[La Pistoletta]

What's 10 gauge used for nowadays? More or bigger pellets, ie. is it always more powerful than the 12? Is there any merit in using 10 gauge for combat?

[JonB]

Not sure about combat but the few guys I know that have one use them for goose hunting. You can reach out a little farther than a 12 .

[RacingJake]

How about an 8 gauge :evil:

Saw one at a trap/sheet range, made alot of noise and smoke, He did hit one clay :)

[Dave McCracken]

10 gauge use these days is mostly waterfowling and turkey. Both are places where big shot loads count.

As for combat, even the 410 packs more muzzle moxie than the 44 magnum.

The 10 gauge load is best served in auto loaders weighing 10 lbs or more.

Brister described shooting any 10 Magnum other than the Ithaca Mag 10 as like "Being in a car wreck". Nothing has changed in the quarter century since.

[La Pistoletta]

So the 10 gauge is stricly more powerful than the 12 in all cases if you use 3-1/2" shells? I read this article: http://www.chuckhawks.com/10_gauge_obsolete.htm

The URL should be a giveaway as to the general sentiment expressed therein. He talks about the pressure being lower, as if the 12 gauge can be/is actually more powerful?

Let's say you're meaty as an iron pumping gorilla and could actually handle a semiauto 10ga as well as a 12, would it actually be more effective in combat? I'm thinking more "saturated" patterns given the same shot size (but higher pellet count) and such.

[Deer Hunter]

A combat situation that cannot be solved with a 12 gauge shotgun will most likely be too much for the 10 gauge as well.

[DRYHUMOR]

I bought a Browning Gold 10 the first or second year they came out, been awhile.

It' great on ducks, geese, turkeys, and deer, and I imagine 2 legged varmits.

My buddy has Browning pump in 10 ga. While shooting ducks, he would end up with nose bleeds while my gas 10 gauge felt about like a strong 12 ga 3 inch magnum.

Gas is the only way to go. I seldom use mine these days, but I can't bear to part with it either.

[Jeff F]

Some of the waterfowlers around here use the 10 Gauge. They tell me that they get way better patterns then with the 3 1/2 inch 12 Gauge. Most all the 10's I've seen were heavy and auto loaders. My self I have never had the need for one, i get most of my work done with 2 3/4 inch heavy shot with occasional 3 inch loads but not many.

[Capstick1]

10 gages have a long distance advantage when it comes to hunting high flying geese. Does this mean you're going to be severely handicapped if you go goose hunting with a 12 ga? I don't think so. I don't have any numbers or statistics but I suspect the majority of geese are taken with 12ga 3.5" and 3" loads every hunting season. Other than goose hunting I'm not sure the 10 guage would be very practical for any other use. The shells are expensive. If you try shooting a 10ga magnum in anything other than a semiautomatic you're going to be putting a hurting on your shoulder. A 10 ga would also be a poor and expensive choice of gun for trap and skeet shooting. It's tough to beat a 3.5 or 3 inch chambered 12ga shotgun when it comes to versatility. Most of the time all your needs can be filled with a standard 2 3/4 inch 12ga shell.

[Okiecruffler]

I know a couple of turkey hunters who swear you need a 10 for turkey. I don't want to kill a turkey that bad. Butu I have heard that the 10 patterns better than those 3.5" 12ga shells.




(:confused: WOnder what those big birds were I killed with my 12???:rolleyes:)

[rcmodel]

I suspect most turkeys could be easily killed by a 12 ga 1 1/8 oz trap load.

A tight pattern of 7 1/2 shot out of a trap gun would over-saturate a turkeys head & neck.

All of mine have been called in over decoys and killed well inside of 30 yards with a 12 ga & 2 3/4" shells.

IMO: The 10 ga possibly is needed somewhat for geese, but only because of the steel shot requirement making less effective shot available in standard length 12 ga.

rcmodel

[redneck2]

A 10 gauge has a more "square" shot column than a 12 gauge 3 1/2". This is, the length is closer to the diameter so it typically tends to give a shorter shot column and more even patterns.

I have a SP-10 Remington that I use for turkeys. Two of my shots have been at 12 and 24 yards, so most anything would have worked. Two have been over 50 yards. All were one shot kills with zero chasing.

I should add that I've got a custom choke that cost about $70 and the patterns with Hevi-Shot have to be seen to be believed.

I have a limited time to hunt, so I'm using whatever gives me the highest odds at the longest range.

Recoil even with turkey loads is probably the same or less than a standard 870 with high brass field loads due to the semi-auto and weight. Downside is that it's about the same as carrying a railroad tie through the fields.

[jmr40]

I'm not sure it is accurate to say the 10 guage is more powerful. The 10 has a larger case capacity which translates into more shot. More shot=denser patterns=greater probability for hits at longer range. The velocity of the shot varies very little among any of the shotgun guages.

[Tennessee Ned]

Last time I shot a 10 gauge we were using it to knock mistletoe out of the top of a tree for Christmas decorations.

The "toe" didn't stand a chance. We scored a full trash bag that day.

[ElToro]

i got aced out of an Ithaca ROoadblocker in 10 ga by about 5 minutes once... way cool gun. otheriwse, my 2 3/4 inch A5, 3 inch 870 or 1100 will have to get it done.

[VegasOPM]

Geese or Turkeys.

[Gordon]

I use a BPS 10 ga with steel shot for geese (#4 steel for ducks and BB for geese) and have a 60 yard kill zone IF I have to. I use the same BPS with #2 lead shot for turkey and have the same zone IF I have to.
I have an AyA 10ga 20" coach gun with loaded up high and hidden in the house with 18 00 buck each barrel IF I have to!

[metrotps]

I purchased an Ithaca Mag-10 in the early 80's and hunted Ducks, Geese, Pheasants and Bear with it until the late 90's. It was about 12 lbs loaded and kicked hard, not as hard as my .458 with 510 grain soft-points though. If I did my part it would really kill. It was a pre-interchangeable choke model so I bought another barrel and cut it to 23-1/2 inches. Used the long barrel for Geese and the short for Ducks Pheasants and Bear. It broke once and I had Ithaca rebuild it. When I bought it I purchased 10 cases of lead shells and shot all of them up. I even shot at the trap range with the #4 shot I had. I then switched to steel shot and shot up about 6 cases of that. I could count on a great pattern that was like a huge, fat, cylinder flying at the bird. Didn’t miss very often and often got 2 or 3 Ducks. It would kill a goose at 80 yards with T shot if I was leading him correctly. I only shot it after my buddies would fire their 11-87 3 inch Remington’s so I could get the stragglers from a flock. On Bear I used Federal 1-3/4 ounce hollow point slugs. Dropped Black Bears in their tracks. I miss it but I had to sell all my big guns after car accident injuries.
The big TEN has its place in hunting but would be a pain in CQB.

[publiuss]

I had a Rem. 10 ga. auto which was good for turkey if you didn't mind lugging it around. It's only other use is waterfowl. I found it unacceptable for duck hunting, just too heavy and not quick to point. My 3.5" mossy or 3" 870 do everything the now sold 10 did. In fact they do it better in my opinion.

[cota]

!0 GA are now vertualy redundant even as a waterfowl gun, the 3.5 inch 12 has the advantage of comercial ammo that is of a higher proff preasure than the 10GA. and even if you reload for the ten or live in Europe where the CIP regulations do not even apply to the ten the sky is the limit on preasure ( How brave are you):what: The theoretical advantages are small, and the disadvantages far out weigh them.

The Ten as a goose gun was born out of USA laws not the guns credibility as a goose slayer, even on good old lead the Ten was at best an allso ran compared to the eights and fours that still prevailed over here for coastal goose shooting.

The 10GA today is a expensive unnecesary luxury, modern propelants and non tox shots have moved the goal posts a great deal from the days of yore, the large bores will still be used by thair fans but from a practical view it is pure nostalgia,.
I still have a 10ga myself and it still kills geese just fine but it has the disadvantage of weight and cost to load and reload. I am just not nostalgic old technology is old technology the ten will eventualy go the way of the Eights and fours into the realms of the collector some will keep using them sure enough but they wont put any more geese in the bag even on the coastal tide flats.
It is time to move on there is hope out there for the long shore gunners but it is not in a ten bore case.:)

[chas08]

Brister described shooting any 10 Magnum other than the Ithaca Mag 10 as like "Being in a car wreck". Nothing has changed in the quarter century since.
I own two 10 ga guns. A Remington SP-10 and a Browning BPS I refer to them as "Beauty and The Beast" respectively.

It would kill a goose at 80 yards with T shot if I was leading him correctly.

This is why I use a 10. Sure, I've heard all the arguments, that the 3 1/2" 12 ga. is just as good. Or the new non toxic shot surpasses the 10 in long range performance. IMHO thats all crap. I hunt with fellows who believe this, and I consistently out shoot them with my 10 and for a cheaper per shot price. I gave the 3.5 12 ga a try for a few seasons with a Benelli SBE1 and watched my numbers plummet to be comparable with my hunting partners. Well two years ago I sold the SBE, which I was never truly happy with, lets just say it didn't live up to the hype. My numbers are back to what they were and my hunting buddies are still telling me their 3.5 12's are just as good as a 10. Only now I know better.

[cota]

A pattern from a 12 bore delivering a 42gram load of steel bbs at 1550FPS and a 10 bore delivering a 42 gram load of bbs at 1550FPS, both doing above 70% density even and with no CD size holes in the pattern. The goose wont tell what load killed it :confused:
Sorry your kill rate went back up due to how your 10 is performing and suits your shape and most probably style of shooting. Nothing to do with the advantage the ten gives over 12 supermagmums.
Lets get oner thing square right now the ten in the old days was at best a duck gun it got souped to semi usefull goose getter as a 3.5 inch but the eight still ruled in 4&1/4 inch chamber;). the 10 was made by the Americans out of a need to fill a legal hole not because the eight stoped being the top dog.
Tens are fast drifting into history my advice is develop your benelli with suitable loads that work in it, mabe try a good aftermarket choke tube in it or change the gun for one that fits you better, then try that gun a few seasons then report back then and see how you feel. Your tune will have changed if you get the combination right.

[Two Cold Soakers]

!0 GA are now vertualy redundant even as a waterfowl gun, the 3.5 inch 12 has the advantage of comercial ammo that is of a higher proff preasure than the 10GA.

There must've been an article making the rounds that stated this, because I've heard it often enough, nearly verbatim...and...

This is where I say
"By that logic, a 3" 410 will outperform a 28 gauge."

High pressures deform shot and diminish pattern density & uniformity. Where moving targets are a concern give me a square load at low pressure.

Load up some 1 oz twelves to 6000 psi and some to 11,000 psi, all other things equal and see what happens on the pattern board. I've done it. Brister's done it. Others have, too. Try it. It's very eye-opening.

[chas08]

cota, I've hunted geese for way over half of my 52 years and I assure you I have tried a lot of different chokes on the 3.5 12ga. And some worked really well...on paper. But when you are shooting a cripple swimming as fast as he can across a flooded ricefield. And you see a shot string of 15-20 feet in length on the water from a 3.5 12ga. And with a 10 ga, the shot just seems to envelope the target at once. It doesn't take any more than that to convince me which is superior. I'm not here to argue that the 10 ga hits harder because I don't think it hits any harder than a 410 bore loaded with the same shot at the same velocity. It just has a superior pattern at long range. I like "Mission Specific" shotguns. Geese are the only species I use a 10 for and I wouldn't recomend it for home defense. I own several different shotguns,Two of which are 3.5 inch capable 12's. And each one serves a specific purpose, all fit me well and I shoot all of them quite well. As for the benelli, I no longer own it.:)
your kill rate went back up due to how your 10 is performing
as for your above statement, I couldn't agree more. :)

[La Pistoletta]

Two Cold Soakers, check the article I linked in post #5.

[chas08]

That's it in a nutshell--the 10 ga. is dead, as you can actually get more performance out of a 12 ga. 3-1/2 in. load.
La Pistoletta, I read the above quote from the link you posted. Theres a perfectly logical explanation for it. It's all B.S. :D

[cota]

Look i am not hear to argue blacks white or anything like that,.
The diference in the 10ga and 12 3.5 is all bar a spit 1MM:confused: just 1MM, hell if you heap the fired 10s with the 12 supermags say both are remy greens you will strugle straight off to batch them they are so close in size you often have to read the base stamp.
That is not the point i was trying to make above. In the lead days the 10s could deliver a better pattern at more speed than say a 12 3 inch but come the nickel plated shot and the increase over the stock 3 inch 12 was a lot less than the it used to be. Then came steel and the 3.5 inch and it lost ground again slightly then the modern more progresive propelents and it lost out alltogether.
Any increase in bore size will give an advantage but it is just theoretical not real, and if you stay with factory loads and load within the sami limits you have in the states you are down again with the 10GA.
Now we all know we can load out side the limits it is not rocket science to work out that a SP10 etc is probably stronger than a early 10ga 3.5 inch single, and it can take the hotter loads a little better, but even then you have to look at what the advantages are, and are they indeed worth the extra cost and risk to you and the gun.
Once you are away from the proof standasrds you are on your own literaly, it only takes a change in weather to put that hot scrape the limit reload into the realms of a dangerous risk.
The supermagnum will work well closer to those set limits than a 10GA will, a wise shore shooter will make good use of those extra presure limits and turn it into speed and then tame the charge with a suitable choke combination.
To nail your flag to the mast of a bigger bore rules ok! is not the way i want to go you do as you like.

Next up the 3 inch .410+++28GA comparison :confused: The diference there is considerable, and i for one have never made a .410 3 inch with any load charge combo shoot worth the mention. 2 1/2 inch and a max of 1/2 a ounce of hard shot is the only way to go with .410 in my experience the 3 inch is just too under square in the colum to pattern properly with lead any way i cant say i have used hevi shot or steel even in the .410 magnum.

A better comparison i feel would be the 28ga to the 20ga in normal 2 3/4 inch, Now they are close as close as the 10GA and the supermagnum,.
And the little pair just like the biger magnums show about the same if put in the same garden the partridge wint know if it got hit by a 3/4 ounce out of a 20GA or a 28GA :eek: I got both 20 and 28 and on game there is nothing in it anywhere worth the mention, if you have you the gun and the cartridge all in fine tune. :)

[chas08]

I'm not into the technical drivel. I could care less about velocity after it exceeds 1350 fps. Everyone who has studied balistics knows that the faster you push a round sphere, the faster the vacuum on the backside will slow it down. (Wildfowl Magazine Nov/06 issue) so any advantage the extra muzzle velocity creates is used up rather quickly. I have never seen a choke that would shorten the shot string on a 3.5 12 so that it would compare to the shorter shotstring of a 10.( I've seen this countless times capping cripples on water) Therefore I prefer a 10 for long range birds. The 3.5 12 is a good compromise for those who are not fortunate enough to have the luxury of choice. But on large birds with large shot at 60-80 yds it will never be the equal of a 10. My apologies to the original poster for wandering so far off topic. ;)

[metrotps]

cota you quote and say a lot of things about the 10 and 12 gauge shot and shotguns, BUT have you ever killed anything with both?? Unless you have shot many birds and bears with both shotguns, you IMHO do not have the credentials to speak about anything but theory. I used to hear a lot of negative comments when I was hunting with my Mag-10 but the doubters got very quiet when the day was done and the birds were counted.

[Two Cold Soakers]

And besides all the good reasons, I think they sound really cool.

Thuuuwump.

[cota]

Metrotps :confused:

Nothing to say that gives credibility to the facts you try to put up, just give it the two fingers aye!

I have shot a lot of birds on the salt too where you alegedly need a ten.
But you have got me i never killed a bear with steel out of my ten bore .
i am died in the wool coastal shooter, my only interest in ballistics and technical things is getting the geese from the sky to the dinner table as efficiently as possible.
I had every kind of ten by most makers English european and American semi auto pump and doubles shot lots of geese with them, like i said i live for it. 6 months of the year, our season starts september 1st and ends on february 20th none stop on the coast here. been doing it since childhood.
i still got a 10 a spanish made side by side by ugartachea, and badged up as Francotte. It is about all i need in a ten bore, it cost me 75 english pounds last august, sold to me by a guy giving up tens for a winchester X2 3.5 inch(wise man).
I dont have many photos from last season where i used the ten as i said i use a 3.5 inch most of the time.
But i do still shoot Bismuth and some steel through this SXS and it still kills geese.
Here is a few from last year all my dogs and all shot with that ten, no geese were shot in a field all were shot on the tide/salt all were hard won. And not a decoy trailer or a pit in sight all pure coastal.
Post your coastal shots up for me remember its not about numbers its about the lack of a corn field and a pick up truck full of the latest flock striker coys,.
I had the gun a wading stick a dog and a few cartridges in my arse pocket Thats fowling real fowling. And i do most of mine now with a 3.5 inch.12 BORE.

where i often shoot local
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w91/tikka25/cota/Picture045.jpg
what i often shoot local (Daily)
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w91/tikka25/cota/Picture446.jpg

Ready
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w91/tikka25/cota/Picture432.jpg
Retrieved By a type of dog you probably dont even rate as a goose getter
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w91/tikka25/cota/Picture069.jpg
but he gets em another pink foot
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w91/tikka25/cota/Picture130.jpg
and a grey
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w91/tikka25/cota/Picture302.jpg
I dont just shoot anserforms either i get your Giant brants a plenty all are foreshore all are with that ten last season
Incoming
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w91/tikka25/cota/f.jpg
i see em fella
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w91/tikka25/cota/Picture325.jpg
home time same day
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w91/tikka25/cota/Picture133.jpg
All with this ten yet another grey
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w91/tikka25/cota/hyt.jpg
another grey on a different day same place retrieved by my old lab
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w91/tikka25/cota/P1180160.jpg
And the same day all the pack
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w91/tikka25/cota/teammondaylast20072008uk.jpg
i want your pics to show the salt tide ships etc not fields and pickup trucks and decoys.
.http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w91/tikka25/cota/shiptomlastday.jpg.
i favour this 12 bore it kills just fine
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w91/tikka25/cota/Picture076.jpg
another 12 x3.5 pink
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w91/tikka25/cota/Picture104.jpg
dont tell me! those cheap colonials suck
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w91/tikka25/cota/Picture153.jpg
it does this in the MP153 thats good enough for me
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w91/tikka25/cota/johnllynard.jpg
I rate this a little too but not as good as the russian it is not as good at pattern with any choke i tried em all.
. http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w91/tikka25/cota/Picture071.jpg
I can call em in close by mouth no fancy calls, kill em with a 2 3/4 12 let allone a 3.5
he is history
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w91/tikka25/cota/utrew.jpg
Table bound and the 48AL frany that nailed him 1 oz steel load
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w91/tikka25/cota/Picture386.jpg
I am bored now as i am sure you are but lets get another thing square i am no phoney and i dont like being called one by someone who does not even know me.
Post up some photos then of your long range shore shooting tens and remember no decoys calls or pick up trucks
Just salt sky and geese.:banghead:

[Gordon]

Jolly Good Show !!!!!!!!!!!!

[Dave McCracken]

Great pics. You have three of my favorite breeds of canine there.

Colonial chokes may be inexpensive but they just plain work. I've a few here with lots of mileage on them.

And, IMO, you've established your credentials.....

[roo_ster]

What a beautiful GSP.

My male GSP died a couple months back. I sure do miss him.

[XDKingslayer]

Brister described shooting any 10 Magnum other than the Ithaca Mag 10 as like "Being in a car wreck".

Yup.

Dad has a 10 gauge NEF single shot cut down to 19" with choke system he uses for turkey.

Not a fun gun to shoot sitting with your back against an oak tree...

[Deer Hunter]

GSPs are amazing dogs. I've been raising them for nearly 8 years now.

[KBintheSLC]

Is there any merit in using 10 gauge for combat?

Only if we have nothing but hot air between our legs. For the rest of us that were born with genitalia, the 12 ga ought to suffice. ;)

On second thought, a 10 ga slug might come in handy against enemies with soft body armor. Even if it did not penetrate the kevlar, it would likely cause mortal bruising and severe bone damage.

[chas08]

We may not see eye to eye on guns , but then few do. Great photos, here are some of mine (hope I did this right) if so they are; a limit of Canadas, Snow and a Blue, three man limit of Ducks (15 birds, I had two hunting buddies with me that day) and my meager but still growing collection. Happy Waterfowling. :)

[cota]

The pinks are the top goose here, nothing else tries to stay alive that hard. greys can be carefull at times but nothing like pinks.
Obviously all our canadians are introduced more at home on park ponds than the salt, but some live there and provide sport of a kind.
They seem to take ages to wise up though mabe not such a bad thing as it helps keep the numbers down a little.
I want to have a go at a snow or two before i croak and a eagle headed blue as to fall to my gun as well.

[La Pistoletta]

Didn't expect this kind of show. Nice pictures.

[chas08]

I want to have a go at a snow or two before i croak and a eagle headed blue as to fall to my gun as well.

I got one on the wall as well as a nice Canada. Dark geese are easier to hunt (Canadas,White fronted) they are more trusting. Light geese (Snows and Blues) are much more difficult. Larger flocks, too many eyes to defeat. If you want a Blue, come to Texas, they winter here. I usually take a few each season. :)

[Dave McCracken]

Nice pics.

Re snows and blues vs dark geese...

I don't see snows as being harder to hunt so much as being pliant to different methods.

Canadas, like I've been hunting since boyhood, with gaps, are capable of being seduced into a few dekes and by a caller of less than champion level talent. Late geese here do like bigger spreads and better calling, but even then they're more forgiving.

Snows,OTOH, seem to demand absolutely perfect conditions to land in, huge spreads and superb calling, preferably from several callers.

I do admit to having much more experience with Canadas, but that's my take.

Re 10 gauge vs 3.5" 12, I use a 3" load of Hevishot 2s and do well over dekes.

So, I have no dog in this fight.

[chas08]

Snows,OTOH, seem to demand absolutely perfect conditions to land in, huge spreads and superb calling, preferably from several callers.

Well said, and to me that equates to harder. Down here, when we are blessed with Canadas, small spreads are the norm 12-25 decoys aranged in small family groups of three to five works well. Where as a 1000 rag and block spread for Snows oftentimes isn't enough. Weather is the real equalizer, with strong winds being a hands down winner. Toss in a low cloud ceiling and some sleet and you have the makings of "Snow Goose Soup". A tactic I use a lot when hunting alone, many times, is to simply "Pass Shoot" I know the purists are wringing their hands and cursing. But it works great if you can put yourself on a flightpath, and its a lot less work, which is more important to me now at 52 than it was at 32. We all know deep down when it comes to guns and shot sizes it boils down to what you have confidence in. I favor a 10ga with T-shot, I can cleanly kill birds out to 80 yards and I have an imense amount of confidence in it. I've not really tried the Hevi-shot to any large degree on Geese but I have on duck and its great stuff, pricey but great. Perhaps when my cache of T-shot starts to run low I'll replace it with some Remington HD BB. Then all I'll have to decide is, what do I want for my 4$? a gallon of gas or one shotshell. Hats off to THR. :)

[Dave McCracken]

Sounds familiar, Chas. Taken lots of Canadas over a dozen dekes, but the ONE really good snow goose hunt I did had 3-400 rag and blocks out. I used T shot and did OK on 35 yard shots.

[Okiecruffler]

I've got 6 canadians on the patio here at work right now and I'd like nothing better than to take them out, with a 12 or 10, don't matter.

I will say this, all this talk of the 10 really has me wanting a nice old SXS.

[chas08]

Okie, I hunted deer a few years ago in Illinois as a guest of a fellow who used a 10 ga SxS as his "Deer Gun". I don't recal the make or model but it was somewhat ancient and in excellent shape. I wouldn't mind having one like that to just hang on the wall and look at. I doubt any of those old guns are rated for non-toxic shot.:)

[dogngun]

Most 10's are very heavy, and the shells and guns are VERY expensive and hard to find. Stick with a 12 if you are looking for a HD type gun.
More options, many more for sale, powerfull enough to work and intimidate, but still easy for most people to shoot well.
mark

[Okiecruffler]

I'm not rated for non-toxic shot either. I remember going to Kansas on a goose hunt with my grandfather when I was about 12. I got to use the loaner gun, a bolt action 10 with what looked like a 60" barrel. I was laying on the frozen ground, covered in itchy burlap and the only time I was allowed to move was to put that cannon to my shoulder and have it throw me back into the ground. Oh yeah, great memories.

[Capstick1]

Whatever shotgun you do decide to hunt with I think it's important to stay proficient with it, even during the off season. The best way to do this is participation in friendly games of trap, skeet and a little five stand sporting clays. This type of practice will increase your confidence and decrease your hit/miss ratio during hunting season.

[Virginian]

If I was 10% as "self assured" as the people who write stuff for Chuck Hawks site, I would be too busy making tons of money in the stock market to fool around on the web.
In the right hands, a 10 gauge can still do exactly what it was designed to do - outperform the 12 gauge. Whether you can take advantage of it, or choose to take on the negatives to have the positives, is something each shooter will have to answer.
Some years ago I was 6'-2" and 225 pounds and in pretty fair shape, I lived in Eastern NC, and I owned a string of 10s and killed a bunch of big birds. I was never happy that I had to swing 2 or more pounds of gun to throw as much steel shot as I used to shoot out of a 12 before lead was banned, but I did it. Recoil was a non-issue - then. Now I am 18 years older, have recently had surgery, and a magnum 12 semi auto is absolutely all I even want to try to handle effectively.

[chas08]

I was never happy that I had to swing 2 or more pounds of gun to throw as much steel shot as I used to shoot out of a 12 before lead was banned, but I did it.

Virginian I'm rapidly getting there. If I could still shoot 3" magnum lead BB or #2, or if the really good non-toxic shot ( Hevi-Shot, Remington HD, etc..) were say, a little more than a $1 a shot, my 10 may be serving as a lamp by my recliner. Or may never have been bought in the first place. I just can't make myself pay $40 for 10 rounds of ammo. When I can feed my 10 for $25 for 25 rounds. of steel T-shot and accomplish the same thing. :)