I was skeet shooting once a week for some time using a 20 ga. Winchester 101 with 26" barrels that I bought in Germany and sent home. When I got married my wife wanted to shoot also but the 20 gauge reoil was hard on her. For Christmas in 1970 or '71 I bought her a Beretta BL-4 28 ga with 26" barrels, this had some recoil also and after she didn't enjoy shooting it or shooting at all. The Beretta weighed 6 lbs.8 ozs. and the Winchester was 6 lbs. 1 oz. I still own both but haven't shot the Winchester in quite a few years, the Beretta about 5 years ago at skeet.
I hurt my right shoulder years ago and was shooting different L.C. Smith's, mostly old hammer guns and I started loading 3/4 oz. loads, what a pleasure to shoot hardly any felt recoil and as the saying goes "if I do my part they will do theirs". Carrying in the field I would rather carry the Beretta or the Winchester for the amount of shooting that is done and miles walked, but I do like the one hammer gun in particular that now has the original 25 3/16" barrels and 4 others that now fit this gun. The latest set is from a Specialty Grade 32" with a ventilated rib and screw in chokes.
There is nothing magical about the 28 ga. Years ago I killed more than my fair share of pen raised pheasants most of which you have to wait for them to get out there.
