Tell me about the 28ga

[Cody805]

I recently bought a lot of guns at a auctions and one of them is a really old break action springfield (i think a iverson johnson made it?) in 28ga.... Does anyone still shoot that gauge? And what is safe factory load to shoot in a old scattergun?
And please don't say low base because I have no idea what that means lol I'm a center fire rifle guy not a shotgun guru

Help! Lol

[Darto]

28 gauge is soft recoil gun that you can actually hit stuff you shoot at with, unlike the .410.

These are about the cheapest new ones you can buy.

http://www.gunbroker.com/item/584700331

http://www.gunbroker.com/item/587526192

[Pardini]

Great Skeet and quail guns. Ammo is about 10 bucks a box.

[I Swan]

28 gauge is soft recoil gun that you can actually hit stuff you shoot at with, unlike the .410.

These are about the cheapest new ones you can buy.

http://www.gunbroker.com/item/584700331

http://www.gunbroker.com/item/587526192

The H&R pardner/topper single shots did or still do come in 28ga I bought a new one in 2013.

[FISHNFRANK]

Here's a big problem with a 28 gauge in California....we have to transition to non-toxic loads, fully by 2019. For most people that will mean steel. Hevi shot is available but prohibitively expensive for most. 28 gauge bird loads for steel are only 5/8th of an ounce. A 20 gauge holds 3/4-7/8ths and 12 gauge an once or more. Quail are tough little critters and killing with them with 7/8ths ounces of lead is challenging enough. But only 5/8ths of an ounce of steel? If the shot is perfect out to about 25 yards or so, it will kill, but generally you want more. The reason I know this was that I really wanted to buy one but scrapped it with the advent of non-toxic shot. Also, many of the older doubles don't have barrels proofed for the high pressure of steel

[Cody805]

So what would be a safe box of shells to shoot through the old scattergun?

[cudakidd]

So what would be a safe box of shells to shoot through the old scattergun?

As long as it's not Damascus Steel or very early Steel (pre 1900) any light target load should be fine.