In the late 1970s era we were assigned to testing different brands and gauges shotguns.
One was a 10 gauge semi automatic shotgun that I can not recall the make. Ithaca, High Standard, or ??.
IIRC the model was Road Blocker ??

Anyone recall ?

I'm positive the Road Blocker was by Ithaca. Saw a Texas Ranger destroy a barricade running pick-up, outside Harlingen one January in the Mid 70's! Only three shots, but there is no need for more!

Ivan

Ithaca Road Blocker.

I'm thinking 3 shots might have been the physical limit of the shoulder of the shooter! Wonder how long it took the bruising to go away?

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John. SWCA #1586

I now own my Dads 28" Ithaca 10 gauge. His favorite goose gun. I have fired it in the goose pits of central South Dakota more than a few times. Recoil is no worse than 3' 12 gauge. Gas operated most of the recoil is absorbed in the cycling of the action. Good gun! I also remember the Ithaca attempt to enter the LE world again with the Road Blocker. They already had the best 12 gauge in the Model 37.

My best friend hunting buddy had one he bought to turkey hunt with, wow, it would shoot really small patterns at 40 yards. The best I remember, they weighed somewhere around 20-25 pounds and you needed two accompany gun bearers to help carry these things around. I would laugh at him every time we went hunting for carry such a huge hunk of steel. my memory is a little fogged and it is possible they only weighed in the 18-20 pound category. No wonder people do not have these any more.

The one I remember was the Ithaca Mag 10.

Yep, I used to own one. I had the plain Jane model without the ribbed barrel. It was a good duck and goose gun, but shot really tight with steel. Weighed around 11 pounds IIRC. Was heavy but tolerable for a younger man.

...Ithaca Road Blocker...

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A Country Boy Can Survive

The Ithaca’s Auto-10 Roadblocker.

Excellent stopping power and about the best thumper yet. It didn’t catch on in lawsman’s circles due to the influx of female and short statutes officers at the time who couldn’t handle the recoil.

didn't Remington buy the rights to this shotgun? I remember that they had a similar 10 gauge semi-auto

Remington Model SP-10 - Wikipedia

Ithaca Mag-10 - Wikipedia

Yep, the Remington SP-10 was the result of them buying the rights to the Ithaca Mag 10 then doing some modifications to the design from what I understand too.

Ithaca auto 10 was a favorite with goose hunters up here for a few years. But the 10ga. fell out of favor years ago; now we all shoot 3" or 3 1/2" 12 ga autos for geese.

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John

Ithaca did a fair amount of advertising for the Road Blocker, back in the day. I remember drooling over the photos in the gun magazines. They also offered a hunting version called the MAG-10.

Browning also offered several versions of a 10 gauge autoloader. I bought a Gold 10 that was won at a banquet. The price was too good to pass on, but I think I’ve only hunted it once in over 20 years. Recoil isn’t too bad because of the weight, but they’re big, long and a bit unwieldy.

I think the 3-1/2” 12 gauge Put the kibosh on the 10’s. The Benelli SBE is a lot more versatile and handles better, even though the recoil with full loads will get your attention.

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"I also cook."

Not the same but at cowboy shoots several guys had Winchester lever action shotguns that shot 2 5/8" 10 gauge shells!! loaded with black powder, they really put out a cloud! (every body usually shoots lighter recoil rounds which just kind of go "pop", but the BP guns are much louder to start with. A 10 gauge with 5 to 6 drams of FFg "ROARS" with authority!

Also not the same but, My best friend bought a H&R 34" 3 1/2", 10 Gauge, single shot goose gun used. It came with a 25 round box of No.3 Buck Shot, missing 2 rounds. He shot it once, I shot it once, and a couple of other friends each shot it once. He sold it a couple years later (just before Goose season) and doubled his money. It included a 25 round box a No.3 Buck Shot, minus 6 shells! An absolutely unique experience; that I do not wish to repeat!

Ivan

Chiropractor Special?

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Isaiah 41:10

Have a few friends that shoot the 10 Ga. shotgun................

I'm just glad to be a good enough shooter, that I did not need
anything more than my 3" 12 Ga. shotgun.

As a reloader, I had a 12 Ga. pump that would come back on firing to extract the hull, with the huge recoil.

Nope.
I did not need a 10 Ga.

My 870 and Mossberg 500 riot guns do that with all "Express" and Buckshot loads.

Ivan

I purchased an SP10 back in the 90's when the feds were transitioning to steel loads for waterfowl hunting. Until then there wasn't any job a 3 inch 12 gauge wouldn't handle. The first steel loads did not perform effectively so you had to increase the pellets size. For example, you had to go to a BBB in steel to get #2 lead like weight and penetration, thus the need for the 10 gauge hull capacity. I remember shooting a goose at close range with an early 3 inch 12 gauge magnum steel load, feather flews but that goose didn't even flinch and nothing fell. So, I went to the 10 gauge. Even then the loads weren't great and they were expensive. Over time, the shell manufacturers figured it out and got the velocity up and price down. Now I use the 3.5 12 # 3's for ducks and BB's for geese. Works out ok. Don't do as much waterfowling as I used to. It is a young mans game. BTW, the gun weighs eleven pounds and I never really thought the recoil was that intense. The gas makes it pretty smooth really. More of a hard push than a kick. Used to shoot 1 7/8 oz steel loads. Now, I did shoot some 2.5 oz copper plated turkey loads out of it and that would get your attention. I still have the gun and when i bought it the Mag 10 parts were still interchangeable on the early guns. They should have used synthetic stocks since it was made for waterfowl hunting and the moisture would make the stock swell. I always brought the gun inside and took it completely apart to dry it off after hunting.

I still have a remington sp10, with the gas system, it kicks like my benelli a300, with 3" duck or turkey loads. It will, put out a lot of shot, in a very short time. Stopped using it a long time ago, but I can't bring myself to get rid of it

I thought about getting an Ithaca 10 for deer hunting, but after researching 10 gauge buckshot loads, I realized they weren't all that much better than 3", 12 gauge. I suppose there wasn't enough market for the ammo manufacturers to work up improved loads at that time. Anyway, I just stuck with my Sears 12 gauge.

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John 3:16 .

Have a buddy who has Ithaca 10g with FC & Slug barrel. I shot a few slugs but can’t see the need. 12g 2.75” slugs are more than enough for deer.

That is what my Mag 10 looked like except it had a 30 or 32" barrel. But it was parkerized, matte wood and no vent rib like that gun. I want to say I bought it in the mid 80's when my brother and I had a duck lease near Jeanerette, LA.

I inherited my dads Mag 10. He bought it at a gunshow with a bulged barrel and sent it off to be worked. I used to have the receipt....expensive mods even for the early 80's. Barrel cut back and threaded for screw in chokes, forcing cone lengthened, entire gun parkerized. It would really shoot and was very effective on waterfowl and the only buckshot deer gun i ever had confidence in. Wish i still had it. High Standard made a bullpup autoloader for police use but it was a 12 gauge.

The 3.5 inch 12 did to the 10 ga what the 3 inch 20 did to the 16

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Forum consigliere

After 45 years I yet like my ol' Harrington & Richardson Model 176 10 gauge magnum. I bought it new, but it's old enough to have a genuine cut choke (full) that extends over 8 inches up the bore from the muzzle. The gun throws wonderful patterns.

I originally purchased it at 18 for the 1975-1976 duck season, having been influenced by Elmer Keith's stories of 100 yard duck shots on the Salmon River in Idaho. I had visions of "slay-erating" ducks at long range. Bought four boxes of 3 1/2-inch Federal 2 1/4 oz No. 2 shot at the same time as I bought the shogun. Gun cost $60. The shells cost $9.95 per box at a time when good ol' Remington Express No. 4s cost $4.25 per box.

First weekend out I banged away at high passing ducks with it until I'd expended those four boxes. I'd scratched down two ducks at unknown long yardage, using both absurd lead and even allowing for the shot to drop on the bird as one passed low down the lake at some distance. One of the high shots had two lucky shot in it, one in the neck and one beneath the ducks left "wing pit."

After that initial experience I gave up on range waterfowling. The gun emerged as a dandy choice in our slough. I used to like the 2 1/4 oz. Winchester Western Super-X copper plated lead No. 6 shot.

The single-shot shotgun is a champion turkey gitter and a 2 1/4 oz load of 6's is the blue cloud of death. Longest shot on turkey has been 37 yards.

No. 4 buckshot has a place too. The 10 gauge holds 54 of the .24 caliber round balls. Sure death to foxes and coyotes called in at night.

Once used the gun to shoot both skeet and trap as a lark. Was hit or miss on the skeet range, though I did luck into a target off station 8. On the trap range one could cheat with the 10 gauge. Even standing behind the 27 yard line one could simply wait until the targets have about fallen to earth and then hammer them at will with the No. 6 turkey loads. The shooting party all tried it, including a woman shooter and with great success and much hilarity.

I toted it to the duck blind for the last hunt of the season back in January, mostly out of sentimental tradition. Was a blue bird day so the ol' H & R didn't fire a shot.

It's limited in scope, but the 10 gauge is quite useful within its realm. I've found the big bore shotgun to be quite handy through the years. I suspect a good 10 gauge would throw a shorter shot string and produce more uniform pattern than a 3 1/2-inch 12 gauge could. Even the cheap-o H&R produces nice round dense patterns for farther out than one can skillfully lead a target.

If either drones or murder hornets become an issue, there are few things which the application of 10 gauge won't resolve.

All 36-inch barrel length of it. Sighting along the top of the barrel is like looking down a tapered sewer pipe.






I long thought I'd get around to buying an Ithaca Mag-10, but the good ol Winchester Model 12 and Remington Model 11 12 gauge guns stood me in good stead as repeaters.