I've decided I REALLY need a 28ga. Hunting the high country of Colorado just begs for a light weight double and a 28 is plenty of gun for close range blue grouse and ptarmigan. Besides, my two hunting buddies have 28's and I have to mope along with nothing smaller than a 20. Retired and having champagne tastes with a beer budget, I'm trying to find a gun, preferably a stack barreled gun, for l/t $2000. So far Rugers and Rizinni Veronas are within the budget. Your thoughts on these or other options?

Steve

Uggies, AYAs, and maybe few other Spanish boxlocks would be in the picture.

My brother-in-law just bought a 28 ga Spanish boxlock from a member here for around that budget.

Citoris are available in that gauge and budget, but are so heavy it would be a moot point to go from a 20 ga to a Citori 28 g.

For a stack barrel, there was an influx of small gauge Rizzini guns a few yrs ago that was around $2k. A lot of them showed up at the range.

How about this
http://www.gunsinternational.com/Beretta-ONYX-PRO-28ga-28-9814.cfm?gun_id=100387393
There was also the

Beretta 28s are available within your price range.

You can find a lot of 28ga OU's lighter than the Ruger--which is not light by 28ga standards. I once put an Army & Navy 12ga boxlock, 28" barrels, on a scale right after a guy put his Ruger 28 on the same scale. I beat him by an ounce. Something like my 6/3 to his 6/4.

You want a really light 28ga OU, the Browning Cynergy Feather comes in around 5 3/4 with 28" barrels. But the same gun in 20ga will weigh about 1/4 lb less (28 built on a 20ga frame). And therein lies the problem with a lot of 28ga doubles: because they're built on 20ga frames, the 20's will be lighter.

My Beretta 687 Silver Pigeon V 28ga, 28", came in just under 6#. If you can find one of the FAIR 28's (I. Rizzini) used--they also make the Veronas, but I'm not sure about weight on those--they're pretty light. Older, fixed choke Beretta OU's (BL series) can be quite light in 20ga, as can some of the older Franchi OU's, but you'll look long and hard to find either in 28ga. If you want something hardly anyone else has, the Zoli-Rizzini guns imported by Abercrombie back in the 60's are very light in 28ga. Mostly sxs, but I once saw an OU 28 that was right around 5#.

And while a lot of Citori models are on the heavy side, some are not. The Superlight Feather runs about 5 3/4# but that's in 20ga. Not available in 28. The 625 Feather is available in both 20 and 28. Like the Cynergy in weight: About 5 1/2 in 20, 5 3/4 in 28.

I had a Franchi Veloce (or Squire?). It came with 20ga and 28ga barrel sets. It weighed less than six pounds with either set. It was well made and reliable. That would fit in your budget.

Best,

Mike

How well do you shoot your buddies light 28 gauge guns? Have you ever borrowed one and used it on game? Most, not all, but most people have a much more difficult time shooting a very light gun. McIntosh touched on that subject a bit in his "Shooting Sportsman" days, and likely disappointed a lot of guys when he said a 28 probably shouldn't weigh less than 6 lbs. They are a bit more expensive to feed than a 20, something you can mitigate a bit by reloading, but, a very well known English gunsmith once assured me that he would be a much poorer man were it not for Americans with good English doubles and reloading presses.
I've never shot the Ruger 28, but, I've handled a few of them and they certainly feel well balanced.
I suspect a 20 gauge version of any 28 gauge is really much more practical. But, few hobbies of man have anything to do with practicality.
Good luck.

Best,
Ted

here'a Ruger28,
cheers
franc

Steve,

I've fought the 28 Ga. bug off several times. One of the few times for a man where having less of something is appealing!

There is light and there is too light. For me, and I would bet most, right around six pounds is the bottom edge of weight that will be shot well, balance aside. I have spent a day with a Ruger 28 and at 6-3 the gun was very nice to carry and shoot, (several times, with success).

Good Luck!

How about a light English boxlock 2" or 2.5" 12 gauge. many of them are 6 lbs and some less...

There are also 16 and 20 gauge Fox Sterlingworths that weigh 6 lbs and are priced well under $2k.

I have had a Ruger Red Label 28 ga for several years, and I like it a lot.

IIRC, Savage imported a pretty nice Italian O/U 20 ga, sorry but the name escapes me at the moment. I seem to recall they were closed-out at around $800. There may be some used ones out there for a good price.

If you have access to an Academy Sporting Goods, drop in and have a look at the Yildiz O/U. They are made on a 20 ga frame, but it is a light alloy with a stainless steel breech insert. Sub-6 lbs. and sub-$500.

CZ's are a bit heavier and a bit more expensive, but are pretty good guns with an excellent warranty and service. Still under or close to a grand.

BP,

Savage Milano?

I shoot a couple of 12ga's that are under 6lbs, a Darne with 28" barrels and a Bernardelli Elios with 25" barrels and use 7/8-1oz loads. Both are a pleasure to carry and work very well for everything. Both were under $2000, the Elios half that.

The Bernardelli at work.


You could always get a SXS and use the "Gangster Twist" to make it an O/U.

Years ago I had a very nice steel framed Breda O/U 12ga that was very light. Wish I wouldn't have sold it to get my wife a trap gun.

I hate to be rude, but the 20 is plenty light enough. If you want to cut down the weight you are carrying start with your body. I can say this because I like most of us have the same problem and found I could accomplish more by knocking 50 lbs off myself then I could by taking a few ounces off the gun.

There is always the CZ’s Ringneck Mini. It weighs in at 5.7lbs, has choke tubes and is well within your budget.

Pete

In O/Us, if you want longer barrels (30"), my first recommendation would be the discontinued Browning Citori Feather XS Sporting with the aluminum alloy frame. The asking price is generally around $1500 to $1800 in mint condition. If you want 28" barrels, you could go with the Feather XS with 28" or with a Ruger. Ruger 28 prices are all over the place these days, but there is one for sale now on ShotGunWorld with no price listed; seller is fishing for offers. The FAIR guns, especially the Cortonas if you can find one, are very nice with 28" barrels and scaled frames, but they are very stiff until they have been shot a bunch. Steel frame Citoris are too heavy for a 28. Many of the Beretta 28s are built on the 20 gauge frame and are heavier than their 20s. The baby frame Beretta is very nice and will hold its value. Watch out for the Beretta Pro because many of those have the horrible XtraWood photographic grain finish. B. Rizzinis and Guerinis are going to be out of your price range, but you might get lucky if you look hard. The Ruger is the absolute best value in the bunch.

Much as I like my Red Label 28, I think for two grand I'd go Italian, with a 28" barrel.

An equally light 20 IS a much more "practical" choice, IMO.

But this kind of itch often just refuses to BE practical.....my own wallet has some fairly deep scratches from it (at least by the standards of a notoriously cheap guy).

I'd rather have a used 687 Beretta, in order to stay within a budget, than most of the others new. Although I have been extremely impressed with Yildiz's S x S low budget guns, I have been much less so with their O/Us.

SRH

I agree, but only if it's a 687 on a scaled frame. Otherwise the 686/687 28ga on the 20 ga frame is just too heavy to bother with. A scaled frame 687 is probably going to be over $2K, used.

I would look at Franchi 48AL self-loader, but sometimes......
small "miracles" happen. Some time ago I walked into local Gander Mountain to find 26" 28ga Orvis 'Uplander' (Sakaba 500) with straight grip stock and leather covered pad (surprisingly expensive feature) for KOOL $550.

Not long ago I walked into little used 26" Sakaba 100 20ga choked 1/4-3/4 for $750 and had it on hold for few days. When I took it off hold there was another
tag 'call me at.....if the gun is not purchased Mr. Thompson'. Thompson got SKB I got RGL,

CZ Bobwhite. 5.3 lbs. About $850. Double triggers, extractors, choke tubes.

I felt the same way about needing a 28ga and bought a Parker Repro. Tried it for a while on desert quail in place of my Parker VHE 20ga in which I hand load 3/4oz loads (same as 28ga). I know there will be those who say it isn't so, but the 20ga was so superior with the 3/4oz loads to the same loads in the 28ga with respect to desert quail I sold the 28ga. The weight difference of a couple ounces was not worth the money for the second gauge.

That, is the cold, hard, truth, right there. Ignore it at risk to a bunch of your own cash.

Best,
Ted

This has nothing to do with practicality. If it did, you'd never get past the fried chicken stand in town, as AmarilloMike pointed out a while back. The man "needs" a 28ga. Its an itch. Help him scratch it. Isn't the subject of this whole forum about an impractical itch? After all, what the heck is practical about a $10k damascus, short chambered gun?

I don't own any of them. One has to beware, is it an itch, or is it psoriasis?


Best,
Ted

Ted
Don't go hypochondriac on us. Its just an itch. He didn't say he was cashing in his 401k to buy a Famars.

Thanks for the input. I titled "Fools Errand" for a reason, I REALLY don't need a 28. I have a 6# Webley 2.5" 12 bore and a RBL 20 that I shoot well, either fills all the holes the 28 might plug and plug them better. Never owned one, see my buddies having fun with their 28's and justify it by deciding I need one. A little surfing the 'net and I just might scratch my itch.

Steve

There is almost nothing in the shotgun world that is more fun for me than dropping those cute little red 28 gauge shells in the chambers. When I shoot targets it is so enjoyable to break the long birds with a 28 that the other guys have trouble breaking with a 12. And shooting wild birds RESPONSIBLY with a 28 is crazy kool. I have shot a pile of wild birds with a 28 gauge and it is a hoot. Cobbhead - buy a Beretta. Get a baby frame if you can. Nobody, and I mean nobody, makes a better field 28 O/U than Beretta. Go to Joel Etchen's website and look at all the little Berettas. Just do NOT look at the custom small gauge sets. Evil thoughts will fill your head. Here is my Beretta 20/28. Its a parts gun that I put together myself.

The Ruger will also work well as long as you don't run thousands of rounds through it yearly. I also have an RBL 28 and it weighs 5lb 10oz. I shoot little guns pretty well, but that gun is difficult for me to be consistent with. It is a neat little gun, though, but a bit more than you want to spend. Get a 28. Be Happy!
Regards,
Jeff

I don't think so... That it's a fool's errand, that is.

I have been hunting grouse & woodcock for more than 30 years, and I use a 28. A S x S W.J. Jeffery BLNE, 4 pounds 5 oz., and I LOVE it.

Easy to carry over the miles, and very quick to get into action. I would not want to try shooting driven birds with it, but for snap shooting it the thick stuff, I have found nothing better.

But I doubt that you will find an O & U quite that light.

BTW - Larry, I have one of those A & F Rizzini-Zoli guns in 28, it weighs 4 pounds 14 oz. Also a S x S BLNE. A very nice little gun, almost new condition, and is prooved for 2 3/4" shells, but it sits in the safe whle I carry the Jeffery and 5/8 oz RSTs.

The problem with the 2" guns is ammo. If you're only going to hunt with the gun and not shoot many targets, no problem. But it gets expensive if you shoot a lot. A few people do reload 2", but not many. 28ga, on the other hand . . . easy to reload.

You'll probably look long and hard for a 2 1/2" Brit gun that's sub-6#, and the ones you do find will likely be 25-26". But if a little over 6, up to 6 1/4 is OK, there are quite a few more out there. My Lancaster SLE, 28", is just a bit under 6 1/4.

I had one of the little sxs Zoli-Rizzinis in 28ga. Don't recall what it weighed, and I wasn't weighing guns back then, so not in my records. But I want to say around 5 1/2, which is still pretty light. The OU I saw was, I think, the only one I've ever seen in 28ga. Seems that there are more of the sxs around than the OU's.

Shooting better with a 20 than a 28--given the same 3/4 oz load in both--might be a case of gun fit rather than any advantage the 20 has just because of its bigger holes. Or possibly because of weight, if the 20 goes half a pound or so more.

Larry
A quick check of vintage doubles.com revealed more than one sub 6 pound 2.5" gun. That certainly wasn't long or hard.
Mark

If you can find one o/u Franchi Falconet 20s weigh around 5 1/2 lb. Go for about $700

Mark, I can't even log onto Vintage Doubles this morning, so I guess it would be long and hard today. However, checked Hill Rod & Gun. I find 14 British 12's listed. The lightest is 6 1/4--and that one has 26" barrels. So anything sub-6# in a Brit 12, especially if you're trying to find one with barrels 28" or longer, is going to be in a very small minority. The 28" Brit guns I've owned that are lighter than 6 1/4 are even in a pretty small minority.

I have a CZ (Huglu) Bobwhite 28. Great little gun, got it used, not very expensive, and shoots great. Used it with great success on pheasants, barn pigeons, squirrels and on the skeet field. It has screw in chokes, which I'm not the biggest fan of, but it still shoots well. For one of the cheaper guns on the market, it is built on a scaled frame and actually has some engraving. The wood is decent, but the factory finish hides some of the figure.

A lot of inexpensive 28's end up being heavier because they're made on 20ga frames. The CZ Bobwhite is an exception. For sure, it is one inexpensive 28 that weighs what a 28 should.

I have never owned a Gamba but have held a couple in my hands and they looked well made to me:

http://www.gunsinternational.com/RENATO-GAMBA-SXS-Princepessa-28-GA.cfm?gun_id=100380900

Category - Renato Gamba Shotguns 28 Gauge Shotguns
Guns International #: 100380900
Lister Inventory #: 3477
RENATO GAMBA, SXS, Princepessa, 28 GA
Description:
RENATO GAMBA, SXS, Princepessa, 28 GA, 26'', IM& F, DT, Straight Grip, Drop points, Semi Beaver Tail Forearm, Level File-Cut Rib, Casehardened Receiver, Articulated Trigger, Pad, Dimensions 1 1/2 x 2 x 14 3/4 with 0 cast, Weight 5#5oz, ID 3477, Near EXC. Condition

Price: $1995

My vote is for a 20 superposed you might pick one up for only a bit more that 2 grand... say 2,500.

I would go for the 28" barrels. ( I have 2, one a two barrel set with 26"/28"the other 28"s). Points like a wand and if you want an o/u can't think of a better gun for that price range. The newer 28 o/u weigh more and don't have the feel. I have a Citori Grand Lightning w/26" and it is whippy and heavier than the 20 ga super.

An alternate would be a sporting version of the 525 with 30" barrels, not real light, but swings well. Will shoot forever. I don't think the ruger can stand up like a browning.

JMO
Jerry