, but shooting a 20/28/410. on wild roosters you are leaving something on the table. Those who are excellent shots with experience can do this, those who are not leads to higher chances at cripples and runners.
 
I have used the 28ga B&P 1 1/16 oz but felt it was "blowing" the pattern. I didn't bother to pattern the shell as I had 1oz Rio #6 and Fiocchi GP 7/8oz #5 available, both of which are good loads and kill pheasants if you hit them well. This year I started reloading 1oz 28ga with #5 and #6 nickel plated shot. I've had excellent results so far. Surely you are reducing the number of pellets on-target and at farther distances, the 28ga is going to get thin, but if you shoot it well, it will kill birds. I enjoy hunting and won't take very long shots. This year is going to be an entirely "28ga" hunting year for me. I just enjoy the gauge, the guns I have and shoot them relatively well. The dog will let me know if that arrangement is satisfactory!!
 
Powderhorn Jim said:
I have used the 28ga B&P 1 1/16 oz but felt it was "blowing" the pattern. I didn't bother to pattern the shell as I had 1oz Rio #6 and Fiocchi GP 7/8oz #5 available, both of which are good loads and kill pheasants if you hit them well. This year I started reloading 1oz 28ga with #5 and #6 nickel plated shot. I've had excellent results so far. Surely you are reducing the number of pellets on-target and at farther distances, the 28ga is going to get thin, but if you shoot it well, it will kill birds. I enjoy hunting and won't take very long shots. This year is going to be an entirely "28ga" hunting year for me. I just enjoy the gauge, the guns I have and shoot them relatively well. The dog will let me know if that arrangement is satisfactory!!
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Been hunting with the 20 gun for several years and shoot it well. Doing more sharptail and hun hunting over a pointing dog these days and thought the 28 would be a good challenge. Agree with the "like hunting" comment and also won't take questionable shots. Too much fun on the hunt to hammer every bird you see. Copper plated works like a charm in the 20, will follow suit with the 28.
 
"Winchester re-introduced this bit of nonsense a few years ago as its so-called Magnum one-ounce 28-gauge. I saw no sense in it at the time and see even less now that I've shot a couple cases of them. Overload a 28-bore and the same thing happens as when you overload any gauge-more recoil, more shot-stringing, less efficiency. Anything beyone a 3/4-ounce charge is, in a word, worthless."

~Mike McIntosh Shotguns and Shooting III, pg. 48
 
I've read all the info on shot strings, blow outs and such, but the proof is in the pudding. My 28 kills more, farther and cleaner with the above-mentioned shells. I used to do a lot of patterning. Whichever one patterns the tightest gets the nod.
 
Bob Peters said:
"Winchester re-introduced this bit of nonsense a few years ago as its so-called Magnum one-ounce 28-gauge. I saw no sense in it at the time and see even less now that I've shot a couple cases of them. Overload a 28-bore and the same thing happens as when you overload any gauge-more recoil, more shot-stringing, less efficiency. Anything beyone a 3/4-ounce charge is, in a word, worthless."

~Mike McIntosh Shotguns and Shooting III, pg. 48
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Hard to argue w/ Mike McIntosh. Like many "truisms", though, I'd treat his statement more as a rule of thumb than gospel. I'd amend it slightly. Most loads that can fit in a shotgun shell hull can be made to perform acceptably, if not well, with the right gun/choke combination & the right tweaking of the velocity & internal components. One of my all-time favorite shells is in 16 gauge by Federal. 1-1/4 oz of buffered, copper plated 4's doing 1,260. It's essentially a "standard" 12 gauge pheasant load in a cute, little, purple hull. Most would consider it "overloaded", & in fact, I believe they used to say "Magnum" on the box. But they perform well in all of my 16s, from old, full-choke Model 12, to old-style Sweet 16, to new-style Sweet 16.
 
A5 Sweet 16 said:
Hard to argue w/ Mike McIntosh. Like many "truisms", though, I'd treat his statement more as a rule of thumb than gospel. I'd amend it slightly. Most loads that can fit in a shotgun shell hull can be made to perform acceptably, if not well, with the right gun/choke combination & the right tweaking of the velocity & internal components. One of my all-time favorite shells is in 16 gauge by Federal. 1-1/4 oz of buffered, copper plated 4's doing 1,260. It's essentially a "standard" 12 gauge pheasant load in a cute, little, purple hull. Most would consider it "overloaded", & in fact, I believe they used to say "Magnum" on the box. But they perform well in all of my 16s, from old, full-choke Model 12, to old-style Sweet 16, to new-style Sweet 16
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Absolutely. Another oddity (at least in my guns) is 1 1/4 in a 3" 20 slightly out patterns 1 1/4 in my 16s. If to much shot in a full choke causes problems then why is that? Only reason I don't hunt phez with 3'' 20 is it's a lot of shock to a light 20. plus they hurt!!
 
I’ve used my 28 gauge the last 6-7 years and love it. Here we are limited to nontoxic shot, so I’ve been using #5 or #6 steel, whatever I can find. My lab points so my shots are within about 25 yards and they’re on planted birds. I’ve had no issues with the steel shot. That being said, I did start reloading so I’ll be using #6 bismuth next season. 😃
 

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A5 Sweet 16 said:
One of my all-time favorite shells is in 16 gauge by Federal. 1-1/4 oz of buffered, copper plated 4's doing 1,260. It's essentially a "standard" 12 gauge pheasant load in a cute, little, purple hull. Most would consider it "overloaded", & in fact, I believe they used to say "Magnum" on the box.
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Do they still make this shell? On a different thread on a different site a few old hunters were saying that there aren't any good factory loads for a 16 when it comes to wild pheaseants.
 
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