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CZ’s Drake 28-Gauge O/U
Posted by Junior Shooters
(Originally printed in Volume 34 Spring 2019)
As I have made the transition to hunting after competing for a few years, I have found that there are a never-ending amount of lessons to be learned in the hunting game. My experiences with hunting deer and elk have not yet been successful, and as those seasons came to a close, I thought that game birds would be a good way to branch out.
My dad happened to know a couple of people that love to pheasant hunt. So, it seemed like a good opportunity to try it. Jim Nelson and Mike Stone, two men that my dad hadn’t seen since high school, volunteered to take us out and show us the game of pheasant hunting. They have very well-trained dogs and knew where Fish and Game released the birds.
Before that though, I was asked to try out a CZ 28-gauge over/under shotgun. CZ happens to be one of my more favorite brands after getting to try out the All-American trap gun a few years ago. The 28-gauge took me by surprise, because it is a pretty small gauge. Not much bigger than a .410, but I was willing to give it a whirl.
Looking it over for the first time, I saw that it is as well built as the other CZ firearms I’ve seen and used. It’s balanced and comes up to the shoulder well. Something I prefer is that it isn’t the lightest gun out there, but is balanced to feel light. The weight cuts down on the kick a bit and the balance helps with fatigue. I hate dragging around a heavy shotgun, so this was a nice change from a bulky 12-gauge.
I did not think that a 28-gauge would be up to the task of taking down a game bird, but my dad’s friend said it would, though I’d have to be accurate. There are obviously not as many BBs in a 28-gauge vs. a 12-gauge, so making them count was important.
Now, off to the frozen field in the hope of seeing some pheasants. As reported earlier, our hunting luck has held out … as bad luck. We were really hoping that would change by being with people who knew the game.
The area we were in is a Wildlife Management Area near Horseshoe Bend, Idaho. It gets hunted pretty heavily by a lot of regulars, but we are optimists, and after hearing a few shots, our hopes were high. It turns out that our bad luck held. Our “guide” Jim said that it was one of the few times he had not seen anything out there. You can’t win them all, but you’d think something would have come through for us by now.
A bonus was watching the dogs work in the field. I always find it fascinating to watch a dog work. These were well trained and never stopped looking or sniffing in the field. They were so happy to be out there doing their part – tails wagging and sniffers going.
As for the shotgun, I did get a few test shots off and it was a pleasant gun to shoot. It was also a gauge that I had not used in the past, so a learning experience, too. Trying out new things is always an adventure.
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