I'd look at the Browning Citori over/under in 28 gauge made by Miroku (spelling?). It's a well-made, beautiful little over/under shotgun that weights just 6¼ lbs. It's a darned good-looking, slick-handling little gun.
I was lucky enough to buy a Charles Daly 28 gauge over/under shotgun, made by same Miroku Company up at the ATA's Grand American Trap Shoot held in Vandalia, Ohio well over 30 years ago.
It was 1 of only 37 "special" 28 gauge over/under shotguns that were ever brought in to the U.S.A. They were brought in for a big gun show for the Charles Daly executives to inspect with the idea that Charles Daly would put them into their line of over/under shotguns from 12 gauge to .410 bore made by Miroku which Charles Daly, Inc. already marketed.
Browning was still having the Superposed made in Belguim at the time, so this was long before Miroku ever made the Citori for Browning.
Those 28 gauge guns were "special" because they were 28 gauge over/unders made on 28 gauge receivers rather than 20 gauge receivers as most 28 gauge over/under shotguns are made.
Unfortunately, they were rejected by the Charles Daly folks because they would have been considerably more expensive than the rest of the line.
The thirty-seven 28 gauge over/unders were scheduled to be returned to Japan, but somehow got away and were sold to dealers. I bought mine from one of those dealers just as he was closing up his shop in the last hour of the last day of that year's "Grand" American Trap Shoot which was held in Vandalia, Ohio.
However, they ARE very beautiful little over/unders and weigh only 5¾ pouinds compared to the 6¼ pounds of the 28 gauge barrels mounted on a 20 gauge receiver!!!
There is an article called "The Real 28 Gauge" on page 150 of the 1995 Gun Digest that tells the "story" of this fine little shotgun with chrome-lined barrels that points and handles so naturally.
Thirty or 40 years ago, Federal made a 1-ounce, 28 gauge load in a paper shell, but I had never been able to find any heavier load than a 13/16 oz. load in a 28 gauge field load.
But, today, I was "nosing" around at the local gun shop and spotted some 1 oz., 28 ga. Super-X (Winchester) High Brass loads in what Super-X is calling their "HS" (for "High Strength) loads.
Naturally, I bought them immediately. They cost "an arm and a leg" ($13 a box of 25), but should provide some excellent hunting loads only an 1/8th. of an ounce lighter than the 1-1/8th ounce 12 gauge loads with which I hunted upland game (pheasants, rabbits, quail and grouse) all of my life.
Now I have to find the right plastic wad to enable me to reload the same 1 ounce shot-load in them. Winchester (Super-X) recommends their new WAA28HS (red-colored) wad, but the loading books show that to be only a ¾-oz load and I'd like to reload the same 1-ounce load that came in the High Brass "HS" shells I bought today.
It's a red 2¾ inch, "Maximum" (that's what it sez) Dram Equiv., 1 oz., High Brass plastic shell. On the side of the shell box, it claims to be a "high strength" hull designed to improve reloading life and can be identified by:
∙ HS on the head stamp
∙ HS on the tube stamp
∙ Black colored ink tube stamp positioned lengthwise
You need the new WAA28HS RED colored wad to reload it. But since that wad is only for a ¾-ounce load, there must be a different 28 ga. wad for the 1-ounce shot-load.
So go ahead and "scratch" that "itch" and buy that 28 gauge... especially now that you can get 1-ounce loads again... and hopefully reload the same 1-ounce load back into the "HS" hulls.
That's what I'm gonna do... :grin:
Strength & Honor...
Ron T.