For years, the 28 gauge shotgun has lived in the shadow of the 12 and 20 gauge, often treated as a light little bird gun for quail hunters, recoil-sensitive shooters, or people who simply wanted something different. But longtime outdoor writer, hunter, photographer, TV host, and naturalist Ron Spomer says that quiet reputation is changing, and more serious shooters are beginning to understand why the small gauge has such a devoted following.
In a video for his channel Ron Spomer Outdoors, Spomer opened a new Fausti 28 gauge side-by-side shotgun and used it as a way to explain why the gauge has earned more respect in the field over the last decade or two.
He was not just admiring the shotgun as a fine Italian firearm, though there was plenty of that. Spomer used the Fausti to make a broader point: the 28 gauge may look small and modest beside larger gauges, but in the hands of a shooter who understands it, it can perform far beyond what many people expect.
“I love the 28 gauge for its efficiency,” Spomer said, adding that many shooters ignore it simply because it is not a 12 or 20 gauge.
A Small Gauge With A Bigger Reputation
Spomer said the 28 gauge has often been overlooked because a lot of hunters look at it and wonder what it is supposed to do. It is not the familiar 12 gauge, and it is not the common 20 gauge, so it can be easy to dismiss before it ever gets a fair chance.
Still, Spomer said that has been changing. Over the last 10 to 20 years, he has seen more hunters and shotgun enthusiasts begin to recognize that the 28 gauge “shoots all out of proportion to its size,” especially when used on upland birds.
That is really the heart of the 28 gauge argument. It does not win people over by being the biggest or loudest choice, and it does not pretend to be a heavy waterfowl or turkey gun. Its appeal is that it is light, quick, smooth, and surprisingly capable in the kind of hunting where gun fit, instinct, and handling matter as much as raw payload.
Spomer said his own experience with the gauge goes back decades. He recalled picking up his first 28 gauge around 1996, or possibly a little earlier, thinking it would be a good quail gun. When dove season opened, he took it out and shot 13 times, taking 10 doves.
That result surprised him.
“I had no idea it would shoot that well,” Spomer said.
Less Recoil, Better Focus
Spomer said one reason the 28 gauge works so well is that it is light and easy to shoot, especially if the gun fits the shooter properly.
When a shotgun comes up naturally and points where the shooter is already looking, he said, the target becomes the focus instead of the firearm. That matters because wingshooting is often fast, instinctive, and unforgiving of hesitation.
Spomer also pointed to the lower recoil of the 28 gauge as a major advantage. Even shooters who say they are not bothered by 12 gauge recoil may still have a slight flinch hiding in the back of their mind, he said.
He described the familiar moment when a shell does not fire, or when a gun is empty, and the shooter’s body still jerks forward in anticipation of the recoil.
“Don’t seem to get that with the 28 gauge,” Spomer said.
That observation is interesting because it touches on something many shooters know but do not always admit. Recoil does not have to hurt badly to affect performance. Even a small expectation of impact can change how a person mounts, swings, or pulls the trigger, and a soft-shooting gun can make it easier to stay locked on the bird instead of bracing for the shot.
Spomer said he saw that clearly while shooting quail in Georgia, where he found that when he came up focused only on the bird, the 28 gauge did its job cleanly.
The Fausti 28 Gauge Gets A Close Look
The shotgun Spomer tested was a Fausti DEA SLX 28 gauge side-by-side made in Italy. He described it as built on a true 28 gauge frame, which gives it the slim, trim, lightweight feel that he considers one of the gauge’s best features.
He spent time walking through the details of the gun, including its boxlock action, side plates, coin-finish scroll engraving, and Fausti markings. He explained that the DEA name connects to the Italian word for “goddess,” which he said fit the shotgun’s slim and elegant feel.
Spomer also praised the wood-to-metal fit, saying it was tight and clean with no visible gaps, even in the more complicated areas. He suspected modern computer-assisted machining played a role in that level of precision.
The gun had AAA wood, a hard black rubber buttplate rather than a heavy recoil pad, and five screw-in chokes: cylinder, improved cylinder, modified, improved modified, and full. Spomer said that choke selection makes it a versatile little tool, even though it is “just a 28 gauge.”
That line is part of the charm of the video. The more he handled the shotgun, the more that phrase sounded less like a limitation and more like a challenge to the old assumption that small gauge means small ability.
A Classic Upland Gun
Spomer said side-by-side shotguns have long carried a certain classic feel, especially in upland bird hunting. A gun like the Fausti, in his view, fits that world naturally.
He said it would be well suited for quail and grouse, but he also noted that he has done well with the 28 gauge on pheasants and even large sage grouse, sometimes at distances out to 45 yards.
That claim is likely to catch the attention of hunters who still think the 28 gauge belongs only on close-range quail. Spomer was not presenting it as a do-everything cannon, but he was clear that the gauge has performed for him on larger upland birds when used properly.
The Fausti also uses a single mechanical trigger, which Spomer pointed out is less traditional for a side-by-side, since many classic doubles have two triggers. He said the single trigger on this gun is mechanical rather than recoil-set, meaning that even if the first barrel does not fire, the second barrel can still be fired with another pull.
He also noted that the gun does not have a barrel selector, which would normally allow a shooter to choose which choke fires first. Spomer said that does not bother him because he has never been able to think that fast on a bird anyway.
“I just swing and shoot,” he said.
That is a very practical way to look at upland hunting. In real cover, birds do not usually give hunters much time to calculate choke selection, distance, angle, and barrel order. A gun that comes up smoothly and lets the shooter react naturally often matters more than extra controls.
Range Testing The Little Shotgun
Because bird season was not open, Spomer tested the Fausti on clay targets using a clay launcher, and he admitted the setup was a little awkward because he had to launch the clay himself, then grab the shotgun and shoot.
After a few attempts, he broke targets and joked about how difficult it was to imitate trick shooters. His cameraman Landon, whom Spomer described as a national shooting champion, also tried the gun and hit targets with it.
Landon called it “a very pleasant shooter,” and Spomer answered with the simple explanation: “Yeah, it’s a 28 gauge.”
Spomer then moved to pattern testing with a classic upland load: 7/8 ounce of 7½ shot at 1,300 feet per second. He said that is the type of load he uses for most of his upland bird hunting.
With the improved cylinder choke at 30 yards, he found a pattern that was a little bottom heavy, with roughly 60% to 65% of the pattern below the point of aim rather than above it. He said he would probably consider 30 yards the practical maximum for that choke before switching to modified.
With the modified choke, the pattern was dense but still a little low and slightly right. Even so, Spomer said the pattern showed enough density that a hunter would not have trouble taking birds with it at that distance.
This part of the video gave the review more value because it moved beyond admiration and into actual performance. The gun was beautiful, but Spomer still patterned it, noted where it shot, and explained what that would mean in the field.
Why The 28 Gauge Keeps Winning People Over
Spomer closed by calling the Fausti an “heirloom piece,” the kind of shotgun a person could hunt with for life and then pass down to children or grandchildren.
He said he could not imagine going afield with a gun like that for upland birds and not feeling as if he were “living the high life.”
That may sound romantic, but upland hunting has always carried some romance with it. A light gun, good dogs, walking birds, crisp air, and a shotgun that feels alive in the hands are all part of the experience.
The 28 gauge fits that world because it asks the shooter to value balance over brute force. It rewards clean gun handling, good fit, and focus, while reducing the recoil and weight that can wear a hunter down over a long day.
Spomer’s larger point was not that every hunter should abandon the 12 or 20 gauge. It was that the 28 gauge deserves more respect than it often gets.
For serious shooters who once dismissed it as underpowered, the lesson is simple: this little gauge has been proving itself for years, and more hunters are finally paying attention.
Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, John developed a love for the great outdoors early on. With years of experience as a wilderness guide, he’s navigated rugged terrains and unpredictable weather patterns. John is also an avid hunter and fisherman who believes in sustainable living. His focus on practical survival skills, from building shelters to purifying water, reflects his passion for preparedness. When he’s not out in the wild, you can find him sharing his knowledge through writing, hoping to inspire others to embrace self-reliance.
