How many will use a 28 gauge this season?

I have a Spartan, (Russian, made by Baikal, marketed in the U.S. by Remington), 28 ga. SxS that is a delight to carry and to shoot. It won't win any beauty pagents, but the game I've taken with it didn't seem to mind. Check Remington's website to see if these are still available. If they still are, you shouldn't have to sell a kidney to afford one.
 
@ Bill B, about ITX shot, I love the stuff but it was very hard to reload. I tried it in my 28 MEC progressive and because the pellets have a flat edge around the center of the pellet, they kept jamming in the drop tube, I kinda screwed up my reloader doing this. I think it would be easier on a single stage machine. As far as chokes, I believe ITX claims it's as soft as lead so it would be comparable to shooting lead so if you use full with lead I'd say full choke for ITX. I think Pete M or Stuart F would have more knowledge about these dynamics and the tech end of this. As far as loading ITX, I used the components that Ballistics Products Inc. recommended. I would say it would hold true for .410 say well. On ITX patterning, I shot some at paper at 20 yds with full and mod and it patterned very nice. On your comment on shooting little guns I agree with you 100%! Little guns aren't for everyone. Some guys gotta open up on em when they top the trees. I call this premature decoyulation! hehe, or gang shooting for sheer numbers. This definitely is not my idea of duck hunting, but to each his own but if a shooter is up for the challenge of waiting out birds and sometimes not shooting in hopes of decoying shots verses a definite kill, then little guns are the way to go. Another point on close shooting, You don't have to go the full nine yards on this formula, for years I hunted with a 12 ga and still do sometimes. When you wait for 15 to 20 yard shots with their feet down that's still some class duck hunting
@ Stuart, Tommy was 11 when he did that and yes, he's pretty deadly with that gun. He is now 14 and growing like a weed, he's now about 5'-5" and can't wear any of his hunting clothes from last year! Here's a funny story about him and that Red Label, I bought him a cheap Charles Daily 20 ga pump not knowing if he would be interested in hunting, I didn't want to spend a fortune on a gun. When we went out to shoot it a few times he didn't shoot that pump very well, I had my 28 there and he said, Grampa, could I try your 28 a little? I said sure to which he started dusting the targets and even shot a double with it! He then looked at me and said "Grampa, do you think I could hunt with your 28?" My brother laughed and said, looks like you just lost a Red Label! Fortunately I picked him up a youth auto that he shoots real good and got my 28 back! HA here's a few pics of Tommy gunning with his 20 auto
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Mark calling in some geese that he and Tommy took doubles on.
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A couple of geese thinking, It's OK, it's just a kid with a 20!
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here's the kid waiting for em!
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How that worked out for those geese and that kid!
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The days end!

@ Bill C, check my comment 2 paragraphs above, I can't remember the specifics on the 28 ITX stuff but you can get it from Ballistics products Inc. I must say though I've been buying my .410 loads from Cabelas. The .410 heavy shot in 3" in 6 and 4 shot killed everything including geese. On Mark I'll tell him but he's a died in the wool rocker so that hair ain't going anywhere! HAHA BTW any of you guys ever get the chance to hear this guy play, don't pass it up, the guy is incredible on guitar. I saw him win best guitarist at the rock and roll hall of fame fortune 500 battle of the bands a few years ago. he burned the house down!

 
Dave
I have the same gun. I traded a brand new 870 for it several years ago and really enjoy shooting it over decoys with hevishot #4.
wis boz
 
Bill does your 28 al 48 cycle shells good. Thinking of getting one. Gave my 28 870 to my son. He shot his first 25 with it. The perfect youth gun if they made it more affordable to feed.

John
 
Thats a great story and pictures with your grandson Tom. Adventures like that are what Tommy will remember and pass on to his kids. I notice he is a southpaw, I seem to remember grandpa being a lefty as well. Beware these lefties everybody, they can shoot!

I agree with you regarding the chokes with the itx shot, both full and modified get nice even patterns, however, my experience was that it worked best in the 28 with full chokes. The pattern looks small on paper when you compare it to 12 gauge patterns, but any bird you put in the 28 pattern looks like it flew through a screen door, no cripples. Modified chokes with itx are a bit too open for my taste. The hevishot works well for me with either full or modified, but I still tend toward the tighter choke. I'm too old and fat to chase cripples all over the place. ;-)
 
John,
So far the al 48 has done well,it has digested new winchester, PMC and my reloads. www.ableammo.com sells Fiocchi target loads under 9.00 per box pricey but better than they used to be.
Bill.
 
I am sure this is in violation of every rule on the new for sale page and I expect to be reprimanded for this(By my wife and the moderator).
But here goes....
You guys made me look at it....
Click to expand...

You have nothing to fear from the moderator, he understands. On the other hand if your wife finds out what you are viewing on the net, tell her your internet friends convinced you that a $1,000 gun shoots just as good as a $35,000 one. You learned your lesson and only want to buy the cheap one, and then only because it's for the kids.
 
MLB TOM.....I enjoy shooting a .410 as well but have never tried it on ducks. After absorbing 12ga 3inch mag recoil for awhile, a .410 is like shooting a BB gun. Do you have any problems with many cripples especially with the bigger ducks?
 
@ Tom Roberts, Though in theory a .410 should do what a 12 does at 45 yds (same shot fps and all that) with heavy shot, you don't have the pattern size or shot string, I believe that's why everyone thinks a .410 won't reach out that far. I know a guy who's a monster with a .410, His initials are Stuart Fairbank! hehe. The guy can flat out shoot a .410, I am sure Stuart can get it done long distance with this little gun, as for us average shooters I limit myself to under 25 yds with mine and most of the time they are clean kills, as far as cripples that's a different story. My rule is the instant they hit the water if they are not belly up, they get another barrell. If you are refering to do I cripple a lot of birds with it, no, for above reasons. Someone eluded to "if can't wait for the close shots, don't use the pop gun" and I agree. In the hands of a skilled shooter, no prob, but for the rest of us, use on closer shots. I had a Greater Canada hovering over the deeks at 15 yds, sat up and killed him dead! They don't get much bigger than that! -Tom of the MLB
 
Thank you for the vote of confidence Tom, but you have more than adequately, and quite correctly described the ballistic limitations of the .410 which apply to everyone regardless of marksmenship. Putting the pattern on the bird, and maintaining sufficient pattern density to kill them clean are two very different problems. Getting the birds in close is critical with the .410, and everyone benefits even with the traditional larger bores because the leads are greatly reduced at 25 vs. 40 yards. It should also be noted that we are speaking of the 3" .410, not the 2 1/2 inch target shell which we use for Pteradactyl sized game such as quail, railbirds and woodcock. Regardless of the gauge, the old adage "Shoot 'em where they eat, not where they s***t" has never been more true than in the age of steel shot, and it's a rare shooter who misses in front of a crossing or flaring bird. I know this from extensive, sad personal experience and am considering writing a book entitled "Duck identification from behind", having studied myriads as they departed the rig....and Tom, I look forward to your report on redhead gunning with the .410, hopefully with pictures to get the juices flowing! And I apologize for hijacking the 28 gauge thread, the 28 being my favorite all around gun will no doubt see waterfowl action this year.
 
@ Stuart, 3 weeks we head up to our beloved bay, gonna see if I can have some more fun with the popgun, as far as pics I got a Go pro so should have some great vids. Will get em on a DVD for ya and send em out after I'm done editing em, I'll throw some stills on it too. If you can you should get your's and Jimmy butts out here with us! Gotta put the Connecticut hit squad back together! Hey, how's the "kid" doing? tell em we said hey! I need your addy though, send me an e-mail to tomandkarla88@yahoo.com
 
Wont be using a 28, but my .410 will be brought out again this year. Makes a good challenge for ducks. I only shoot at decoying birds at 30 yards or less. Its a lot of fun and a good challenge for me to really work on my shooting fundamentals.
 
Mark,

Not sure where to buy them but Winchester makes 28 ga. steel loads in shot size #6 and #7. I shoot handloads in either Bismuth or HeviShot.
 
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