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The recent introduction of a 3-inch magnum and the popularity of bismuth and TSS ammo have elevated the 28-gauge from a niche gun to America’s hot smallbore. Not long ago, the 28 was strictly a close-quarters upland and skeet gun. Now this shotgun is turning up everywhere, from CRP pheasant fields to turkey woods to duck blinds. It’s light, cute, and doesn’t kick much. The 28 has a reputation, too, of punching above its weight ballistically. So it’s totally reasonable to think you might want to jump on the 28-gauge train. Here are some of the best 28-gauge shotguns available, plus a little history and ammo insights to guide you in the right direction.
Best 3-inch 28-Gauge Shotguns
Standard 28-Gauge Guns
Best 3-inch 28-Gauge Shotguns
Benelli Super Black Eagle 3
Benelli Super Black Eagle 3
The Super Black Eagle 3 now comes in 3-inch 28-gauge, where it’s finding favor with waterfowl and turkey hunters. Benelli’s flagship semi-auto has the reliable Easy Locking bolt, ComforTech stock, and other advancements. It also weighs just 5.5 pounds. The SBE3 comes in 26- and 28-inch barreled versions, including a model with the BE S.T. corrosion- and abrasion-resistant coating. A newer option is a 24-inch model with Mossy Oak Bottomland furniture and tan Cerakote metal that should be great for turkey hunting. The SBE starts at $1,949.
Benelli Ethos
Benelli Ethos
The Ethos 28-gauge lineup consists of a 26-inch barreled walnut-stocked model with a handsome two-piece, two-tone receiver and the 28-inch, synthetic-stocked Cordoba BE S.T. version. Both are a shade under 5.5 pounds, with weight-saving carbon-fiber ribs and each has its own recoil-reducing stock. Either of these guns will carry beautifully in the uplands. The walnut-stocked Ethos sells for $2299. The BE S.T. version is $2599.
Beretta A400 Upland
Beretta A400 Upland
Beretta adapted its top-of-the-line A400 to chamber 3-inch 28-gauge shells and gave the gun a silver receiver and walnut stock available with the optional Kick-Off recoil reducer. With or without, it’s a soft-shooting, reliable gas gun weighing just a bit over 6 pounds, and would make an excellent smallbore pheasant gun. The A400 20-gauge starts at $1989.
Browning Citori
Browning Citori
The original Citori remains in the Browning lineup, priced significantly below the 725. It’s heavier and bulkier than the 725, but still a terrific choice. The 28-gauge Citori comes in four grades: Grade I, Grade II, White Lightning, and Gran Lightning. The bare-bones, blued-frame Hunter I lists for $2299. The Hunter II has a silver-nitride frame and better wood for $2529. The White Lightning has an engraved receiver and Grade III/IV wood with the classic “round knob” grip for $3099. The lavish Gran Lightning has Grade V/VI wood, a round knob, and a blued, engraved receiver with gold inlay. It sells for $3829. All four models come with 26- or 28-inch barrels.
Franchi Instinct
Franchi Instinct
Franchi’s popular Instinct O/U delivers performance and looks for a very reasonable price, and the line has grown to include two 3-inch 28-gauges. New for this year is the well-decorated, steel-framed Sideplate O/U. An AA walnut stock with Prince of Wales grip and schnabel forend complements the case-colored frame and sideplates embellished by gold game-bird inlays. It sells for $2599. The Instinct SL has an alloy frame to keep its weight down to just 5.2 pounds in 28-gauge, and it sells for $1899.
Mossberg Silver Reserve Eventide Turkey
Mossberg Silver Reserve Eventide Turkey
A departure from other O/Us here, the Eventide Turkey is a dedicated gobbler gun, built to take advantage of the two chokes and short overall length of an O/U in the woods. It has a single selective trigger so you can quickly choose between an Improved Cylinder barrel for close shots and a turkey choke for long shots. The 3-inch 28-gauge has 20-inch barrels with extractors and is incredibly compact at just 37.75 inches in total length. It comes in Mossy Oak Green Leaf camo with sling swivel studs.
CZ Bobwhite
CZ Bobwhite
The Bobwhite is a simple, classic side-by-side at an unbeatable price. It’s made in all gauges, including the 28. It has two triggers, extractors, 28-inch barrels, and choke tubes. If you’re an upland hunter, it may be all the gun you’ll ever need for just $799.
Standard 28s
Except for waterfowl hunting, there is very little you can’t do with a standard 2 ¾ -inch 28-gauge that you can with one chambered in 3-inch. The traditional ¾-ounce load is enough for a lot of upland and dove hunting. Even the 5/8-ounce steel load is quite effective on doves. Standard 28-gauge TSS turkey loads are effective to 40-plus yards, too. Here are a few standard 28s to consider:
Rizzini BR 110
Rizzini BR 110
Built on a scaled-down, 28-gauge frame, the Italian-made BR110 weighs about 6 pounds and is a great gun to carry and to shoot. It has a plain black receiver and blued barrels that can be ordered in 26-, 28-, or 30-inches. It sells for $2494.
Caesar Guerini Woodlander
Caesar Guerini Woodlander
Italian gunmaker Caesar Guerini’s base-model upland hunting gun, the Woodlander, has a plain, case-colored frame with a gold grouse on the bottom. The oil-finished walnut stock has a rounded Prince of Wales grip and Schnabel forend. The 28-gauge version has 28-inch barrels and weighs 6 ¼ pounds. It lists for $4875 and is backed by Guerini’s famous customer service.
Mossberg SA-28 Tactical Turkey
Mossberg SA-28 Tactical Turkey
Two-and-three-quarter-inch 28s can hold 1 ¼ to 1 3/8-ounces of TSS 9 shot, more than enough to take on a tom out to 40 and beyond. With its pistol-grip stock, optic rail, and unique rib-mounted peep on its 28-inch barrel, the SA-28 gas semiauto makes a capable performer in the turkey woods. Dressed for the woods in Mossy Oak Green Leaf, it sells for $901.
What is the 28?
Twenty-eight gauge guns have a .550 bore and their traditional payload was ¾ of an ounce of lead shot. Developed in England in the latter half of the 19th century, the 28-gauge caught the attention of American shooters in 1903, when Parker Brothers began offering their famous side-by-sides in 28-gauge. In the 1920s, it was included as one of four gauges used in skeet competitions, which probably kept it alive while the 24- and 32-gauge guns faded away.
It didn’t hurt the 28 when it developed a reputation as a ballistic outlier that patterned well and hit harder than it should. While the 28 is not the magic gun many believe it to be, it is easy to carry, and even with the traditional ¾-ounce load, surprisingly capable with very little recoil. Even before the recent introduction of the 3-inch 28-gauges, it was a far better choice for serious smallbore hunting than a .410. Now, if you have a 3-inch 28, you can load it to 20-gauge levels.
Modern 28-Gauge Ammo
The standard ¾-ounce 28-gauge lead load remains the choice of target and dove shooters. Skeet shooters, especially, love the 28 because skeet targets are relatively close and the gun breaks them with lots of authority and little recoil. The same is true in the dove field and the grouse woods.
Even before the advent of the 3-inch 28, ammo makers were packing more and more shot into the skinny 28-gauge hull, which can hold an ounce of lead or 5/8-ounce of small steel. The 3-inch 28-gauge, which a growing number of guns are chambered for, means you can shoot an ounce of HeviShot HeviXII, 1 1/8-ounces of lead, or 1 ½ ounces of TSS for turkeys. Twenty-eight gauge ammo can be expensive, especially in lead, and it can be hard to find, but for those who love the little gun, it’s worth the extra trouble.
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