[Thundersnow]

Nothing wrong with the 10, but, I'd go with a 12 that would shoot 3 1/2". You really don't need anything but a 3" under 40 yards. I myself like the 3 1/2" in case the ducks are out a little farther or I'm not shooting very good that day and I'll open up the choke to cylinder or improved and still get a dense enough pattern under 40-45 yards. You can also find shells a lot cheaper for the 12. If you want to practice with your hunting gun you can take a 12 with light loads to a skeet or sporting clays range. You might have a problem doing that with a 10. Your more than likely going to take it on a dove hunt sometimes. Although a 10 is great for some things, I do not feel you get that much over a 12 - 3 1/2. You can get close to 10 gauge performance, get it cheaper (usually), and you have the option to do lots of other things with the 12.

By the way, for the people that failed math class the difference between 1 5/8 (as in 10 gauge load) and 1 9/16 (as in 12 gauge 3 1/2") is 1/16 of an ounce. That is the difference of 203 #2s against 195 for the 12. They do make a couple of loads for the 10 that have 1 3/4 ounce of shot but they get down to about 1260 fps. They have a grand total of 216 #2s. The loss of velocity kinda cancels the extra pellets out to me once they start below 1300 fps (The "slow" winchester x-perts now start out at 1400fps). Most of the high speed loads (example, winchesters supremes) have the same loads for the 12 as the 10. Same payload - same velocity. The 10 might have a slightly shorter shot stream,but, most people would not notice a bit of difference.

Bottom line....the 12 3 1/2 is the way to go.

Get one of the Benelli SBE II and you'll have most waterfowl hunters dream gun.

 

[Thundersnow]

Don't decide on what others say? The man asked a question to help him make a decision. I tried to give him some LOGICAL reasons to stick with the 12. What is the logic saying you could kill as many ducks with a 410? Even if they are only 20 yard shots it still is not true. Where do you get 10 gauge field loads to practice with?

Everybody has opinions As I said before, "there is nothing wrong with a 10". It does have the capability to have a larger load than a 12. If you want to reload you can cut the cost of some loads AND make possibly better loads. You can also do that with the 12. Most people (my opinion) do not reload to save money. They reload because they enjoy experimenting with loads and it is just fun to hunt with something you "built" yourself.

This thread is different than the one about mossbergs. A gun brand is picked because of the users taste or pocket book. As long as it fires a sufficient load for what you are hunting it is ok. Just because you like a load of steel 6's, you should not use them on geese. It is not a matter of taste-it is a matter of physics.

As I said before , the 12 gauge 3 1/2" is the way to go.

 

[Thundersnow]

I say, don't listen to others because I believe you can make a better choice for yourself if you research and find the information you need to get what you want. People are to bias to listen to in these matters. Proven facts and your own feeling are better to go off of, not some one else's option.

What do you call research? It looks like this could be a piece of the puzzle to help him make a decision!

Just because you can kill a fly with a hammer - even an expert is not perfect and a 410 will not kill as many ducks as a larger gauge. That is like saying a 22 is a great deer rifle. It will kill a deer but it is not a wise choice.

Different guns have different points of aim. My o/u sporting clays gun shoots a little high- so does my SBE. My m90 shoots a little low my nova and bps shoot dead on. I can tell a difference for a few days when I change up guns. I can still hit with them but not as regularly as if I stick with one. When you practice with a gun...you get better with that gun if you do not believe that logic I might as well quit here.

There is an old saying, "Beware of the man with one gun who knows how to use it". If you practice with the same gun you hunt with you will be use to the balence, feel, and what you can do with the gun. You will be more effective.

The man asked if there was much difference between the 12 and 10. If you think 8 #2 pellets is alot I'm not going to try to change your mind. If you would rather have a 10 1/2 pound gun instead of a 8 lb....by all means go with the 10. If you are deciding between the ballistics (and to save confusion we'll say factory load) there is not much difference. If you want to shoot very heavy loads at teal and wood ducks (early season) or on short range shots go with the 10 -your going to have trouble finding a light load. If you think most of the time a 3" load is ok and when you need the extra range you would like to throw in a 3 1/2" and be able to use a lighter, quicker gun, and an easier to find shell... the FACTS say go with the 12.