Why stop at 10 gauge when 2 gauge is even more effective? 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzwbcVbE9rw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzwbcVbE9rw
The 10 Gauge For Home Defense?
- Thread starter Fred Fuller
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Fred Fuller
Moderator Emeritus
That's a punt gun... used from a small shallow draft boat back in market hunting days, to kill large number of waterfowl sitting on the surface.
- punt with punt gun aboard, from http://www.musketsandmemories.net/punt-gun.html
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The 10 gauge was the 12 gauge of the black powder era as far as popularity was concerned. The 'big bore' shotgun back then was the 8 gauge, and there were 4 gauge shoulder fired guns for those who were after large or dangerous game. I don't know of shoulder fired guns larger than 4 gauge, aka 4 bore, but there may have been a few...
- punt with punt gun aboard, from http://www.musketsandmemories.net/punt-gun.html
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The 10 gauge was the 12 gauge of the black powder era as far as popularity was concerned. The 'big bore' shotgun back then was the 8 gauge, and there were 4 gauge shoulder fired guns for those who were after large or dangerous game. I don't know of shoulder fired guns larger than 4 gauge, aka 4 bore, but there may have been a few...
Gordon
Member
I have a 20" AYA 10Ga. SxS hidden up high with 108 #4 Buck in it. The double intimidation factor is not to be sneezed at. It weighs 9 pouinds and I have shot a racoon!
Carl N. Brown
Member
The trend in 12ga police rounds has been toward reduced recoil loads, since big game hunting rounds in buckshot and slug tend to be more than needed for antipersonnel use. (I don't buy reduced recoil loads because if I did use them hunting, if the first shot does not do its job, game escapes.)
Going to 10ga is unnecessary for most defensive use, but if all I had was a goose gun in 10ga for hunting, it would be what was at hand for self defense. On the other hand, the old 10ga "Roadblocker" was very intimidating in appearance and hopefully would deter a home invader before one had to fire it.
Going to 10ga is unnecessary for most defensive use, but if all I had was a goose gun in 10ga for hunting, it would be what was at hand for self defense. On the other hand, the old 10ga "Roadblocker" was very intimidating in appearance and hopefully would deter a home invader before one had to fire it.
627PCFan
Member
I bet you that fella practices his "transitioning to handgun" more than most of us.
I keep a H&R Pardner 10 gauge hanging over the bed room door, it only has a 24 in. barrel & not hard to handle in the house. Rounds, not hard to find just expensive..........
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/72...1-2-00-buckshot-non-toxic-15-pellets-box-of-5
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/31...1-2-4-buckshot-non-toxic-35-pellets-box-of-10
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/16...ion-10-gauge-3-1-2-1-1-2-oz-bb-non-toxic-shot
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/72...1-2-00-buckshot-non-toxic-15-pellets-box-of-5
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/31...1-2-4-buckshot-non-toxic-35-pellets-box-of-10
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/16...ion-10-gauge-3-1-2-1-1-2-oz-bb-non-toxic-shot
VA27
Member
I did the same thing with one when the H&R first hit the shelves. I was about that kid's age, too. The ony buckshot load available then was #4. 54 pellets! I had great fun blowing down small trees with it.
The last 10ga I fired was a BPS that a guy was trying to sell. I decided that if I can't do it with a 3" 12ga, it doesn't need doing...at least by me.
The last 10ga I fired was a BPS that a guy was trying to sell. I decided that if I can't do it with a 3" 12ga, it doesn't need doing...at least by me.
Double_J
Member
My co-worker loves his BPS 10 Ga. I personally think he is crazy, if you can't kill it with a 12 ga. and 3 inch to 3.5 inch shells you should wait for the stupid bird to get closer. He claims that the recoil is not that bad, and you can shoot it with one hand. I don't buy that for a moment as I know what my mossberg 500 feels like with 3 inch turkey loads. I know the 10 ga. is heavier but it don't matter that much. If I can't kill it with a 2.75 inch 9 pellet 00 load then I need to rethink my strategy a little bit.
MCgunner
Member
Far as felt recoil goes, it's amazing how well a 9 lb gun soaks it up. I've fired nearly a box in a morning on geese, no more sore than with a 12, really. But, it's a better goose gun than home defense gun. I bought it JUST for that, slinging large payloads of tightly grouped steel T shot into the stratosphere. It's a 10 gauge H&R and it shoots over 90 percent 30" pattern board at 40 yards. No other shotgun I own patterns as tight. It'd deadly past 60 yards on late season snows where they'd be completely safe from a 12 gauge 3" BB steel. I have a 3.5" 12, now, but I ain't holding my breath that it'll pattern that good and it's a light weight pump, a Mossberg 535, so it will pound with heavy loads. I've got to find some 3.5" T in 12 gauge to pattern that gun, though.
It's a 10 gauge H&R and it shoots over 90 percent 30" pattern board at 40 yards. No other shotgun I own patterns as tight. It'd deadly past 60 yards on late season snows where they'd be completely safe from a 12 gauge 3" BB steel. I have a 3.5" 12, now, but I ain't holding my breath that it'll pattern that good and it's a light weight pump, a Mossberg 535, so it will pound with heavy loads. I've got to find some 3.5" T in 12 gauge to pattern that gun, though.
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yzguy87
Member
"But more and more, these old 10 gauge behemoths are seeing new life as defensive guns."
I have to call this guys bluff. This is the first time I've ever heard of using a 10 ga as a defense gun.
*
"I remember three chapter headings from an old Time Life book on mining I used to read when I was a kid.* The first was “How to make a Hole.”* Chapter two was “How to make a Hole Bigger.”* And the last was “How to make a Bigger Hole.”* The 10 gauge makes a bigger hole."
By this logic why don't we just use old punt guns.
Oh wait! We could cut it down to 18.5" so it would be more effective in a defense situation!
I have to call this guys bluff. This is the first time I've ever heard of using a 10 ga as a defense gun.
*
"I remember three chapter headings from an old Time Life book on mining I used to read when I was a kid.* The first was “How to make a Hole.”* Chapter two was “How to make a Hole Bigger.”* And the last was “How to make a Bigger Hole.”* The 10 gauge makes a bigger hole."
By this logic why don't we just use old punt guns.
Oh wait! We could cut it down to 18.5" so it would be more effective in a defense situation!
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Gordon
Member
The one in the middle is my 10 ga. Upper gun my wifes 20 ga Ithaca ultalight deerslayer and my Winchester model 12 riot from 1955. I replaced the bead with a huge Williams bead and filled the open space exposed when sawed off with molten lead.
Sheepdog1968
Member
All kidding aside, a 12 gauge with a limbsaver allows me to shoot 200 plus rounds in a self defense class with about half being buck in a day class. I've taken 4 day classes using 400 rounds in total. Just how bad is a 10 gauge?
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blarby
Member
I could come up with some very considerable hand loads for 10ga SD, and look forward to doing so once I have the opportunity.
I can only imagine the potential of a 3.5" 10ga shell loaded with .311 balls and a spreader wad.
I could put a limbsaver on that, and have even a small gal clear out the fullness of a hallway in one shot.
My "hull sap" is rising just thinking about it, actually.
Remember- bigger is always better- thats why we have the 45
Gordon- I LOVE <3 <3 <3 that 10ga SxS !
I can only imagine the potential of a 3.5" 10ga shell loaded with .311 balls and a spreader wad.
I could put a limbsaver on that, and have even a small gal clear out the fullness of a hallway in one shot.
My "hull sap" is rising just thinking about it, actually.
Remember- bigger is always better- thats why we have the 45
Gordon- I LOVE <3 <3 <3 that 10ga SxS !
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Fred Fuller
Moderator Emeritus
A good many of the shotguns used as coach guns were 10 gauge, back in the day. Remember, though - they were stoked with black powder loads.
One famous example is this Stevens, which belonged to the highly respected Wells Fargo detective Fred Dodge, a good friend of Wyatt Earp - who had a real soft spot for shotguns. Earp borrowed the shotgun, and reportedly used it in the fight at Iron Springs on March 24, 1882 to kill 'Curly Bill' Brocius.
Fourteen years later the same shotgun was borrowed by another legendary lawman, Heck Thomas, and used in a gunfight which left outlaw Bill Doolin permanently the worse for wear.
BTW - the front 'trigger' opens the action. This example has 22 1/4" barrels, is 38" long overall, and weighs 9.4 pounds unloaded. The serial number is 927. (Info from Swearengen's The World's Fighting Shotguns. photo from IMFDB at http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/10_Gauge_Double_Barreled_Shotgun.
One famous example is this Stevens, which belonged to the highly respected Wells Fargo detective Fred Dodge, a good friend of Wyatt Earp - who had a real soft spot for shotguns. Earp borrowed the shotgun, and reportedly used it in the fight at Iron Springs on March 24, 1882 to kill 'Curly Bill' Brocius.
Fourteen years later the same shotgun was borrowed by another legendary lawman, Heck Thomas, and used in a gunfight which left outlaw Bill Doolin permanently the worse for wear.
BTW - the front 'trigger' opens the action. This example has 22 1/4" barrels, is 38" long overall, and weighs 9.4 pounds unloaded. The serial number is 927. (Info from Swearengen's The World's Fighting Shotguns. photo from IMFDB at http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/10_Gauge_Double_Barreled_Shotgun.
Fred Fuller
Moderator Emeritus
Bill Doolin, postmortem
Biography - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Doolin
Biography - Heck Thomas - http://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-heckthomas.html
Tolkachi Robotnik
Member
Black Powder days ten gauges.
The shells for the ten gauge were only 2 7/8 inches long before about 1930. They pushed 1 1/4 ounces of shot with the standard loading with black powder shells. It was considered something of a utilitarian every man's tool then. The twelve gauge was considered medium, along with the sixteen which was about same bore as the Brown Bess unrifled musket, and shot ounce loads with black. These were standard items, and the ten gauge was about as popular as the 12 and 16. The twenty gauge was small, for little birds, and the rarer of the four gauges.
With better powders the ten was not necessary. It came back a little in the early days of non-toxic shot due to the steel payload possibilities.
A ten gauge might be useful for home defense if grizzly bears are interested and your smokehouse is attached to your home. You better have an alarm system so you can stretch and get limbered up before they get close.
The shells for the ten gauge were only 2 7/8 inches long before about 1930. They pushed 1 1/4 ounces of shot with the standard loading with black powder shells. It was considered something of a utilitarian every man's tool then. The twelve gauge was considered medium, along with the sixteen which was about same bore as the Brown Bess unrifled musket, and shot ounce loads with black. These were standard items, and the ten gauge was about as popular as the 12 and 16. The twenty gauge was small, for little birds, and the rarer of the four gauges.
With better powders the ten was not necessary. It came back a little in the early days of non-toxic shot due to the steel payload possibilities.
A ten gauge might be useful for home defense if grizzly bears are interested and your smokehouse is attached to your home. You better have an alarm system so you can stretch and get limbered up before they get close.
the guy in that video is retarded. he sure thinks he is cool closing the action. kind of like the "cool" guys who try to rack a pump action with one hand or the guys who shoot from the hip because they think its cool. oh and don't forget the sunglasses and a cigar or cigarette to make you even cooler yet.
gunownerz
Member
I was thinking the exact same thing.
gunownerz
Member
Whoa! That's incredible. The recoil on that is just amazingly intimidating.Why stop at 10 gauge when 2 gauge is even more effective?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzwbcVbE9rw
I don't think the video/article is suggesting this as the most practical HD solution. But it does look like a fun novelty item for breaking in new shooters at bachelor parties or what not.
10ga is actually the cheapest of the shotguns to shoot. Sure, it's $2 to $3 per round, but 5 rounds or so and you're pretty much done for months.
10ga is actually the cheapest of the shotguns to shoot. Sure, it's $2 to $3 per round, but 5 rounds or so and you're pretty much done for months.
Sam Cade
Member
That looks to have been fairly decisive.
MCgunner
Member
Well, IMO, you're right for all the ninja stuff, but for big, decoy shy birds with steel T shot, not so much. H&R and Browning chamber it, think the Remington Mag 10 may still be available, but don't know for sure. My bud has a BPS 10, heavy, but brings the geese down. I've never shot a 12 gauge shell that patterns as well.
This is goose hunting country around Eagle Lake, Texas. Over in El Campo at the Walmart, they don't have any 12 gauge 3.5" Ts or anything else. I've been wanting to pick up a box to pattern my Mossberg 535. BUT, they have THREE ROWS stacked deep and high of 10 gauge 3.5" T shot.
I know where to get ammo for my next goose hunt. Nah, the 10 ain't near as dead as the 16. If you lived in goose hunting country, you'd probably realize that. And, it's a lot more popular than the much lauded 28 gauge, though for a different game entirely. Heck, around here, 10 gauge ammo FAR out sells these and .410. If the 10's obsolete, where does that leave the .410, the .28, and the 16? Yes, Virginia, there is more to life than the 12 and the 20.
But, yeah, not for home defense or blowing knobs off doors, which is what this thread is about. No, for any sort of defense or combat, the 20 and the 12 pretty much are it IMHO. I ain't cuttin' the choke off MY 10 gauge!!!!!!!!!!!!.
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