[chrsjoy]

Do not know if you have bought a 10 guage yet. I have both the Remington SP-10 (Ithaca patents) and the Browning Gold, both semi-automatics. I got rid of my Benelli 12 guage 3-1/2" because I found it to be too light and I would point, fire and stop my swing with such a light gun. I traded it for the Browning Gold 10 guage. I regularly use the Gold with the Remington as my back up in case something happens to the Gold. Would highly recommend the Gold.

On windy, weather days when I know the birds will work close I fall back on my old reliable Browning A5 3" 12 guage or a Browning 20 guage o/u 3".

I shoot nothing but Bismuth or Hevi-shot (reloads) at waterfowl. Also you can, in fact, increase your killing distance if you choose to load a lighter shot column and push it faster. For example, I will shoot a heavier shot load with increased pattern density over decoys and a lighter shot load with increased range for pass shooting. With this in mind, you should never deviate from the loading recipes that you get from your supplier. I have found Precision Reloading, Ballistic Products, and Bucks Run to be the best source of reloading supplies and exhaustive reloading recipes.

 

[vincentracingproducts]

HOW FAR CA A 10 GAUGE SHOOT

I think a 10 gauge can kill way farther out there on average simply because there is much more shot.
at 70 yards smaller gauges shot patterns are pretty thin, so logically a more dense 10 gauge pattern is more likely to kill at longer distance.
I don't recommend shooting at birds way up high, but one day we hunted for several hours without seeing any birds, then my friend spotted a drake mallard way up in the stratosphere, must have been 120 + yards up but I decided to crack off a shot with my BPS 10 gauge just for the heck of it, led the bird by a long ways and dropped him dead with one shot, me and my friend looked at each other like ***? it was just regular #2 steel shot, nothing special. I don't know that I'll try it again any time soon, but it was wild to see a bird fall dead from that height. :withstupid:

 

[tengoose1]

What I really like is shooting those high singles and that really cool noise they make as they fall out of the sky, you know, sounds like bluebills buzzin the decoys. Oh and of course cant leave out the big splash they make and it also makes them easier to pluck. Most of the feathers should be gone from the spot that hits the water. I shoot a bps baby10 with a patternmaster. Two combinations you cant go wrong with.

 

[goosecaller]

I have hunted geese with a remington sp-10 and I was very impressed. It is a great gun. But I don't think that I would ever have the need to take it to the swamp to shoot ducks. But sometimes those late season geese get pretty tough, so I could see why some would choose the 10 gauge. But typically I shoot my 870 12 gauge at all waterfowl and have had no problem knocking them down.

 

[Citori12]

the 10ga is a specialty gun. I have had the gold 10 and bps and am currently using an SP-10. I do not condone skyblastin but on my public properties when someone shoots at birds going into my decoys and they flare at 45 yards the ten gauge is the ticket. Here is why: 1) a ten gauge does not shoot any further than a 410 given the same pellet and velocity. What a 10 does for you is patterns #2 and larger shot extremely well. A backbored 3 1/2" 12 ga does not have the inside diameter a 10 does. So if your shooting big shot the ten is the way to go.
A 10 ga does not kill any further than any other shotgun and even though a 3 1/2" 12ga can shoot some identical payloads as a 10ga the 10ga shotgun likes BB,BBB and T where I have not had much luck with good patterns in a 3 1/2" 12. If you handload for a 10ga and are good enough it makes a wonderful marginal range shotgun. Just to clarify some things also any one who takes shots past 50 yards runs the risk of cripples with or without a 10ga. A shotgun is a short range weapon. But if you want to drop big honkers at the edge of your decoys the 10ga will out perform a 12 ga 3 1/2" gun...At least my 10ga 's outperformed a 835 and a BPS 3 1/2. 2 years ago I had this arguement with my buddy who was using a 3 1/2" 12ga gun. when the geese came in and we opened up the last goose leaving the scene at 45 yards went down with the 10ga and my buddy traded his 12 for a 10 and has been happy with it ever since. But do not go with a cheap spanish made shotgun buy a good one.

 

[poacher]

What shell lengths will the 10 gauge accept? I saw a guy deer hunting w/ a 10 gauge this year. Is 10 gauge buckshot readily available or are they custom loads?

 

[Citori12]

the 10ga comes only in a 3 1/2" shell. And if you are in an area where deer hunting is allowed only with buckshot a 10ga would be the winner hands down on that trip. I have not checked the buckshot offerings in a 10ga but they can be handloaded for sure.

 

[poacher]

3.5" only how about slugs? hmmmm. 10 ga. rifled barrel w/ sabot slug and scope. imagine.

 

[Citori12]

Honestly if I were to shoot slugs out of a 10ga I think I would rather use a 12ga. 10ga shotguns were actually designed and built with waterfowl in mind. after the turn of the century they were actually very common amoung waterfowl hunters. When the remington power piston became the rage the 12ga became more effective as a waterfowl gun. I can tell you that if I were hunting deer with slugs I would set up a shotgun to have as good as accuracy to 100 yards as possible. This would mean alot of target practice. Because I have patterned my 10ga guns and 3 1/2" 12 ga guns recoil with slugs out of a 10 would be pretty heavy. In a light 3 1/2" 12ga its pretty brutal. My gas 10 is not bad but I would not want to use a slug out of it...You gotta remember that ga is an indication of how many round balls you can fit down the barrel to make a pound. So for a 12 its 12 round balls the diameter of the barrel and with a 10 each ball would wieight almost 2 oz's so a slug would have to be pretty good size to get enough accuracy out of a 10.

 

[ILWaterfowler]

They do make slugs for 10 guages, although I haven't heard of them making sabots for them. A guy I duck hunt with used to shoot 1 3/4 oz. rifled slugs out of his SP-10 just messing around. I don't think he ever hunted with them, mainly because he already had a gun setup exclusively for deer, I would imagine. But I bet the 1 3/4 oz. slugs woulda put the hurt on something, maybe even multiple somethings if you count the shooter.

 

[romancenturian]

i own ithaca mag 10's and remington sp-10's same gun pretty much, just sold a bps 10 ga. they are awesome goose guns but i use a 12 for ducks.

the geese are slower to aim at with the 10 ga than ducks which a 12 seems to move faster on for me at least. the 10 ga with a patternmaster choke will get you 60-70 yd shots if you have to shoot that far. but up close the geese are down no problem.

most fear the recoil but i dont notice it. some dont like the weight but once again, ot that bad. if you are in any sort of shape, it is not bad and most come with a sling.

i have not seen much offerings in slugs but i would say that it would be an awesome platform for a deer gun.

 

[Citori12]

There is no doubt a 10ga is a goose gun for sure. I have used one since steel became law. I found that using a 10ga for geese got me less cripples and a little lea way on decoy shy geese. They are heavy and cumbersome. My SP-10 is a 26" barrel and I use a briley extended choke tube. I can tell you that it definetly gets er done. But you do not want to carry it around for pheasants for sure. Take it to the blind and back use a sling and happy hunting.

 

[romancenturian]

as of yesterday i would fall on the side of using a 12 for ducks and a 10 for geese, but yesterdays hunt i dropped a mallard at 60+ yds with my 10 ga using federal bbb shells. we were set up for goose hunting but were able to work some ducks. close in i would rather use a 12 witha modified choke but that long shot i made yesterday would never have happened with a 12. i guess it just comes down to what you hunt and what you feel confortable with. i expect the punch of a 10 ga for geese and ducks are a secondary event where i hunt. i have found 12 gauges wanting in the knock down dept using steel and i wont pay the extra amount for hevi shot.
i saw a goose get knoocked back at least 2 feet yesterday when hit witha 10 gauge at 25 yds. it was an awesome shot. two of us were using 10 gauges, rem sp-10 and ithaca mag 10, the third guy was using a benelli nova 3.5 inch and he was having to shoot twice as many shells as us for the same result....and he is a really good shot.

 

[Citori12]

:salude: I have to say that on heavily hunted public property and if I want a few birds for dinner a 10ga is the way to go. But I would rather decoy my birds in close including geese. I have been on goose hunts were a 20ga is plenty and duck hunts that a 10ga would have been an advantage. But for being able to pattern large pellets effectively with good speed a 10ga is king.

 

[romancenturian]

agreed that i want the geese/ducks decoyed in close as well. i only tried that long shot yesterday because i was the last one to shoot. we take turns and play back up or clean up on the shots. it makes for less discrepancy on who killed what and you have to walk the walk on your shooting skills.

 

[D-hof]

i am thinking about getting a bps 10 ga what do u guys think of thim i can't wait to get a 10ga :laughing:

 

[romancenturian]

just got one on gunbroker for 375.00. nib. great shooters for leftys or for those who dont want to rain empty shells on the guy next to you. as good as a rem sp-10 or ithaca mag 10 as far as performance. little slower because it is a pump.

 

[D-hof]

how is the recoil on it

 

[romancenturian]

quite honestly it is not that bad. you have tons of clothes on first off, i am keyed up at watching and aiming at the birds, and i expect it to recoil a little more than my 12 but not that much. it is heavier but it is a cannon. if you are worried about recoil get a 20 ga.

 

[D-hof]

i am not that worried i just want a good reliable gun that can shot the higher geese and has a bigger payload thxs i can't wait to get it this weekend :yes: :yes: :laughing: