B&P Upland Game 28ga 1oz 7.5 Shot – Great Quail Load

Description

Small birds in thick cover are a pattern density problem, and a 28 gauge normally has the least pattern to work with of any practical upland gauge. The B&P Upland Game 28ga 1oz 7.5 Shot fixes that from both directions at once. A full ounce of shot rather than the usual three quarters, in the smallest pellet size B&P offers for the gauge.

• Roughly 350 pellets is a lot for a 28
• Full specifications
• Quail, woodcock and close grouse
• Honest notes before you buy
• Open chokes and quick guns
• The bottom line

Roughly 350 pellets is a lot for a 28

A standard three quarter ounce load of 7.5 in a 28 gauge holds about 260 pellets. Going to a full ounce takes the B&P Upland Game 28ga 1oz 7.5 Shot to roughly 350. That is a third more pattern, and on a woodcock at fifteen yards through alders a third more pattern is a meaningful improvement in your odds.

Number 7.5 gives up energy per pellet, which is why this is a close range load. Past about thirty yards the B&P Upland Game 28ga 1oz 7.5 Shot starts to thin out on anything larger than a quail. Inside that, which is where most cover shooting actually happens, it is the most forgiving shell in the line.

Full specifications

• Caliber: 28 gauge, 2 3/4 inch shell
• Bullet weight: 1 ounce of lead, 7.5 shot grain
• Bullet: 7.5 shot hunting load
• Muzzle velocity: 1210 fps
• Muzzle energy: not published for shotshells ft-lbs
• Ballistic coefficient (G1): not applicable to shotshells
• Case: reloadable boxer primed brass
• Quantity: 20 rounds per box
• Part number: 25 rounds per box

The full ounce payload is what makes this different from most 28 gauge ammunition on a shelf. Three quarters of an ounce is the traditional load and it is what the gauge is usually judged on. The B&P Upland Game 28ga 1oz 7.5 Shot carries a third more, which is a real change rather than a marketing distinction.

Quail, woodcock and close grouse

Bobwhite over a pointing dog, woodcock in wet alder cover, ruffed grouse in the thick stuff. The bird is small, the shot is close and the window is narrow. The B&P Upland Game 28ga 1oz 7.5 Shot puts more pellets into that window than any other shell in the gauge, and that is what kills cleanly on a snap shot.

It doubles for clays as well. 7.5 is a standard sporting size, so a box of the B&P Upland Game 28ga 1oz 7.5 Shot works on a practice round without changing how the gun behaves. Shooting the same shell year round is worth more than most people credit.

Honest notes before you buy

Standard 2 3/4 inch shell, which fits every 28 gauge in normal use. Unlike the old 12 and 20 bores, there is no short chamber issue to worry about with this gauge.

Know the limits. This is lead shot, not legal for waterfowl anywhere in the United States and banned outright on some public land. And 7.5 runs short on a pheasant past thirty yards, where 5 or 6 shot is the honest choice. Carry the B&P Upland Game 28ga 1oz 7.5 Shot for small birds and switch for big ones.

Open chokes and quick guns

Small shot at short range wants an open choke. Cylinder, skeet or improved cylinder spreads the B&P Upland Game 28ga 1oz 7.5 Shot wide enough to forgive the aiming error you will inevitably make on a bird that flushes at your feet. Tight choke here just makes a hard shot harder.

The 28 gauge is also the gauge people fall in love with, and this is why. A light, quick gun with a dense load like the B&P Upland Game 28ga 1oz 7.5 Shot in it is about as pleasant as upland hunting gets, and the recoil from an ounce at 1210 feet per second is still moderate in a gun that handles this well.

The bottom line

For quail, woodcock and close cover grouse with a 28 gauge, the B&P Upland Game 28ga 1oz 7.5 Shot throws the densest pattern the gauge can produce. You can read more about the bullet design at swiftbullets.com, or browse the rest of our stock on the MAG5 Firearms ammunition page.

MAG5 Firearms keeps the B&P Upland Game 28ga 1oz 7.5 Shot in stock and moving, and we are glad to talk through bullet choice before you order. If you are working up a load for a new rifle, a single box of the B&P Upland Game 28ga 1oz 7.5 Shot is a sensible place to start.