10 Ga shotguns

K

Kevin the grey

Joined
Aug 26, 2005
Messages
4,106
Not that I go goose hunting that often . I always like to be prepared and sometimes you can pick up 10s quite cheaply .

You can tell the look . Its a man who doesn,t shoot all that much and he just discovered he has bought a hand cannon . He just wants to get rid of it .

Are they all that hard to shoot ? I have shot large caliber rifles with enjoyment and a twelve Ga is just something to shoot for me .

I always figured that shooting a ten Ga would make up for the lack of penetration and distance of steel shot . Am I off base on this as well ?
 
Always wanted a lever action 10 ga ala Terminator 2. Hasta la vista baby!
Terry
 
I always wondered about the 10ga. Roadblocker model when I was younger. It might be a bit overkill for house protection... but AWESOME for zombies :D
 
I believe the glazed eyes of those trying to sell their 10's should tell you something.........Mankind has always, from the time of the atlatl, tried to extend his reach, and extend it, and extend it....until the law of diminishing returns KICKS in, pun intended. Those geese that are just a liiittle to high to bring to bag, for example. Alas, the laws of physics and the deterioration of energy remaining past 60 yards (caused by extreme air resistance to round flying objects) cause that point of diminishing returns to occur right about 10 guage. Oh yes, I had a four guage "punt gun" for about a year, but it had a stirrup pinned thru the forend, attached to a three foot stake that fit upright into the gunwales of the boat. When it went off, the entire boat went backward about four feet. The massive shot charge still ran out of steam at 60-70 yards! Why? Because a sphere has more air resistance than even a cube. Only by increasing the mass of individual pellets greatly (think cannonballs) would give you a few hundred yards.

Yes, folks make a .454 Casull, or .500 S&W, but does the average guy need one for police work? (Police are among the last to strap one on daily, and occasionally need to fire more than once). Yes, we have the .460 Weatherby and the .577 Tyrannosaur, and the .700 H&H, but none will guarantee your survival after misplacing a shot on an elephant.

Ahhh, now we come to bragging rights....Mine is bigger than yours! I actually still shoot for enjoyment, and even though a Neanderthal, I have an upper limit on pure enjoyment. When a guy sits down at the next bench over with a Barrett .50.....I confess to thinking "Sorry about the size of your dingus, Brotherman." I believe you will find a 12 guage with 3" turkey loads all the fun you need. Shoot a box of 25 from the shoulder (minus gizmos) within an hour, and see if you don't agree. Better yet, BORROW a 10 guage Roadblocker, shoot 25 from the shoulder in an hour, and know empirically why you won't find one in the trunk of every trooper. :D :D :D
 
I always wanted a Barret fifty, Jurrasic, to blow up old cars and washing machines. Different concept. For all around shooting I wouldn't touch it, and have no use for the overbore now found in every calibre. I like shooting. The 38's, 32's, 41, 44's and 45's suit me just fine.



munk
 
munk said:
I always wanted a Barret fifty, Jurrasic, to blow up old cars and washing machines.

munk
Click to expand...
I know. My Marines use 50's with a scope as long range talley whackers....or is that tali(ban) whackers? I think my personal limit is my .340 Weatherby, but my .270 Weatherby's get shot a LOT more. Punch out a 150 grain Nosler at a chronographed 3,150 fps, and the kick is about like the caress of a maiden's kiss. Deer die like from double forked lightning! The .340, however, is a different story altogether.....put a 250 grain out at an honest 2,900 and the kick is right at the upper limit of my self discipline and accuracy. Maybe great for elk and bear.... just don't bench it for more that 15-20 rounds at a time. The older I get, less is more.
 
I should have added, for those considering the .340 Weatherby Magnum, there is a "best of both worlds" solution. Put a 210 grain Nosler Partition over 89.2 grains of R-22 powder (Weatherby or Norma brass, Fed 215 or 215M primer) for 3,100 to 3,150 fps.....absolutely devastating, reasonable recoil, and a picture perfect mushroom if and when you (rarely) recover one. My particular rifle (20 years old) loves this load.....groups like three leaf clovers are the norm.
 
8. Now, "GET THE HELL OUT OF THE AREA UNTIL THE SMOKE HAS CLEARED" ( You have just created a smoke cloud that is likely visible from the moon. It may take up to 30 minutes for the smoke to dissipate depending on the particular area and wind conditions ) Move away from the howitzer by one-half mile. ( or more ) Sit down and eat your lunch. Keep an eye on the area from a distance, making sure there are no nosey hunters that wander over to see what all the noise ( and smoke ) was about. In the unlikely event that a crowd of unknown hunters should wander over, play dumb, talk with your mouth full, drool, and entice them away from the area of the howitzer. If they comment about the "smell of rotten eggs" ( the sulfur form the 1/2 pound of black powder you just ignited ) tell them you ate a lot hard boiled eggs for breakfast, and you have gas. If they should discover the Mountain Howitzer Cannon, "tell them that they are trespassing on private land", and threaten to call the Sheriff if they don't leave at once.

Thanks Bill , My first chuckle and belly laugh of the day .
 
and number 9


9. After the smoke ( and the coast ) has cleared, go back and start trailing your deer. However, if you did everything correctly with your howitzer, the deer will likely be dead on the spot ... and won't need any trailing.

It would be a good idea to drag the deer away from the cannon area before starting to field dress him. ( just in case other hunters wander over ) Now is also a good time to spread-out lots of those fired 12 gage empty hulls.

10. In the event that you "do" have unscheduled on-lookers while you are field dressing the deer, ( especially if a Game Warden happens by ) be ready to explain to him that you got very, very, excited and that you kept shooting your "12 gage shotgun" until the deer finally went down. Tell him you fired "at least as many times as you find holes in the deer". Take him over and show him all the empty cases which are strewn about. ( the ones you previously spread-out far away from the Mountain Howitzer I hope) Act very, very, excited and be very, very, convincing. ( your freedom may depend on your acting ability ) You may need to tell him that you had to reload, two or even three times, depending on the number of holes you find in the deer. ( the pattern of your individual mountain howitzer cannon will dictate the extent of your tale ) However, if you shot your deer at less than 100 yards, this may not work at all, and you will now be in big trouble. ( Hopefully the Judge will have a sense of humor when he exclaims to the Game Warden, .............. "You telling me he actually shot a Deer with a Mountain Howitzer Cannon?" )

 
Awww, come on you guys. You're makin' a mountain out of a molehill. The ten gauge is only slightly larger in bore than 12 guage, and lots of 12 gauge 3 1/2" shells actually outperform factory 10 gauge fodder. As in, more shot and velocity. The 10 can be loaded with lighter loads just like the rest. You guys are makin' it sound like 3" 12 ga shells are just pussycats to shoot, but a 3" 10 ga shell would knock ya on yer butt. Hogwash. There ain't that big a difference between 'em, kinda like the difference between 16 ga & 12.

Lots of 10 ga guns I've handled are indeed quite heavy, including an old steel frame auto that must've weighed 11 or 12 friggin' pounds. So that attribute limits them to situations where you'd be sitting still most of the time in my book, such as in a duck/goose pit, or waiting for turkey, etc. But at the same time, this extra weight does help 'em soak up the extra recoil, too. You really think that mag loads out of a ten pound 10 ga are really gonna hurt that much worse than mag loads out of a six pound 12 ga?

The weight thing is just a generalization though. Dad's old Spanish double barrel 10 is pretty darn heavy, but I once fondled an Italian made over & under 10 gauge that was a joy to swing. Dad also had a single shot H&R 10 "long tom" that wasn't too bad to lug around.

I blasted lotsa coons with them two tens. 3 1/2" mag shells out of that single shot were a bit exciting, but it was honestly less painful than my little sister's 20 gauge! (Her gun just don't fit me right, and the stock punches me in the cheek, actually turning half my face numb. Never had a 12 or 10 do that.) I once splattered a possum that was in a small tree- pieces landed within about a 10 foot radius. And there was that coon raiding the sweet corn patch- he got both barrels from that Spanish double... think I still have the stories saved somewhere.

Anyhoo, the shells are expensive if you don't handload, and modern factories have done such extreme development with the 12 gauge that the ten probably doesn't have much advantage any more. But if you can find a gun that just feels great, don't let the naysayers turn you away from it. :thumbup:

By the way, just so we're clear on it, the size of the shot is really what determines the effective range and penetration. Velocity don't help much, since as Jurassic pointed out, they lose it very quickly. A bigger bore and shell allows you to launch more of that bigger shot at roughly the same velocity, so you still have a dense enough pattern at extended ranges to be effective.
 
I believe some people have taken Elk with the Barrett 50. No ducks I know of, yet.




munk
 
I shot a 10 gauge along with a standard 12 gauge years ago when I was at my neighbor's. Like the posseum said, the 10 gauge had slightly more recoil, though the 12 was enough for me.

Bob
 
Did I mention that the 12 guage 3" Magnum in my 6 3/4 lb. Browning Double S/S is all the fun I need? If the 10 Mag floats your boat, go for it. I personally drop back to 2 3/4" Express loads anytime the game being hunted makes sense to do so. I hold no opinion or bias regarding those who prefer to "slap 'em down and stomp 'em". My 12 does what I ask; any higher praise is not needed.
 
I have two which are a Browning BPS and Gold Light. Both are Stalkers, and I usually take them duck hunting in open water. Most people only shoot them once, and bitch about how bad it kicks, but they really don't kick all that bad. A .10 is one of those that people either love or hate, and I really love mine.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top