10 Gauge!
- Thread starter andym79
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No real advantage .Here we have to use non-lead shot for waterfowl. To make up for the steel shot Remington came out with a 10 Ga but it's a heavy gun not much use for anything but Geese. At the same time companies came out with a 3 1/2" 12 Ga .These guns will fire the 2 3/4", 3", and 3 1/2" shells and are reasonable weight and can be used for anything.
10g. can hold more shot. also, IIRC, a 10 gauge 3" and a 12g. 3 1/2" shell have about the same shot amount, but the 10 patterns better because the shot column is flatter and not as long, so it dosn't spread out too much on longer targets.
also, you can say "i have a 10 gauge!"
~TMM
also, you can say "i have a 10 gauge!"
~TMM
BigRedBowtie
Member
I deer hunt in a shotgun zone, and one of the guys I hunt with uses a 10g with rifled slugs. Smoothbore browning, just a bead on it. I shot it at a "vitals" target at 75yds- it was right on the nuts... er- the heart 
One the last day of the season (meat-in-the-freezer day, if it's brown- it's down day) I watched him take a shot at a doe running straight at him- he missed the chest, but hit the hind quarter- SHATTERED the femur! Not real great for adding meat to the freezer, but an impressive ballistic display nonetheless.
He calls it "Big Ben- the Ten"
One the last day of the season (meat-in-the-freezer day, if it's brown- it's down day) I watched him take a shot at a doe running straight at him- he missed the chest, but hit the hind quarter- SHATTERED the femur! Not real great for adding meat to the freezer, but an impressive ballistic display nonetheless.
He calls it "Big Ben- the Ten"
pauli
Member
let's not neglect the yosemite sam factor.
Leadbutt
Member
10ga was the pass shooters gun for years,its a great shotgun for several kind of hunts, and I find mine kicks a good deal less then my buddy's 3 1/2" 12, my area of Virginia is buckshot only for deer,and the 10 preforms better, and with the newer shot coming out now it iis once again taking its toll on Snow's and lesser Canada's. And the turkeys are coming under the gun this spring again.
Like any thing else it has it's use's, and trade off's
Like any thing else it has it's use's, and trade off's
I find the recoil to be much less severe in a 10 ga than in a 3.5" 12, the guns are much heavier. Other than that they are very comparble, the ballistic differences aren't very far apart at all.
I use a 3.5" 12 because on some hunts I walk in quite a distance, and the 3-5 pounds lighter gun is much easier to pack. The recoil is quite brisk, but doesn't bother me much.
I use a 3.5" 12 because on some hunts I walk in quite a distance, and the 3-5 pounds lighter gun is much easier to pack. The recoil is quite brisk, but doesn't bother me much.
Aurelio_Ortiz
Member
I only know a handful of people that hunt ducks with a 10 gauge shotgun. That's not a testament that the 10 gauge would be out-performed by the 12 gauge, but more so a proof for the adequacy of the 12 gauge. And from my own personal experience (with the right choke in your gun according to distance), a 12 gauge shotgun with a 3 inch shell is sufficient to take ducks at a respectable range. You will find hunters that swear by shooting 3.5 inch shells at ducks for all types of hunting (even decoy hunting). But at the same time, there are deer hunters that insist on blasting deer at all ranges with gigantic grains of ammunition.
The question of the 12 gauge verses the 10 gauge probably has most controversy when waterfowl hunters have the opportunity to bag geese. I believe that this is where the 10 gauge has it's advantage over even the largest 12 gauge loads. The 3.5 inch shell was developed to allow 12 gauge shotgun owners to "bulk up" when going after geese. The 10 gauge was originally the gauge of choice for large waterfowl. As several others have mentioned, one of the largest advantages of the 10 gauge is that it is a much heavier gun that reduces the recoil the hunter feels. So in essence, you get a larger load of shot, a similar amount of gun powder, and far less recoil by shooting a ten gauge vs. a 3.5 inch 12 gauge shell.
Ideally, I don't know anyone who would pass up owning a 10 gauge if they had the opportunity. But not everyone can front the cash to up and buy a gun just to shoot geese.
The question of the 12 gauge verses the 10 gauge probably has most controversy when waterfowl hunters have the opportunity to bag geese. I believe that this is where the 10 gauge has it's advantage over even the largest 12 gauge loads. The 3.5 inch shell was developed to allow 12 gauge shotgun owners to "bulk up" when going after geese. The 10 gauge was originally the gauge of choice for large waterfowl. As several others have mentioned, one of the largest advantages of the 10 gauge is that it is a much heavier gun that reduces the recoil the hunter feels. So in essence, you get a larger load of shot, a similar amount of gun powder, and far less recoil by shooting a ten gauge vs. a 3.5 inch 12 gauge shell.
Ideally, I don't know anyone who would pass up owning a 10 gauge if they had the opportunity. But not everyone can front the cash to up and buy a gun just to shoot geese.
pauli
Member
well, you can load it with slugs and go dumptruck hunting, too.
Gordon
Member
I allready said I do all my waterfowling and turkey hunting with a 10 ga BPS. I also have a 10ga double (AyA matador) "coach gun" . I found the 10 ga. to have much better patterns of steel BB and T than any 12 ga I've seen beyond 40 yards. I get 60 yard 70+% patterns of T shot in a 30" circle with a Modified choke. I use a Mec Reloader (a 600 ,I think) with Alcan shells and BPS wads and Grex. IMHO steel is a terrible shot material, and I am too cheap for the alternatives!
For fun , it's hard to beat some Buckshot loads in my 10ga SxS! I can shoot 6 or 8 shots of Federal #1 buck and tear up most anything at 25 yards or so
before I get weary. I only reload for steel shot, you see, so the other stuff is unfortunate barnyard varmints or
For fun , it's hard to beat some Buckshot loads in my 10ga SxS! I can shoot 6 or 8 shots of Federal #1 buck and tear up most anything at 25 yards or so
before I get weary. I only reload for steel shot, you see, so the other stuff is unfortunate barnyard varmints or ChristopherG
Member
Can you order shotguns over the internet in the UK?
berettashotgun
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Have an extrema that has not even been fired enough to give a proper review- it did well on the geese, and fits me great. I use a 12 with 2 3/4" shells,homerolled of course, to duck hunt. Sometimes it's a 686onyx with a 3 1/2" chamber~just in case some honkers show up.I goose hunt with a browning gold lite 10ga, because it works very well with my handloads- something the chronograph confirmed, although I got ALOT of time/practice with the 10. I wore out a steel reciever 10ga browning gold shooting some 5 years worth of religous goose hunting. Personally I think (don't know) that the 10 is much more versitle with handloads,but, the 12 3.5 is about the same. I'm just more comfortable with the 10ga wilst hunting the gooses. The online options are rather limited but I'd start my search with auctionarms.com then gunsamerica.com. Good luck and don't mess with a pump if you can afford not to- I have a bps 10 and it hurts to shoot overhead. BTW~ the 26" barrel has become my choice, have a 30 also, but it balances better for me.
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