To my way of thinking, shooting upland birds is very much like instinctive shooting with a handgun. Once a target is identified your eyes focus clearly on that target while your gun is brought into play. It's a matter of hand-to-eye coordination and a lot of practice that are blended together to deliver the shot.

Some folks will tell you that if a bird is a certain number of yards away then we have to lead him a certain number of feet in order for the shot charge to intersect with his flight pattern. While that is quite true, the successful upland shooter doesn't spend a lot of time thinking about his shot or visually measuring distances. He swings on his bird, and when his hand-to-eye memory says "this sure feels right" he triggers his shot. Too much thinking has messed up more shots at upland birds than any other cause. Of course, it sure helps when the shooter is using a light, responsive shotgun that fits his build, shooting style, and, as the old-timers used to say, points where he looks.

For these reasons, I've always favored a snappy 20 gauge for my upland bird ventures, usually in side-by-side or over-under configuration. However, my fondness for the 20 gauge was severely challenged when I visited the magnificent Highland Hills Ranch. In the beautiful rolling hills of Oregon, I spent several days enjoying some of the best hunting for pheasant, chukar, valley quail, and Hungarian Partridges. My hosts thoughtfully provided me with a Ruger Red Label shotgun in 28 gauge. This was my first chance to really wring out this delightful little cartridge.

In the late 1880s, small-bore shotguns began to gain popularity in England. And before long that popularity crossed the Atlantic to this country. As far as anyone can tell, Parker Brothers chambered the first American 28 gauge in 1905. However, this was soon followed by 28-gauge offerings from Ithaca, Fox, Winchester, and others.

Ruger Red Label, CZ-USA Ringneck, Browning Citori Lightning Feather

The original 28-gauge shell was a 2 1/2-inch proposition, loaded with a 1 3/4-dram charge of blackpowder, or its smokeless equivalent, and shooting a 5/8-ounce charge of shot. About the time of World War I, the 28-gauge load had progressed to a 2 7/8-inch case with more powder and 3/4 ounce of shot. Finally, in the 1930s, ammunition companies settled on a 2 3/4-inch case and the 3/4-ounce shot load. This last load was developed especially for skeet competition.

In fact, skeet shooters have kept the 28 gauge alive. Competition shooters just shoot up more ammunition than hunters do, and in this sales-driven economy their voice speaks the loudest.

Today, most of our ammunition manufacturers offer 28-gauge shotgun shells. This includes Winchester, Remington, Federal, and Estate Cartridges. They build a 3/4-ounce load rated at about 1300 fps, and some offer a 1-ounce loading at a little over 1200 fps. Shot sizes run the gamut of those suitable for competition shooting and upland hunting--No. 9 shot on up to No. 5 shot.

In addition, numerous firearms manufacturers have shotguns chambered for 28 gauge. CZ-USA, Remington, Browning, Beretta, Winchester, BSA, Franchi, Charles Daly, SKB, Weatherby, and Ruger are just some of the companies that chamber this round.

My 28-Gauge Shotguns
So let me tell you about a trio of 28-gauge shotguns that currently reside at my place.

The first is the Ruger Red Label over-under. Ruger builds this 28 gauge with 26- or 28-inch barrels and your choice of a straight English stock or one with a pistol grip.

My particular Red Label has 28-inch barrels and the straight English style stock of American walnut. The ribbed barrels are back-bored and fitted with screw-in choke tubes in Full, Modified, Improved Cylinder, and Skeet. The barrel selector is incorporated into the sliding tang safety. This shotgun measures 45 1/4 inches in overall length and weighs right at 6 pounds. It has a 14 1/4-inch length of pull, a 1 1/2-inch drop at the comb, and a 2 1/2-inch drop at the heel. All in all, this is quite a lot of shotgun to have a suggested retail price of only $1702.

Browning's Citori Lightning Feather Combo is a 28 gauge that I've been doing some skeet shooting with. It's called "The Combo" because this particular Citori over-under comes with two sets of barrels in 20 and 28 gauge. Built on a 20-gauge frame, the Citori weighs in at 6 pounds, 3 ounces. The frame is a polished alloy with a steel recoil plate and hinge pin. The vent rib barrels are 27 inches in length and have screw-in chokes in Full, Modified, and Improved Cylinder. Overall length is 44 inches with a 141/4-inch length of pull, a 1 1/2-inch drop at comb, and a 2 3/8-inch drop at heel. As has become customary, the barrel selector is incorporated in the sliding tang safety.