General 28 Gauge Question

[Tom Jay]

Looking to add another 28 gauge SxS and it seems available guns in the marketplace, more often than not, are choked Mod/Full. Is there something about the ballistics of the 28 gauge shell where Mod/Full chokes are the preferred choking for upland hunting over pointing dog? My current 28 gauge 2 barrel Repro set is 26" IC/Mod & 28" Mod/Full. Am I at at a disadvantage in using the 28" Mod/Full barrel over the shorter more open barrel?

[Bill Murphy]

If your pointing dog is a good pointing dog, the IC and MOD barrels are fine. If you have a mediocre pointing dog, and the birds are big ones, the MOD and FULL barrels are better. Just joking, of course. But remember, we are talking about 3/4 ounce loads.

[Kevin McCormack]

Without going into a chain of Aristotelean logic on the ballistic enigma of the 28 gauge, I would say that the answers to your 2 questions would be strongly dictated by the type of cover you will be hunting in. Almost 100% of my 28 gauge hunting anymore is for woodcock in VERY heavy cover; a short-barreled gun bored wide open (Q1/Q2) would be my choice, but I see nothing wrong with IC/M. Since you already have a good dog, gun handling technique comes into play very quickly and the shorter barrels are much handier. Conversely, in wide-open (treeless grasslands, etc.) spaces the MOD/FULL combo is hard to beat since flushed birds get away fast! One thing I can tell you for sure after shooting the 28 gauge on everything over the past 60+ years is that beyond normal regulation skeet station 4 distances, they LOVE choke and will do phenomenal things at long ranges with the right boring.

[Garry L Gordon]

If you have access to good spreader loads, get the M/F and you’ll have multiple chokes. FWIW, I’ve killed many grouse with a 28 choked Cyl/F.

[Dave Noreen]

During the first twenty plus years that Parker Bros. 28-gauge guns were offered, the payload of factory 28-gauge shells was 5/8-ounce of shot. Pushed by 1 3/4 drams of bulk smokeless powder or 14-grains of dense smokeless powder such as Infallible or Ballistite from a 2 1/2-inch case or pushed by 2 drams of bulk smokeless powder or 16-grains of dense smokeless powder such as Infallible or Ballistite from a 2 7/8-inch case

[Stan Hillis]

Looking to add another 28 gauge SxS and it seems available guns in the marketplace, more often than not, are choked Mod/Full. Is there something about the ballistics of the 28 gauge shell where Mod/Full chokes are the preferred choking for upland hunting over pointing dog?

No, there isn't.

My current 28 gauge 2 barrel Repro set is 26" IC/Mod & 28" Mod/Full. Am I at at a disadvantage in using the 28" Mod/Full barrel over the shorter more open barrel?

Cannot be answered without knowing your quarry and type of shooting. For doves, not necessarily. For woodcock, probably so. Two inches more barrel length is of vastly less importance than choke selection. My best woodcock day ever was using a 28 gauge, 30" barreled, FAIR Verona with open choke tubes in place, a SK and an IC, as I recall.

[Bruce Hering]

My experience has been with a Remington 1100 28 with 26" barrel and a non-descript sxs. The skeet choked 1100 took a bunch of woodcock and quail over broke (steady) bird dogs. I shot a lot of doves in good fields with this gun and choke but eventually got a full choke barrel and had it opened to .020 and was very satisfied with its performance with loads of #8's.

I prefer 28" barrels on sxs's and have never felt encumbered by them.

The sxs was choked at about .003 and .020 and it worked quite well on both quail and woodcock. That was with a 28" set of barrels.

JMHO....

[Bill Murphy]

You got scammed by your gunsmith. .020 is full choke in a 28. He probably never touched your 1100 barrel.

[Chris Pope]

Some great comments here in response to your questions. I would add not to forget how the shotgun fits. I spend most upland days in tight woodcock and grouse coverts. A 28 that fits well with my normal clothing layers on and takes birds consistently likely won't if I'm layered up to protect from the cold. So for me the fit out-prioritizes the choke.

[allen newell]

Tom has a great English setter and when we've hunted together with our 2 setters, the birds are very close.

[Bruce Hering]

You got scammed by your gunsmith. .020 is full choke in a 28. He probably never touched your 1100 barrel.

Oh well.... That was many years ago. Water under the bridge. I think I saw a listing of chokes by gauge and the .020 was listed as I mod for the 28. Likely mis read by me.....

[Arthur Shaffer]

I will just relate my experience with a 30" barrel RBL custom I had built. I had it choked Q1 and Q2, which equated to maybe .001 and about .004. I bought it for preserve hunting and it served well, although I finally settled on spreader loads for the first barrel and a normal load for the second (both Polywad) because it was hitting the first bird too hard. Both number 8 shot. I ordered the long barrels to control the swing. It worked perfectly for several years. My grown daughter decided to give it a try and it became "her" gun. She did well on the first covie shot but was slow on the second. I switched her to a spreader load on the first and one of the old "Gram Krack'r" loads on the second. This was a 5/8oz load of nickel plated 5's loaded with a full dose of filler. She killed the long shots dead as a hammer.

I later used it on doves in the fields shooting 1 oz of number 8 in the first barrel and the GramK'r load in the second. Their seemed to be no end to the killing range of the second barrel. It killed pheasants just as easily at 40-45 yds. I nevered patterend it but it seemed like those loads had about the same distance at whatever distance I shot.

I have noticed with hunting guns, if the gun will pattern properly I really like shooting 5 or 6 shot because they kill with less hits and are much easier to deal with for the table.

[Larry Stauch]

Looking to add another 28 gauge SxS and it seems available guns in the marketplace, more often than not, are choked Mod/Full. Is there something about the ballistics of the 28 gauge shell where Mod/Full chokes are the preferred choking for upland hunting over pointing dog? My current 28 gauge 2 barrel Repro set is 26" IC/Mod & 28" Mod/Full. Am I at at a disadvantage in using the 28" Mod/Full barrel over the shorter more open barrel?

You will have to answer your own question on your ability to put the shot pattern where the target is going. I doubt many adult men would notice the difference between a 26" and a 28" barrel length on a 28 gauge side x side. So, what you're talking about is pattern density and how you place it while intercepting the target. So on the skeet field or 5-stand or sporting range, do you break targets into big pieces or do you center the pattern on the target and smoke them? If you're a poor or sloppy shooter, you'll probably need a more open choke to catch the edges of the bigger pattern, which will probably result in wounded birds and cripples. Better shooting solves those issues. It's all about focus.
But, you could buy these new shells, at $10 a piece, and kill whatever's out there. And these are all about affordability.

[Bill Murphy]

Wow. 1 1/2 ounces in a 28 gauge. I would like to have one of those shells to take apart.

[Daryl Corona]

Whatever 28ga you get take it out and shoot the snot out of it. I've hunted with a 30" 28, both SxS and O/U for years and truly believe that the longer barrels are a huge benefit to me and I use them on just about any upland bird and waterfowl. I have found that the smallbores and light shot charges perform much better with tighter chokes. It took me many years to realize that choke is your friend.

[John Allen]

Always remember that all of these older guns were designed to shoot paper shells with fiber wads. They needed more choke to hold patterns at longer ranges. That is why there are more tight choked guns of all gauges out there. Modern ammo will usually give you one step in choke compared to the older paper ammo.

[bob lyons]

Tom
For hunting in close cover like most of New England I have always felt the 26” barrels are far superior to longer barrel shotguns. I have used 26, 28 and 30. If the cover is open like on the cape the 28” or 30” may be better. In maine and New Hampshire and north and western mass the 26 is the best.
As far as choke goes I suggest you take the guns and do some patterning with the different chokes at 20, 30 and 40 yards. Then try 9, 8, 7-1/2 and 6s. I think you will be surprised with the outcome. I did this and the difference is minor, except for a cyl compared to full at 30 or 40 yards.
I generally feel that when birds are close almost any choke will work. For that second shot the mod and full are much better.
I also had ordered a 28 gauge gun and had it made with tighter chokes ic and full. The reason was if I was fortunate enough to hit the bird I wanted dead not having to chase it around and maybe losing it.
The gun fit on upland shotguns is paramount.
Bob

[Mike Koneski]

Choke is irrelevant. Don’t worry about it. Put the muzzles at the right place and any choke will kill a bird or turn a clay into diesel smoke. Gun fit is more important than barrel length too. If the gun doesn’t fit, it won’t hit! Then again, even a blind nut finds a squirrel.

[Alfred Houde]

No gun or choke are really the same. You have to pattern the gun to see which loads and shot work best with each choke.

I really don't think 26 or 28" barrels make much of a difference when you are navigating through Woodcock cover.

For the most part, my 28 gauge is choked Skeet/IC from beginning to end of Grouse/Woodcock seasons.

[John Davis]

Choke is irrelevant. Don’t worry about it. Put the muzzles at the right place and any choke will kill a bird or turn a clay into diesel smoke. Gun fit is more important than barrel length too. If the gun doesn’t fit, it won’t hit! Then again, even a blind nut finds a squirrel.

If your plan is to take game or break targets, then gun fit is the only thing that matters. Everything else is between the ears.