Who shoots a 10 gauge?

[absolute0]

Who shoots a 10 guage?

How many guys out there regularly shoot a 10 guage?

After fondling a nice Remy SP 10 at the gun store this weekend the idea of picking one up intrigues me. Primary purpose would be for the (very) occasional goose hunt and also for some longer-range pass shooting opportunities on the big water up here in Minnesota.

Who likes 'em, who doesn't, and how come?

 

[trapperjohn]

I used to goose hunt with an Ithaca mag 10. It was a decent gun, but quite heavy.

personally, I would recomend getting a gun chambered in 3 1/2" 12 guage rather than a 10 guage.
the 3 1/2" 12 guage is dang near identical to the 10 guage in performance, and much more versatile because you can shoot 3" and 2 3/4" shells in the same gun.

 

[dakotasin]

i really like a 10 ga for geese... but, you mention only occasional goose hunting. to me, it really sounds like you are in need of a 3.5" 12 ga.

the 10's are quite heavy, but usually isn't a factory for goose hunting.

i have found that anymore, i tend to hunt waterfowl in the morning, pheasants in the afternoon, then back to waterfowl in the evening. the only way to get that kind of versatility is to either buy 2 guns (10 for geese, 12 or 20 for pheasants), or to buy a 3.5" 12... so, my usual everyday-everything gun is a rem 870 super mag (3.5" 12).

 

[kudu]

I have the Ithaca Mag 10, but it hasn't been out of the safe for about 3 years. It's an excellent shooter, with little recoil. It is the what the Rem SP10 is modeled after.

If you want a dedicated goose gun, the 10ga is great. I haven't hunted waterfowl in several years so I cant' say "Go get one" unless you just want a niche gun. The patterns on a 10 are a bit more even from my experience than the 12ga 3.5" shells as well as the shot string being a tad bit shorter.

I have so many other shotguns to hunt with that the only time the 10 will ever come out is if I go after geese again.

 

[Lee Woiteshek]

I also have an Ithaca Mag 10. Bought it when we went to steel. For a long time if you were going to hunt ducks, it just about had to be with the Ten, not so much for the power, but for the amount of number two steel you could put in the air. It was my one and only duck gun. I cut my barrel down to 23 inches, put in Briley chokes, lengthened the forcing cone, sent it to Robar and Polymaxed it and NP3'ed the bolt and internals. Still it swings like a 2X4 and is as heavy as the front bumper of a VW. It however, for me, got the job done. I've carried it every season since 1986. As shotshell technology evolved it was always centered towards the 12 GA. With the arrival of Hevi shot, and its siblings, I'm going to sell mine and get a Super Black Eagle II. I can shoot virtually all 12 GA. loadings, and I beleive the 12 in a 3 inch Hevi shot load of 6's can do anything thing the 10 can do with 3 1/2 number two steel. If I need the 3 1/2 inch capability with the SBE II its there. Its a lighter and smaller gun, and the recoil is less. Other than the price, what's not to like?

 

[Lennyjoe]

I have about 20 boxes of Winchester Super X 10 guage #6 turkey loads just sitting in my ammo storage bin if anyone is interested.

I'll sell them for $4 box + shipping.

 

[Leadbutt]

I've used an Auto-10 for several years now, its heavy but I had the barrel cut back and ported and had chokes installed, mostly for deer in my area as its shotgun only and no slugs allowed, its great for Snows and Blues over on the Eastern Shore{VA}, and not too bad on ducks as long as you give them some range

 

[sumpnz]

I touched off a couple of those rounds Lennyjoe's got. All I can say is OUCH.

 

[SteelyDan]

I've shot half a dozen 10 gauges, including the Ithaca (worked fine, maybe one jam in 75 shots, but I cut my finger pretty good two times trying to load a shell because of a sharp edge on the bottom of the receiver), Rem SP 10 (only took 3 or 4 shots), two Browning BPSs (can't recall a single jam in hundreds of rounds), and a couple of older single shots or double barreled models.

Are they worth it? Probably depends on what and how you hunt. If you do a lot of goose or turkey hunting from a blind, where you don't have to lug the gun around, yeah, it's worth it. There's not a huge difference between the 10 and the 12 gauge 3 1/2 inch, but the 10 will give you more pellets and a better pattern, everything else being equal. But the 10s are heavy and long, so they're kind of a "niche" gun.

Actually, a buddy of mine came out to go goose hunting at the farm we lease, and we all decided to do some pheasant hunting in the afternoon. The only gun he brought was his 10 gauge, so he loaded it with #2 shot and came along. After 3 or 4 miles of trudging through nasty reeds and cattails his arms nearly fell off and I think he would have sold the gun for $10, if the buyer would have carried it back to the farm. At that point I wouldn't have paid more than $5, cuz I was dying too.

 

[lvl1trauma]

I have a Browning BPS I got cheap at a closeout at Wallyworld about 6 or 7 years ago. All I got to say is 2 1/4 oz of number 5 shot in front of 44.0 grains of blue dot is hell on both crows and turkeys. It sort of reminds me of a football when you shoot a crow with it. They just start tumbling and fall.

Lvl1trauma

 

[Gordon]

I shoot a Browning BPS 30" with modified tube EXCLUSIVELY on waterfowl (with steel). I had my AyA Matador 10ga cut down to 20", barrel rib cavity filled with lead for use with buck shot and am gonna try #4 for jack rabbits ! I shot a racoon (40 pounder!!!) at about 25 yards with the 54 pellet load of #4 buck , it flipped the animal up with 20 or more hits! Allways a good sign!

 

[rexelbion]

Ive used my 10 gauge side by side on Asian water buffalo in the past. With sluggs, it seems to do wonders against the buff. In fact, the last one I took went down in two shots and the PH couldn't believe his eyes. He told me that he'd never seen one go down that quick. It sure made me a believer of the Taylor knockdown!


Coinsidentally, a 10 gauge slug rates a 110 on the taylor knockdown, while a 45-70 is only 55!

 

[Partyguy816]

I would shoot one if I could afford one. I just recommend shooting the 12 with 3 1/2 shells.