28 Gauge vs 20 Gauge for Upland Bird Hunting

[4570Tom]

I was wandering through one of the local gun stores the other day and they had two CZ Bobwhite SxS shotguns on the rack, one in 20 gauge and the other in 28 gauge. Both felt pretty good when shouldering them, with the 28g a smidge lighter. I have an older Savage-Stevens 311 in 12 gauge with full choked 30(+?) inch barrels, and while it locks up tight and works fine for what it does, no one is ever going to call it nimble. Most of my grouse hunting has been with one pump gun or another, in either 20, 16, or 12 gauge.

My mind keeps going back to those two Bobwhites as both something different to hunt with and something lighter to carry. I am wondering if in the field there is a lot of practical difference between the 20g and 28g when it comes to upland bird hunting. While shot loads for each come in a variety of weights, it seems the most common field loads for the 20g is 7/8 ounce, while the 28g often comes in 3/4 ounce loads. Does that 1/8 oz make much of a difference? Is recoil similar between the two gauges.

Any input on the gauges appreciated, as well as any experiences with the CZ Bobwhites.

Thanks.

 

[barnett]

In my area, 20ga ammo is cheaper and easier to find, if that makes a difference to you.

 

[Armored farmer]

The 28 is so sweet to shoot, but very little difference from the 20.

28 ammo is scarce and pricey. They are however, very economical, if you are willing to reload.

 

[JCooperfan1911]

A proper 28 handles like a magic wand.

 

[12Bravo20]

If I were to go with anything bigger than my 410 shoguns, I would go with a good 28 gauge. My arthritic shoulders don't like 12 or most 20 gauges anymore. And I would get another MEC reloader for 28 gauge to sit right next to my MEC 410 reloader

 

[Jim Watson]

I'd have to go with the 20 for the selection of guns and shells.
I only know one 28 ga hunter and he spends a lot of time trying to magnumize the 28 with one ounce loads.

 

[bannockburn]

First time I went upland game hunting I was using a borrowed Ithaca Model 37 20 gauge with a 26" plain barrel. That shotgun was well balanced and had a nice feel to it. So I have pretty much stayed with the same formula for success: a lightweight 20 gauge with a 26" or 24" barrel, preferably a pump action or a SxS. Currently I have two: an older Richland Arms Model 200 SxS with 26" barrels (made by Zabala, Spain), and a Winchester Model 1300 with a vent rib 24" barrel.

 

[Anchorite]

I'd have to go with the 20 for the selection of guns and shells.
I only know one 28 ga hunter and he spends a lot of time trying to magnumize the 28 with one ounce loads.

There ain’t no substitute for cubic inches.

 

[Jim Watson]

True. My pheasant killing friend campaigns a 6 lb 12 ga Benelli. I wonder how light a load it would handle for doves and skeets.
That is kind of the British approach, a light 12 ga gun, just enough of a load for the quarry, no small bores need apply.

 

[jmr40]

3/4 oz of shot kicks the same from a 12, 20 or 28 ga. If gun weight gets much below 7 lbs I don't shoot it well anyway. You can do that with a 12, but it is easier to do it with a 20. You can make a 28 lighter, but that would be counter productive for me.

While I find the 28 interesting, I'd stick with 20 or even 12 for practicality.

 

[12Bravo20]

3/4 oz of shot kicks the same from a 12, 20 or 28 ga. If gun weight gets much below 7 lbs I don't shoot it well anyway. You can do that with a 12, but it is easier to do it with a 20. You can make a 28 lighter, but that would be counter productive for me.

While I find the 28 interesting, I'd stick with 20 or even 12 for practicality.

I'll have to try some 12 and 20 gauge 3/4 ounce shot shells compared to my 3" 410 3/4 ounce shells to see what the difference really is.

 

[e rex]

If "upland" includes wild pheasant I'd go for a 3" 20 gauge, nothing less. I grew up in western Kansas many years ago and that is about all "upland" was at that time.

 

[Armored farmer]

I spent many a season behind a good Britt. I carried a 28ga o/u for part of that time. A 20ga LC Smith. And a .410 870.

If you're hunting over dogs for quail and doves and woodcock, I choose the 28.
If you're hunting pheasant, chukkar, and grouse, and ducks,, I want the 20ga.

 

[clang]

There's no real practical difference between the 20 and 28 except 20 gauge ammo is cheaper, more plentiful and more variety of offerings.

Most 28 gauge shotguns are built on a 20 gauge frame. I've had 20s that weigh less than 6 lb, which I've come to realize is too light for me. I also had a 28 on a true 28 ga frame and it was too light for me too.

 

[blue32]

Fiocchi has a 28 ga golden pheasant 7/8 #5 at 1,300 fps that is no slouch but they didn't group as well at 25 yards as my 28 ga 3/4 loads. Actually, nothing in 12 or 20 that I can buy groups as well as my 28 ga 3/4 loads.

 

[Virginian]

I love a good SxS in 28, but I feel 30 yards is it, unless you beef up the loads a smidge and go to 35. A 20 is sweet in a good SxS also. Know how your gun performs at game ranges, and know the range. You aren't going to shoot enough ammo at grouse for the cost difference to matter.

 

[Roverguy]

The Bobwhite is a decent hunting gun and not at all hard to look at. In the value for money category, it’s quite high up on the list. But there’s a reason it’s available sub $1000. Huglu make decent guns for CZ, but at the prices CZ wants to sell at, a 28 ga is very unlikely to be a genuinely scaled frame and barrels. If that is the case with the Bobwhite and it is a genuinely scaled frame and barrels, then it’s probably worth it, although final weight is the determinant.

The only real reason for a 28 over a 20 is diminished carry weight. Greener’s rule (of the Greener crossbolt fame) was that a double should weigh 96 times it’s intended shot weight. While this works for 12 ga - 20 ga, when we get to 28 ga, 3/4oz shot loads would demand a 4.5 lbs gun. It’s possible that David McKay Brown or Luciano Bosis could knock you up a 4.5 lbs 28 ga, but we cannot realistically demand that of Huglu making Bobwhites at a minuscule fraction of the cost of such guns. I have two sub 6 lbs 20 ga guns, one of them getting on for 5.5 lbs and both of them a dramatically closer in price to a Bobwhite than what McKay Brown or Bosis would sell their blemished seconds for if there were such a thing So, if the 20 ga Bobwhite is about 6lbs and the 28 ga is at least 8 oz lighter, and you do a lot of walking and carrying, the 28 ga may well be worth it to you. If the 20 ga is much heavier than that and the 28 ga isn’t closer to 5.5 lbs than 6 lbs, neither would really be my choice. But they might be yours.

 

[1KPerDay]

I’d personally get the lightest gun you can find in a gauge that will be appropriate for your intended quarry. In my world upland game hunting is shorthand for hiking with a gun. A lot of hiking. Very little shooting. Lighter is better.

If you’re lucky enough to shoot more than you hike, then I’d probably go with a 20.

 

[entropy]

20 can do it all, yes, even ducks. Wild pheasants, the 20 would be better. Game farm ones; 28 will do the job, provided you have a good dog. I went from one end of the spectrum, weight wise, to the other. Hunted pheasants with my 1100 Competition Synthetic last time out, 10 lbs with 5 shells in. I now have a 16 ga. Sauer SxS that is just around 6#, a dream to carry, and points like my finger. Even with the 2 1/2" RST shells, it's a bit snappy on recoil, though.
I'm looking at (I kind of hate admitting it) a Tri-Star 28 semiauto at work, for $300 I can't go wrong. I could always use it for sub-gauge events at the club.

 

[kudu]

It's been a few years since I did much upland hunting. I liked to carry one of my 28 gauge guns. Used a Ruger Red Label some, it was a joy to carry and shoot but started having mechanical problems so it got sold. Carried both my 1100 and 870 28 gauge guns. The 870 pump Wingmaster was a bit lighter than the 1100. If I was going pheasant hunting I would go with a 20 or 12 gauge. When I was dove hunting early season I used .410 quite a bit. Have a Huglu/CZ Bobwhite SxS with mod and full barrels. I limited out with a box of shells with that one once, kinda could pick my shots, 15 birds, 23 shells.

20 gauge will give you more options of factory shells once the nation wide ammo shortage gets ironed out, but I load my own shells for all gauges and as long as I still have a supply of primers I'm good to go.

 

[MacAR]

If my choice is confined to the two guns listed, I'd take the 20 gauge. You can load it with 3" shells if you need to reach out there, but the normal 7/8 oz field load should take care of most anything "upland" you'd need outside of pheasant. Not to mention the plethora (in normal times) of ammunition for it. Given a choice, I'd look for the same gun in 12 gauge. I've no love for anything smaller than a 16, to be honest. However, most all of my "flying" shooting is done with either my BRNO SLE 12ga or a beat-up Winchester 1400, also in 12ga. The BRNO weighs about 6.5lbs and is a dream to carry and shoot; the 1400 is heavier at about 7.25lbs, but as it usually does its best work in the dove fields, I don't notice the weight. At the end of the day, its your choice as to what "fits" you best, but I don't see you going wrong with a Bobwhite in 20 or 12 gauge.

Mac

 

[grampster]

I used my dad's old Ranger 20 ga double barrel for many years for pheasants, partridge and rabbits. I've had a 12 ga Ithaca Featherlite pump and have a Featherlite in 16 ga as well as a Browning Gold Hunter in 12 ga. Looking back, I believe I had more fun and taken a lot of small game with the old Ranger. In fact, I got my first whitetail deer using that double with a Brenneke slug. I've never shot a 28 ga or a 410, so my opinion on the comparison is not worthwhile...but I did really enjoy the 20 ga and it served me well for many years. I still have it in my safe.

 

[Bill M.]

As a tool to hunt various kinds of birds a 20 gauge is by far the better tool all around.

But that might not really matter. I would say get the 20 unless you know you want the 28. Or just buy them both. I really think that is the best solution,

 

[bassjam]

If you don't already have a 20 ga, I'd go that route as it's such a versatile cartridge. If you already have a 20 ga and are a reliable shot, the 28 ga could be fun. Me, I don't get out to hunt as much as I used to so I've stepped back up to a 12 ga from a 20. In my shooting prime I limited out on 15 doves with 17 shots out of a Red Label 20 ga. My last time out with a 12 ga I shot closer to 40 rounds to get 15 birds. This was after doing worse the year before with my Red Label!

 

[eastbank]

i have a older browning 20 ga 2-3/4" chambered upland special with 26" barrels(invicta tubes) and nice for any game you have to do alot of walking. 1 oz # 5-6,s.