20 or 28 gauge 28” barrel

[Gus Sams]

Did they offer the 20 or 28 gauge Parker Reproduction in a 28” barrel choked in anything other than Modified/Full? I don’t see it in mentioned in the Parker Story but I’ve recently seen a 28” barrel marked Q1/Q2.

[Bill Murphy]

Yes, they made 28" Repros in chokes other than modified and full. They are hard to find.

[Greg Baehman]

We do see an occasional 20ga. 28" Repro factory choked Q1/Q2 and even fewer factory choked IC/M-- those that are out there were probably special custom choked. Although there have been a very few 28ga. 28" Repros produced that were factory choked Q1/Q2, I can only recall seeing one choked IC/M -- but that one, too; might have been special ordered. I'm quite sure there are probably more small bore Repros w/28" barrels in existence that have had their luscious M/F chokes ground out of them than those that remain with their original factory chokes of Q1/Q2 and/or IC/M.

Beyond rare and the rarest of them all, IMO, are the Parker Reproduction 12ga. w/28" bbls. guns that are factory choked Q1/Q2. So rare, I do not think there's one in existence. I'm waiting for that 1st one to show up. :corn:

[Larry Zimmer]

I own two 20-gauge reproductions with 28-inch barrels. My preference for longer barrels for exceeded my need for open chokes. My solution is to load spreader loads. I do the same for my csmc fitted 16-gauge barrels as well. It makes the guns extremely versatile. I prefer the tight chokes for hunting and use the spreaders for clays.

[mikeschneider]

I have one Repro, a 28 gauge with 28” barrels that were .026/.035….I had Jim Eyster open them to .015/.025 (depending on who measures, I had one measurement a bit more open, which was even better)….no matter, I had a great season on prairie grouse in Sept and then pheasants in Oct/Nov with that gun…really enjoy it!

[Bill Murphy]

I like Greg's terminology. "LUSCIOUS" chokes, being "GROUND OUT". My opinion exactly.

[mikeschneider]

Most of my upland guns are Skt1/Skt2, which I really like. My repro in M/F is my tightest choked gun I have, let alone shoot…I’ll be back in SD this week pheasant hunting, probably using LM, which I’ve used the past few trips in December (not a 28 gauge). I’m in need of all the help I can get, hence my preference for more open chokes…I have heard others share their preference for those factory constrictions on the M/F 28” 28 gauge repro’s…I really like how it performed for me this year after having it opened…however, maybe I’ll see the light someday! I actually was bummed that Eyster stopped at .015/.025….but after using it, and seeing how it’s performed, I’m glad that’s where it was left…

[Gus Sams]

Is it pretty rare you guys see a 20ga or 28ga with 28” with Q1/Q2 or IC/M? I would prefer those for my intended use.

[Dean Romig]

I had a fully Skeet-configured Repro twenty gauge, two barrel set, 26" Q1 & Q2 and 28" Q1 & Q2. I shot a lot of Skeet targets with that gun and my favorite barrels were the 26" barrels.





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[Kenny Graft]

I could have bought a 28ga. with 28" Q1/Q2 barrels. Fur-fin & feather at their original store had two guns for sale with double triggers. The other was an A1-spl. 20 two barrels set, while this is a wonderful gun that I still own I wish I could have bought them both! I would be using the 28 if I had bought it....)-: I also have a 16ga/20ga.two barrels set with both factory supplied 28" Q1/Q2 and double triggers PG/splinter. Double trigger guns are harder to buy than the single trigger version. I hunt my guns and the barrel selector on a reproduction is near impossible to move when a wild grouse flushes!! I have killed many wild bird with the back trigger first at range that the front trigger open choke may have lost. Off topic a little, Pictures of my two new Grouse dog puppies....(-: I just got the 10-month-old orange Belton, Ryman setter that lines back to old Hemlock. A gift from my hunting buddy that could no longer keep her after a couple heart attacks. He has two other dogs, and the pup was just too much for his wife to handle. SXS Ohio

[Paul Ehlers]

My observations have been that most 28ga 28" barrels are mod/full. There are exceptions, but they are far & few between. Many of these have had the chokes opened over the years, simply because they were too darn tight from the factory, so when looking at a used gun, it may be marked Mod/full, but you really need to know the actual constrictions for seeing if they have been opened. Personally, I wouldn't hesitate buying a 28" mod/full gun if the rest of it was what I was looking for because the chokes can be opened as needed. This is what I did when I opened the constrictions on it to .005" & .009" and am happy that I did, the gun has served me well ever since.

20ga 28" barrels are easier to find in chokings other than mod/full with many of them IC/Mod.

The fun is in hunt, but you do need to ask the appropriate questions up front before you pull the trigger on the purchase.

[Greg Baehman]

***snip***

20ga 28" barrels are easier to find in chokings other than mod/full with many of them IC/Mod.

***snip***


Paul, where are you finding the many 20ga. Repros w/28" bbls. factory choked IC/M? Can you link us to a couple of them?

[Paul Ehlers]

Paul, where are you finding the many 20ga. Repros w/28" bbls. factory choked IC/M? Can you link us to a couple of them?

In comparison to 28ga 28" barrels. I have seen more 20ga 28"barrels choked something other than mod/full than I have 28ga ones, but they are still far from common.

I guess I should have been more concise in my statement.

[Greg Baehman]

I believe we can agree that we've seen many more 20ga. 28" Repros factory choked Q1/Q2 than we have seen those that were 28" and factory choked IC/M.

As far as the 28ga. guns go, I have pics of the only two that I feel are righteous 28" factory choked Q1/Q2 guns, but do not recall any 28" IC/M. There was one gun about two years ago that we discussed that was choked IC/IC. It has been reported that there maybe more Q1/Q2 guns out there, but so far they seem to be as elusive as the 12ga. 28" factory choked Q1/Q2 guns.

Shown below is one of only a couple of 20ga. Repros w/28" bbls. that I've come across that have been claimed to be factory choked IC/M. But, in each case the choke designation stamps, to my eyes, are very suspect. (Note the choke designation area appears to have been struck off, restamped and no period after IMP).

[Ryan Brege]

I would be hard pressed to believe that was the original stamping.

[David C Porter]

It's pretty obvious the original marking have been ground off & chokes restamped.

[Greg Baehman]

Can anyone here show us a 28ga. Parker Repro w/28" bbls., other than the below consecutive numbered pair, factory choked Q1/Q2 or IC/M?

In addition can anyone here show us a 20ga. Parker Repro w/28" bbls. factory choked IC/M?

Oh, one more thing, can anyone here show us a 12ga. Parker Repro w/28" bbls. factory choked Q1/Q2?

[Gus Sams]

Beautiful pair!! Are those yours?

[Bill Murphy]

I would buy those guns, or even one of them.

[Jeff O'Neill]

One note to the OP...

I've got a 28ga two barrel set (26" IC/M and 28" M/F). The choke constrictions are more akin to those you would see on a 12ga gun, so they pattern quite tightly. It's not much of an exaggeration to say that you could drive a nail with the full choke barrel.

That said, I prefer the swing of the longer barrel set, and using spreader loads has made it useful on good-flying plantation quail.

Good luck in your search!

[Gus Sams]

Interesting idea. Have you ever patterned the spreader loads to see how the compare to “normal” loads in different chokes?

[Jeff O'Neill]

Interesting idea. Have you ever patterned the spreader loads to see how the compare to “normal” loads in different chokes?

I did do patterning, and as I recall they opened things up to perhaps LM/IM, with some flyers. With vulnerable birds such as quail, the flyers might have made things almost IC/M in practice.

The shells I used were Polywads. They may be out of business, and fortunately I have some on the shelf. I'm sure there are other spreader makers; no doubt there are others on this thread who know more than I do about alternatives.

[Reggie Bishop]

RST does have spreader loads available on occasion.

[Kevin McCormack]

When I was big into reloading in a prior life, I fooled around with some 28 ga. spreader load combinations for my VH 28'M&F upland gun. Tried both the post wad and X - box wad configurations; post wads were OK but the X- box wads were real close range killers; the X-box wads gave near cylinder pattern distribution at 20 yards, hellacious for skeet, woodcock, quail and railbirds. Nearest thing to them available today is Morris Baker's #10 woodcock loads from RST, 2 1/2 or 2 3/4", thank you.

[Bill Murphy]

For 12 gauge spreaders, I use, or used, the post wads. As purchased, the post wads didn't work all that well. However, I cut short pieces of fuel line (tubing) and pushed them over the post. This created more disruption of the shot and opened the patterns even more. An added advantage is that it converted a 1 1/8 ounce wad into a 1 ounce wad. I recently found a bag of post wads in my wad stash and may load some when the weather breaks in my garage/loading empire.

[Larry Zimmer]

The X-stream spreaders from Ballistics products work. I have found they will open patterns from full to modified, modified to improved cylinder. I did not care for the post style spreaders as they left holes in the pattern. The X-spreaders fit in the 12-gauge wads minus an 1/8 oz of shot. When I reload 20 gauge loads, I clip the pedals off the wads in order for them to fit. I do not have any experience reloading 28-gauge rounds.

[Greg Baehman]

I had posted the following previously when Spred-R discs were readily available. Unfortunately they are tough to find nowadays, but fortunately, I have a good supply on hand if I ever feel the need for them:

I wanted to see and put on paper what a Spred-R disc did through my 28ga. Repro's FULL (.034 constriction) choke at 15 paces and compare that to the same load w/o a Spred-R disc. So I loaded up a few shells with the Spred-R disc on top of the shot. Yes, the disc is a somewhat snug and tight fit in the AA hull, but as Martha Stewart would say "That's a good thing!" I used my standard Sporting Clays load for comparison:

* 28ga. AA compression formed hull
* W209 primer
* 12.9gr Universal Clays
* CB1075-28 wad
* 3/4 oz. #8 magnum shot
* 1200 FPS
* 10,800 PSI*

* It has been estimated that the addition of a Spred-R disc results in less than a 500 PSI increase in pressure.

The first pic below is the pattern at 15 paces with the Spred-R disc. It resulted in a 19" pattern spread. The second pic is a same load, but w/o the disc. This load resulted in only a 10" maximum spread at the same 15 paces.