So what happen to 10 Gauge shotguns and etc...

[mcb]

I highly doubt the chamber was 10 gauge size.

Your right the chamber is still 12 gauge SAAMI spec, it's the bore that is larger. Typical 12 ga is .725. typical 10 gauge is .775. A backbored 12 gauge is typically ~.745. This oversized bore supposedly makes it pattern more consistently. I have one of the second gen Browning BPS 3.5 inch 12 gauge that is backbore and it does seem to help. I have taken turkey out to 55 yards with it. The patterns are pretty good with an extra full choke and 2-1/4 oz of #5 shot.

 

[labnoti]

I highly doubt the chamber was 10 gauge size.

It was 10 gauge length and held the same payloads as 10 gauge. For all practical purposes it was.

 

[cdb1]

C

It was 10 gauge length and held the same payloads as 10 gauge. For all practical purposes it was.

I agree.

 

[Oldschool shooter]

Had a 10 gauge SxS in the 80s . 3 1/2" chambers. Weighed a ton, kicked like a mule. Traded it off for a T/C Contender. I never regretted it.

 

[Fine Figure of a Man]

I bought an SP-10 many years ago because steel shot sucked. Steel shot loads still suck compared to lead but it has improved.
The SP-10 is a very nice gun but I doubt there was ever a large demand for it.

 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

Looks like you can still get a Browning BPS 10ga---the price should be a lot less than one of the autoloaders but still not cheap---they're listing the weight(online) at 8lbs---which wouldn't be all that bad if correct.

https://www.browning.com/products/f...t-production/bps-10gauge-field-composite.html

 

[jmr40]

IIRC the 835 was built on a bigger frame than other 12 ga shotguns. And the OD of the barrels were a little larger than typical 12 ga barrels. I don't think it was sized to duplicate true 10 ga dimensions, but did somewhat split the difference. They are heavy cumbersome guns. The barrels were back bored for the 3 1/2" shells, which required larger diameter barrels. The back boring helped develop better patterns with the 3 1/2" shells . No, a 3 1/2" 12 won't match a 10 ga. But was close enough for most people.

Both shot shells and rifle ammo has improved dramatically in the last 30 years. Hunters are finding that smaller gauges and calibers are now capable of doing what larger ones were once needed for. I don't see the need for a 10 ga to ever make a comeback. For that matter most folks are finding that even the 3 1/2" 12 ga shells are unnecessary. For what I hunt I've never felt the need for anything bigger than a 3" 12 ga shell, and then only in rare situations.

 

[mcb]

IIRC the 835 was built on a bigger frame than other 12 ga shotguns. And the OD of the barrels were a little larger than typical 12 ga barrels. I don't think it was sized to duplicate true 10 ga dimensions, but did somewhat split the difference. They are heavy cumbersome guns. The barrels were back bored for the 3 1/2" shells, which required larger diameter barrels. The back boring helped develop better patterns with the 3 1/2" shells . No, a 3 1/2" 12 won't match a 10 ga. But was close enough for most people.

Both shot shells and rifle ammo has improved dramatically in the last 30 years. Hunters are finding that smaller gauges and calibers are now capable of doing what larger ones were once needed for. I don't see the need for a 10 ga to ever make a comeback. For that matter most folks are finding that even the 3 1/2" 12 ga shells are unnecessary. For what I hunt I've never felt the need for anything bigger than a 3" 12 ga shell, and then only in rare situations.

The 3.5 inch 12 ga comes really close to if not exceeding 10 ga performance with modern ammunition. The 3.5 inch 12 ga has a pressure advantage to make up for the lower bore area, 14,000 psi vs 11,000 psi. This results in roughly 10% better payload acceleration at peak pressure assuming traditional bore diameters (.725-inch vs.775-inch). That jumps to nearly 18% with a back-bored 12 ga (.745-inch).

Both gauges seem to top out at about ~2-1/4 oz of shot payloads at roughly the same velocities. The 10 ga might have a slightly velocity advantage for these heavy weight payloads but it's probably not enough to matter (~50fps). Currently Winchester and Federal do not even offer a 2-1/4 oz 10 ga load but offers several 2-1/4 oz payloads for 3.5 inch 12 ga. Federal even has a 2-1/2 oz TSS load for the 3.5 inch 12 ga. Remington offers 2-1/4 oz in both gauges with a publish 60 fps advantage to 10 gauge. When we switch to lighter steel payloads the 3.5-inch 12 ga seems to come out ahead using its higher peek pressure to win the velocity game by a similar margin of ~50 fps with payload ~ 1.50z over 10 ga.

The small advantage the 10 gauge might offer seems to get lost in the weight penalty for the Turkey hunter that has to carry the gun a fair distance in the woods. The slight advantage the 10 ga might make sense for a goose hunter but again probably not enough to offset the flexibility of the 3.5 inch 12 ga for the rest of the waterfowl season. The 3.5 inch 12 gauge is a very capable gun.

 

[Gordon]

In California it's steel (no non lead) every where for all hunting. I went to the 10 ga. BPS 30 years ago and it is superior , for me, for pass shooting and Turkey hunting. I have a 10 ga. MEC press set up and it is the only SG gauge I reload for. I have a Benelli 3.5" 12 ga. but if I shoot 12 ga. on game stop at 3" and for other than water fowl use 2 3/4" . I do love to hunt with my 3" Browning A5 20 gauge which is my short range waterfowl gun too.
I also have a nive 20" 10 gauge Magnum Coach gun which is a cut down Goose gun . It really has a deterrent effect IMHO, and I shot a few predators with it out to 100 feet with #4 Buck shot. With those big magnum slugs it is un believable destructive, my son took my old 10 guage Ithaca "road Blocker" years ago for that home defense purpose.