Any 10GA shooters out there??

I have an old sxs 10ga that I love. It was great with factory full chokes but I wanted to use larger shot and a local gunsmith said they could ream the chokes to modified and well they screwed the left barrel up. I should have just left it alone. Now I need to send it out to someone qualified and if there's enough barrel I'm sure there is have it cut back and threaded for chokes

I've had several 10 ga over the years and many 3.5" 12 ga guns. The tens pattern more densely and evenly at further ranges I'm my testing

They are complete over kill for turkey as my average shot is only 10-12 yards but 2-1/4 oz #6 works
 
My SP10 is a fantastic waterfowl and crane shotgun. Hopefully, it will get me a turkey next spring in Ontario. When my boys are home, I have to use my Benelli. My boys like it as much as I do.
 
...just like with rifles, so with shotguns, each gauge does something just a little bit better than the others

...each shotgun gauge has a range of optimal payloads

...overloading fast become subject to a gauge's average of diminishing returns

...reloaders can and do overload each gauge regularly, including 10's...then shot groups spread, become inconsistent, pressure climbs, killing become hit or miss

...overloading gives better results than under loading, it's true, but it does not show a 12 or a 10 for why they are best at doing

...recoil on my 10's are never annoying

...10's consistently put more shot on the target with best sustained speeds at long range

...and reloading brings the cost way down

...go figure it out for yourself

...if you don't shoot one it's all just words
 
^One of the easiest snowshoehare harvests for me was using a reproduction blunderbuss in 10 gauge in very dense cover of boreal forest.
Yes the 'overload' charge did the deed with relative ease, while cutting a half chord of green wood along the way to the target.
And heavy & large caliber buckshot loads are another very underappreciated facet regarding the 10.
 
I've got an Armsport 2700 over and under in 10 gauge that I use once in awhile. It seems to pound geese out of the sky without a lot of fuss, and kicks less than you'd think. Less than a 3 1/2" 12 anyway.
 
It is hard to find the fine line between 'normal' 10 gauge 2 7/8 versus 3 1/2 inch ten gauge magnum.
I think the line could be drawn at 30 grains (for an upper end 2 7/8s) and near 40 grains for the modern 3 1/2 inch magnum?

My pellet count for 0000 buckshot in the smokeless 10 2 7/8 hand load is right around 15 right now. No signs of undue pressure, and recoil manageable. A Winchester Model 1901 with all brass hulls, and single loading into the chamber.

With either 10 gauge smokeless loading, I have never felt the heavy punishment that one endures with 12 gauge 3 1/2 inch shells, in a pump action shotgun myself.

my 2 bits
 
I was ready to buy an 870 Waterfowl edition 3 1/2" 12ga, sure glad I didn't after reading about recoil with the 3 1/2" mags. My cousin has one of those turkey 870s with the sureshot stock and short barrel. Was with him the first time he shot it, he was in a prone position. Knocked him arse over tea kettle! Wasn't expecting that much recoil I guess.ha:

I don't find this 10's recoil bad at all... was using my wifes Weatherby PA-08 20ga with 3" mags last year for geese and I think the recoil is basically the same, maybe even a bit less with the 10. Would probably be a different story with turkey loads though lol.
 
I bought a new Rem. SP10 when they were first introduced and used it for Snows, my buds were all shooting 12's at the time, the next year we had two more 10's in the group, the guns shoot large pellets (BB or greater) with authority, I started hand loading it almost from the beginning with Ballistic Products wads and big lead pellets BB, BBB and F's . Fast forward I bought my second SP10 last year, added a shorter 26" barrel to accompany my 30" and a slug barrel with open sights which I still haven't shot (can't wait to get some slugs).
Some will argue that there is no advantage to the 10 over a 12, to that I say you don't know what you are talking about.
Where the 10 shines is shooting large pellets at long range, God forbid you shoot BB or BBB Heavy Shot it is astonishing, anything shot inside 50 yds is complete penetration most of the time.
There are better loads today than when it was first introduced and the price of 10ga ammo is almost the same as 12ga 3.5" loads.
BB
 
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I had the browning I think it was the sp-10 I can remember which one it was .... but all I can tell you that geese fell like rocks from the sky .... I #### you not that I would fire 3 reload another two sometimes three and still kill geese out to 75...80 yards
And for turkey Ihave it on film a 75 yard shot dead
The 10 provides a payload more than the 3.5 12
Funny thing is that I would fill 3/4 of the guys limit for geese when we go and the looks I'd get were just priceless it got to the point that I would let them shot first ( ahhh Christ I would laugh) then I'd start to shoot. And then the geese would drop when they couldn't kill them
My browning is still at the store I traded it .... and when I go to that store I see it there
Just like everyone else said the ammo is pricey and kinda hard to come by
Browning the best there is
And I'm still tempted to go back for it

All in all dude if your going to buy it you won't be disappointed
 
I had a love affair with the 10 gauge for a few years had an SP-10 and and a mag 10. Both nice guns then I got a arm sport side-by-side.gteat goose gun
So I bought a single shot H&R single had rifled sights welded on for turkey hunting. I ended up selling it because of recoil absolutely brutal.i would like another sxs but not with the 32 inch barrels like my old one had Maybe 26 inch barrels with screw in chokesh
 
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Bingo...you are right on 3macs! Probably Imperal #2s

Sorry but no Bingo for you dilly, the vast majority here are NOT talking about lead shot experience, steel shot is what this topic is about unless you are talking about turkey hunting or reminiscing about grandpa,
remember steel shot came onto the scene in 1999 and guns like the Remington SP10 and Browning 10's which is what the majority here are talking about came out at that time so this
discussion does in fact speak to steel shot performance in the 10 and not to lead shot. Surely you see that the OP was asking a question pertaining to today's shooters experriences.
As others have said..........If you don't shoot one it's all just words
BB
 
Bore diameter , stack height of the pay load in the hull and the resulting shot sting length .would be major factors why the 10 ga out preforms the 3.5" 12 ga I would think . the closer a payload is to being a square load the better it tends to pattern . ( square load = the stack height and bore width of the payload that are the same dimension or are very close .)

It all comes down to this perfect description and it holds true when comparing effectiveness in all the gauges.
The 10 has a bigger bore and that means something when comparing similar payloads.
BB
 
I have an old sxs 10ga that I love. It was great with factory full chokes but I wanted to use larger shot and a local gunsmith said they could ream the chokes to modified and well they screwed the left barrel up. I should have just left it alone. Now I need to send it out to someone qualified and if there's enough barrel I'm sure there is have it cut back and threaded for chokes

I've had several 10 ga over the years and many 3.5" 12 ga guns. The tens pattern more densely and evenly at further ranges I'm my testing

They are complete over kill for turkey as my average shot is only 10-12 yards but 2-1/4 oz #6 works

brybenn, I would recommend Briley for choke work, I have not used them personally but my buds have sent barrels to them on two occasions to do custom waterfowl mods (back boring, threaded choke tubes).
It's expensive work!
BB
 
when I was younger I had a beautiful sxs Spanish double 10 gauge
I was strong and powerful and could absorb recoil like it was candy from a candy store well the firing pin broke on it , so I took it to
to at that time
, Westgate gun sports in Edmonton
to get it fixed
it took the guy 1 1/2 years to fix it
when he did he didn't set the triggers properly and it doubled on me unexpectedly
the side lock came up and split me wide open rt between the eyes
well
long story short that started 6 years of surgeries and depression mood swings (long story but very true at the same time)
I ended up being scarred of that big double 10 gauge after that and traded it for a cheap Remington 270
fast forward 10 years
not as tuff me
to the now new to me Browning gold mag 10's
I now have 2 browning gold 10 mags
the first one I bought had a 26 inch barrel, (browning gold mag 10 stalker)
it came with a full set of chokes plus a wad wizard choke tube, and a case of assorted ammo, and had never been fired
I believe its a 2002 model
with that wad wizard choke tube I consistently decapitated geese at 40 yards
this fall I bought a 30 inch barrel for it, wow that gun with a wad wizard choke tube can really reach out and touch them,
using Winchester drlylok t shot ammo
I tried an extreme high shot just for experiment , on a lesser Canada goose,
when the goose hit the stubble ground, it totally exploded, into several different parts
that gun is now my grand sons, graduation gift from me
the other browning gold 10 gauge, hunter
I bought from the spank here on gunNutz,
that gun will have to be pried out of my cold stiff dead hands when I kick the big bucket in the sky
I have shot beside guys that shoot 12 gauge 3 1/5 inch (will a 12 gauge 3 1/2 inch do the log range shots? yes they should be able to with the ammo technology in todays world ( consistently???) no one has ever been able to prove that to me up to this date yet) but with the big 10's yes
most of them cant run a box of ammo through their guns and they are whining
their shoulders hurt
when they ask me how I can handle the recoil from my 10 gauges
I let em try my 10 gauges
every one of them say they don't kick as hard as their 12 gauges
with 3 inch ammo
so I will spend the extra money on ammo, and get the results I get
the way I see it if I want to shoot 3 1/2 that's why they made the 10 gauge
why be devastated from the 12 gauge 3 1/2 inch when I can shoot a 10 gauge
I have a friend that bought an Ithica mag 10 it has Briley choke tubes ,
it is a heavy gun and still kicks harder then both my browning's kick
I have another friend that shoots a Remington sp 10
same thing heavy but doesn't kick as hard as the Ithica
as for ammo most 10 gauge ammo fps is less then most 12 gauge ammo fps
but you cant beat the pattern of a 10 gauge that is king of all kings in the shotgun world
any one that tells you that you can get the same with a 12 gauge 3 1/2 inch
is full of BS
and his arss is sucking slew grass
and doesn't have a clue what he is yapping about
so just take a 10 gauge and prove to him differently
he will soon quit yapping like a little spanked puppy on the porch
sorry for the long speal
Mv3PUlU.jpg
 
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Sorry but no Bingo for you dilly, the vast majority here are NOT talking about lead shot experience, steel shot is what this topic is about unless you are talking about turkey hunting or reminiscing about grandpa,
remember steel shot came onto the scene in 1999 and guns like the Remington SP10 and Browning 10's which is what the majority here are talking about came out at that time so this
discussion does in fact speak to steel shot performance in the 10 and not to lead shot. Surely you see that the OP was asking a question pertaining to today's shooters experriences.
As others have said..........If you don't shoot one it's all just words
BB
Ok, I will stop being polite here since you are being a bit snippy my friend. Some of the claims in this thread may have scientific merit, and most are anecdotal. Your kool aide is red, mine is green...maybe we can leave it at that.
 
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