Does anyone here have a 10 gauge shotgun?

[policerevolvercollector]

I saw a 10 ga. N.E.F. Pardner single shot the other day. Sort of intriguing.... How the recoil in general? Any real advantage over a 12 gauge? Any opinions of the gun and or the 10 gauge overall would be appreciated!
Best,
Charles

 

[AR_Black]

I don't know how popular they are these days. All the guys I know are hunting ducks and geese with 3-inch 12-gauge. Ammo technology has come a long way from 40 years ago.

"Back then" my Dad had a double barrel 10 gauge that shot 3 1/2-inch shells and had really long barrels. I never shot it, but he took it goose or duck hunting a few times along the Mississippi. He traded it off long ago, but recently found a box of shells and I have them here somewhere.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

As a kid, I used to hunt with a family owned 10 gauge.
It was heavy to carry, had a thick recoil pad and yes it kicked!

 

[ColbyBruce]

Yes, I owned a BPS Stalker 10 gauge many years ago. I was out at the DeKalb range on Goddard Rd. attempting to pattern it, and getting the **** kicked out of me with every shot. Some fellow the size of a Sasquatch asked if he could shoot it, so I let him. He wound up buying it from me.

It was heavy, but the recoil was still brutal. I turkey and predator hunted with it three times before I sold it. That gun liked an open choke, as there was about a water glass full of shot blasting down the barrel each time you fired it.

I imagine a single barrel gun would kick lots worse. Ammo was ridiculously expensive way back then, and likely has gotten higher.

If you MUST have a 10 gauge, buy a repeater so you can use and enjoy it.

 

[5point5sixGUY]

I've never owned a 10g but when I was in high school many years ago a good buddy of mine had a New England single shot 10g and I remember it kicking like a mule.

 

[.455_Hunter]

I have two of the NEF/H&R guns. They have the heavy barrels with stock weights from the factory and kick way less than a "basic" NEF/H&R 12 ga with 3" shells.

 

[Dvan34]

My step brother had a 10 GA. back in the late 40's. Single shot. I can just imagine the recoil. It was an old shotgun even then. I imagine the shells are not to readily available today. I never shot nor saw him shot it. We used to use .22LR to hunt squirrels. I doubt that anything would be left if you hit a squirrel or rabbit with a 10 or 12 ga..

 

[sureshotbob]

At one time I've owned a Browning BPS Stalker pump 10 ga. with a 30" bbl. but the pump had a very long stroke and every now and then I'd short stroke it . Next I got a N.E.F. Turkey Special double bbl. with 26" bbls. but it was just too heavy to carry around in the woods. And lastly I got a Remington SP10 Semi auto with 26" bbl. that I liked the best.
They are all gone now as I only use a Remington 870 Special purpose with a 26" bbl.
Shells are a little harder to find but not that bad. I NEVER had a problem with recoil with any of the above guns as I was 6' tall and 250-275 lbs.
I have not hunted much the last few years but do feel the 10 ga. did tend to shine hunting geese over decoy's with steel shot.

 

[ameridaddy]

I fired one once when I was young, a double with no recoil pad, and as heavy as it was, it was the only gun I've ever fired that hurt enough I didn't want to shoot it again.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

My best friend bought a used H&R 10 gauge, it had a 32 or 34 inch barrel. Included in the deal was a box of 25 shells #3 Buck, only 2 missing. He shot it, I shot it, He kept it about six months. When he sold it, the deal included a box of 25 shells #3 Buck, only 4 missing!

Ivan

 

[RILEY31]

I have never seen anyone shoot one butted up to their shoulder.Around here we only use them for sand hill cranes.We lay on the ground put the butt under our armpit butt on the ground and shoot cranes as they fly over.

 

[Class III]

I've got a BPS Stalker in the safe. It's been retired from duck and goose hunting for about 15 years. It's now used exclusively for turkey hunting. I had mine fitted with an 8 ounce mercury filled kick killer cylinder in the rear stock, a Pachmayr Decelerator recoil pad replaced the hard rubber butt plate and the chamber was back bored soon after I bought it. It was BRUTAL to shoot after a handful of shells before the modifications.


Class III

 

[silentflyer]

One of my great uncles had one, shot it once when I was about 14, it was a single barrel and kicked like a mule. He was a huge man around 300 lbs and tall, didn't seem to bother him. I believe one of his son's has it now. I am glad it is his, not mine.

 

[OLDSTER]

10 gauge

I was fortunate to inherit a high grade 10 ga. double from my grandfather in 1963. It is a Defourney and Severin custom with all the top-of-the-line features. We do lots of goose hunting up here, but all 12 ga. autos. But once a year, when the weather is nice, I take the 10 along for a few ceremonial shots . I'm gonna take a few photos of the beautiful double and I'll post them here

 

[DocB]

I picked up a Parker 10 Gage Double nearly 35 years ago for $300. The serial number dates it to 1876. It has the under lever, two big hammers, and must weigh at least 12 pounds. After getting it, I bought some shells, opened them up, and replaced the powder with Pyrodex. That was a very expensive reloading option. It shot really good. The amount of smoke emitted from the ends of the barrels was amazing. Since the condition of the gun was around 90%, I haven't shot it since. I just wanted to say I had shot a 10 gage.

 

[Richard Simmons]

Never owned nor fired a 10ga however, that being said I believe you'll get the same or perhaps better preformance from a 3.5" 12ga as well as easier to find ammo and more and varied platforms to choose from.

 

[tug700]

In 1961 an older gun friend took me deer hunting. He loaned me a Parker 10 gauge double barrel. He hand loaded reduced charge ammo. I killed a doe and never felt the recoil. Never shot the gun again, so, I am not familiar with recoil of a full charge 10 gauge.

 

[CajunBass]

I briefly considered getting one of the Ithaca 10 gauge semi's back in the day to use for deer hunting with buckshot. Then I did a little investigation and discovered that the factory buckshot loads for it, really didn't offer enough of an advantage over the 3" 12 gauge I was already shooting to justify the price of the Ithaca, which I think was about $750.00. That was in the 80's I guess, when a Remington 1100 3" magnum was about $250-275.00 or so.

There was a fellow who hunted with a hunt club I occasionally hunted with, who used a Spanish 10 double, but I never knew him to actually fire it.

 

[tops]

It seems to me that the same shot charge in a larger bore shoots a better pattern. About 50 yrs. ago a fox hunting friend had a 10 ga. SXS and the load IIRC was 5 drs. equiv. with 2 oz. of shot. It was a killer. Larry

 

[Bozz10mm]

I have never seen anyone shoot one butted up to their shoulder.Around here we only use them for sand hill cranes.We lay on the ground put the butt under our armpit butt on the ground and shoot cranes as they fly over.

What does crane taste like?