What does anyone think about a 10 gauge

[Al Bundy]

The last two or three seasons I'm seeing my hunting buddy reach out further than I can and consistently drop birds. I've taken a few shots and ended up with crips. He's shooting 3 1/2 in. And I'm at 3. Thinking very seriously about upgrading my shotgun. I've had my bps since 84 and it's dropped a good share of birds and white tails. But... things are different and seems I need more reach. I saw a used 10 gauge bps and it honestly caught my eye.  I looked at 12 3 1/2 but nothing quite does it. I was looking into benelli but have ruled it out due to kick and click.  Other auto loaders I also am shying away from now. Each seems to have its own potential issues. So... why not this 10 gauge??? never shot a 10 but I wonder if it kicks like a mule. It's kind of heavy but can put a sling on it.  

[reeltime]

Dan,

first thing I would do is pattern your 12, often times that is the issue. If your shooting a straight choke gun ( not a screw in choke) you may be able to improve the pattern with some barrel work.  If your gun accepts screw in chokes you may be better served to try an after market choke tube, for waterfowl kicks high flyer is a good choice.

As far as a 10 gauge goes to me its way overkill in all aspects, weight, cost, and cost of ammo, and kick.  Just does not seem needed to me, we all experience cripples unless your allowing birds to land in the decoys and then water swatting them.  we all try to finish off cripples soon but some of the divers are just about impossible to kill.

good luck

 

[stubby68]

I have an H& R 10 and a New England10 . Never liked them for anything other then turkey. They do kick like a mule do not think I would want to fire me then a couple times a day. A friend of mine has a 10 Guage pump ,never paid attention to what it is. He sent it out and had it force coned. He uses it for turkey and duck. After three shots back to back he is done shoulder is bruised for days. Only brings it for ducks we he feels like punishing himself.

[turkeyfeathers]

Assume you are talking about duck hunting ?!

I have an 1187 Remington SPT in 12 gauge. I could shoot 3.5"s all day long and never feel a thing. The auto and weight of this turkey gun absorbs everything. So weight in a 10 is not a bad thing as it'll reduce some recoil.  My Winchester 1300 shooting 2.75" turkey loads hurt like heck ! My brother has a 10 in H n R single shot that I just loosened fillings thinking about it. He's killed a crap load of turkeys with it. When shooting at actual birds/animals kick is almost not detected. On paper it's going to hurt.

Agree with reeltime in patterning your gun and better availability of ammo  with the 12.  Different tubes ,different shells . Not sure how many duck hunters do this or experiment with it. Some turkey guys polish their barrel and patterns improve greatly.

[Al Bundy]

Y am talking about ducks and geese. M y bps was the last year of no chokes I think. It's just a regular barrel and I've never had need to futz with chokes.  I looked up once and I recall its modified maybe. 

Thanks for the 10 info. My shoulders are already not great so,sounds like I have my answer.  I'm going to keep looking for a 12 3 1/2. Maybe a Winchester pump. 

[turkeyfeathers]

16 minutes ago, Dan.NY said:

Y am talking about ducks and geese. M y bps was the last year of no chokes I think. It's just a regular barrel and I've never had need to futz with chokes.  I looked up once and I recall its modified maybe. 

Thanks for the 10 info. My shoulders are already not great so,sounds like I have my answer.  I'm going to keep looking for a 12 3 1/2. Maybe a Winchester pump. 

A pump in 3.5 " is going to hurt !!!  As I said 2 .75" turkey loads out of my Winny pump heard like a motha. Autoloaders absorb a lot of recoil vs pump. Did put a Simms shock relief slip on pad to daughters 20. Turkey loads and slugs are a joy to shoot now, Could be an additional option for you too.

Any chance there's aftermarket barrels for you BPS?   I know nothing about actual goose/duck hunting but isn't a modified too open ?

[wolc123]

I think the waterfowlers use more open choke than turkey hunters because the lead-free shot does not deform and open up as much.   I remember #2 steel patterning pretty good from a modified but way too tight from a full.

Edited January 14, 2017 by wolc123

[Pygmy]

The 10 gauge is a dinosaur.  There is very little ballistic advantage ( if any) over the 3.5" 12 gauge, the guns are heavy and cumbersome, and the ammo can be hard to come by..

Semi auto shotguns definitely have less felt recoil than fixed breech guns like pumps and doubles all other things ( like gun weight) being equal.

I can shoot a box of shells in a morning with my 3" 12 gauge 11-87 with no ill effects, but if I shoot the same loads out of my Browning over/under, I end up with a headache..

 

[Rattler]

I shoot a Mossberg 835 in 3.5" 12 gauge with the camo synthetic stock and vented barrel.  It's 30 years old.  Got it when they first brought them out.  I've killed geese so high in the sky, my hunting partners couldn't believe it.  It has never needed even the slightest repair.  

You don't need a 10 gauge.  My friends have never been able shoot any farther with their pump action 10 gauges and wish they had gotten a 3.5" 12 gauge instead.

I've filled the butt stock on the 835 with pennies to add weight between the chamber and my shoulder and it really cuts the recoil down to standard shot shell levels.  I didn't use lead shot in the butt stock because it didn't need that much weight to work well.  It even has the original factory recoil pad on it, which isn't high tech like some new ones are.  It's also back bored in the barrel.  That help reduce recoil as well.

The ammo is easier to find and costs less.  Plus, it can shoot anything, even low power trap loads, without changing anything in the action.  Add a slug barrel to it and the combo is a versatile hunting shotgun that can really do it all.  

This is one gun I will always need and will never sell.

[Pygmy]

To each his own, but I never climbed on the 3.5" bandwagon...I  killed ducks, geese and turkeys just fine with 2 3/4" shells until I got my first 3" magnum about 40 years ago...

                        Many of my  buddies love their 3.5 s, but if it's too far for me to kill with a 3" 12 gauge, it's just too far for me to shoot at.

[BigVal]

Check out winchester sx3 also just released the sx4 

[Larry]

Years ago I had an Ithaca Mag 10 for duck hunting. In the day of lead shot 2 1/4 oz. of 4s 60yds was the perfect range and even killed birds at 80yds. I killed a turkey at 65yds. It was great for hunting big water and fields. The gun was so heavy once you got swinging you always follow though.

[TreeGuy]

10's can be tough on the shoulder... Plus ammo can me difficult to find. I'd agree with others, maybe look into patterns with new chokes or a different Barrell. If your set on something new, the rem versamax is a gun you can't kill, and with 3.5"s you will get your range and easy on the shoulder.

[gastrodoc]

I have a Remington SP-10 and the thing is absolutely deadly on geese.  I cannot get any of my 3.5 12 ga to pattern BB or 2 anywhere near as good as this gun.  It has virtually no recoil as it is heavy and gas operated.  In fact, it kicks less than an 870 shooting 2 3/4" loads.  In fact, it is my most borrowed gun as many of my buddies want it for goose hunting.

 

I have no idea why one of the posts above states it has a small safety and this somehow effected their turkey hunting????  I have shot  hundreds of geese with this gun and never even thought twice about the safety

Now a 10ga pump--that may be pretty brutal on the shoulder

[reeltime]

i have a handfull of 835's,  they are all fine with 3" shells but even with the ported barrel the 3.5" shells pound your shoulder.  I bought a winchester sxp 3.5 chamber 12 a few years ago and even with using it so much it takes time getting the rhythm of cycling the action as its "recoil assist" which means the action opens when the guns fired so to chamber the next round you just slide the action forward.... this was really foreign to me after almost 40 years of shooting mossy 500's and later 835's.

 as I said pattern the gun and see what it looks like,  you can try polishing the barrel, I have done a number of them for turkey set ups and it improves the pattern immensely.  also as I said try an after market kicks choke.  my waterfowl 835 loves #2 steel with an extra full kicks choke and you would be surprised how far that gun will hold a pattern.

just remember, the tighter the pattern you have for your "long range" shooting desire means you have to be dead on on birds under 25 yards and if body hit you will have heavy meat damage.

if you desire to shoot 3.5" shells there will be a noticeable difference in recoil -vs- the 3" shells, you will also need to pattern the 3.5" shells as they will likely pattern differently. what little you gain in pellet count often times you give up speed I like 1550/1560 fps shells. also there is a vast difference in cost per box between the 2 again not sure its worth all the  drawbacks.  

[sodfather]

Are you shooting decoying birds or sky busting. If sky blasting lead them good

[Buckmaster7600]

My Remington versa max kicks very little with 3..5's. I mean very little because half the time it was doesn't feed properly after 3 trips back to Remington.

It's a very soft shooter when it does shoot tho and makes 3.5" feel like a 2.75.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[wildcat junkie]

4 hours ago, gastrodoc said:

I have a Remington SP-10 and the thing is absolutely deadly on geese.  I cannot get any of my 3.5 12 ga to pattern BB or 2 anywhere near as good as this gun.  It has virtually no recoil as it is heavy and gas operated. 

 

 

The laws of physics as they apply to internal ballistics make it IMPOSSIBLE for a 3 1/2" 12 gauge to equal the performance of a 10 gauge at the same pressure. The 10ga will also deliver the same shot payload in a shorter shot column than a 12 ga. That gives the 10ga the advantage in external ballisics.

[Al Bundy]

This is the deal with my bps. It's fixed choke, old style. Im two stars. Im going to pattern this spring summer.

BROWNING CHOKES AND THEIR CODES (ON REAR LEFT-SIDE OF BARREL) 

* designates full choke (F). 

*- designates improved modified choke (IM). 

** designates modified choke (M). 

**- designates improved cylinder choke (IC). 

**$ designates skeet (SK). 

*** designates cylinder bore (CYL). 

 

[turkeyfeathers]

Am I correct in saying a 3.5 " versus a 3" in a 12 only gives you a longer shot string ? 

Similar to what wildcat is saying about diameter of actual 10 husk versus a 12 will throw a better pattern due to diameter itself and not actual length   

( insert penis jokes here lol ) 

[wildcat junkie]

17 minutes ago, turkeyfeathers said:

Am I correct in saying a 3.5 " versus a 3" in a 12 only gives you a longer shot string ? 

Similar to what wildcat is saying about diameter of actual 10 husk versus a 12 will throw a better pattern due to diameter itself and not actual length   

( insert penis jokes here lol ) 

Comparing a 3 1/2" 12ga shooting the same payload as a 3 1/2" 10ga is somewhat similar to comparing a 1 1/4oz load from a 2 34" 12 ga to a 1 1/4oz load from a 3" 20 ga. In each instance the larger ga will have a shorter shot column. The added advantage of the 10ga compared to the 12 ga with the same length and payload is that the 10 ga has more room for WAD column and will have less perceived recoil and less shot deformation due to added cushion.The later is not so critical with steel shot, but is is a factor with lead.

Edited January 15, 2017 by wildcat junkie

[wildcat junkie]

17 minutes ago, Dan.NY said:

This is the deal with my bps. It's fixed choke, old style. Im two stars. Im going to pattern this spring summer.

BROWNING CHOKES AND THEIR CODES (ON REAR LEFT-SIDE OF BARREL) 

* designates full choke (F). 

*- designates improved modified choke (IM). 

** designates modified choke (M). 

**- designates improved cylinder choke (IC). 

**$ designates skeet (SK). 

*** designates cylinder bore (CYL). 

 

Is it designed to shoot steel shot? Most old fixed choke barrels are not.

[helmut in the bush]

I have a BPS 10, it doesn't  kick as hard as my super vinci or my cynergy with 3.5's. When I'm shooting, I don't hear or feel it, I'm in the zone. Its heavier and longer. It swings nice, and it takes the birds out but I don't hunt with it because of the nice wood, I'm a synthetic stock person

[doebuck1234]

I have an old side by side 10ga.thing is a tank.IMO if the 12 cant do it im prob not shooting at it!As rattler said i also have a 835 that takes 3 1/2".plenty enough for me.that alone can make ur shoulder hurt.was my uncles gun before he passed and i inherited all his long guns.ive seen him drop many of deer with barnes expanders going thru the rifled barrel.good gun

[Larry]

I also had a 10ga single shot slug gun. I kill a few deer with it I even kill one without hitting it. The 1 3/4 oz. slug was close enough that the shock wave as it passed killed it.