I bought a 10 gauge

[bearfoot]

Although I don't have any real use for it , I bought a 1982 vintage Harrington & Richardson model 176 10ga. It's a 28" cylinder bore barrel with rifle sights. This leads me to believe it is a slug gun. It's in excellent shape and was packed in cosmolyne. The previous owner was more of a collector/accumulator than shooter or hunter. I found a suprise when I disassembled to clean. A 1lb steel bar in the stock to reduce recoil. A quick google search showed this is indeed from the factory. I've always wanted one and this deal was to good (to me) to pass up. I also got a new box of steel waterfowl shot. Which is not ideal for this barrel. This weekend I'll give it the bowling pin test with #4 and some slugs. It could find its way into the woods when it's time to fill doe tags. Just because.

had a H&R/ 36" barrel/ full choke. hardly ever a miss when i hunted geese. the young man that bought it might have weighed 150 lbs. i do have a bx. of 10 ga. in the den. the gun had a natural swing, always thought the 36" barrel helped.

 

[Skeet 028]

Guided waterfowlers on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. For 32 years. I bought a new Ithaca Mag 10 the first year they came out. And many more over the years. I can't say they were the most lively handling shotgun. I can say however, that is one great waterfowl shooter. Recoil is no worse than a 3 inch 870. And not quite as bad as an 870 12 ga slug gun. Over the course of years guiding, I shot a few(4) thousand rounds through the Mag 10s...both Ithaca and Remington. I owned 4 of the first 500 Rem SP 10s made. They were a little livelier than the Ithaca's. I reloaded 3 1/2 in loads of 2 1/4 ounce in sizes 7 to T shot. Pass shooting geese was it's forte. I thought the 10 was a great gun for waterfowl. When they made us use steel the 10 made anything else look useless. It also shot much better patterns with steel than any 12 ga...including the overhyped 3 1/2 inch 12. I shot one turkey with the 10 and about 10 or so deer with the 10 ga slugs(Federal). Wasn't really necessary for either. Just to keep this S&W oriented I shot most deer with the S&W sabot slugs(BRI?) Even out of a smoothbore skeet 1100 they were easily 100 yd deer killers. More if the gun was scoped. Have fun with that H&R. It is probably a good shooter if you can find slugs. Probably no worse recoil wise than a 870 slug thrower...And it won't break your shoulder

 

[cowboy4evr]

As a kid growing up we had one shotgun in he house . It was my great grandfahers Itaca 10 ga sxs , external hammers . I started shooting that when I was about 15 , thought it was a grea gun . I still have it . Yes it's heavy but that weight absorbs recoil well . I will keep my 10 ga . Regards Paul

 

[metrotps]

Skeet 028 your post brings back more memories of hunting with my Ithaca Mag 10. I started loading it with a #2 shot in the chamber, backed up with a BB, and finally a T shot for the last, when hunting geese in eastern Washington, over decoys. I used Federal loads exclusively in it and shot a few of their slugs for fun also. I loved the shotgun so much I called it "Baby" and used to say "when Baby cries...something dies!" Got some doubles and a couple of triples on ducks over decoys, in western Washington, with the short barrel.

 

[Drm50]

When Brn. came out with BPS in 3.5" 12g magnum my buddy had me order one for him. I box of shells later, he brought it back and wanted the BPS in 10g. I shot them both and 10g BPS wasn't as bad on recoil. The original Ithaca 10 auto loader is even softer recoiling. I've shoot a few doubles and weight helped them some. The single barrels are painful.

 

[Skeet 028]

Skeet 028 your post brings back more memories of hunting with my Ithaca Mag 10. I started loading it with a #2 shot in the chamber, backed up with a BB, and finally a T shot for the last, when hunting geese in eastern Washington, over decoys. I used Federal loads exclusively in it and shot a few of their slugs for fun also. I loved the shotgun so much I called it "Baby" and used to say "when Baby cries...something dies!" Got some doubles and a couple of triples on ducks over decoys, in western Washington, with the short barrel.

I prettymuch shot Federal Premiums all the time as they were just good shooting ammo. When the Steel shot laws came in effect I was at a wholesale supplier in New Jersey(Roberts Shell Company) He made me an offer on all his lead waterfowl ammo. NJ was steel while Md didn't go to steel for another year. He dilivered all his lead ammo to my place. I was to sell it all 10,12, 16 and 20s. He wanted 5 dollars a box my cost. He didn't care what I sold it for. In the mix was 20 cases of 3 1/2 inch 10 ga Fed Prem and about 20 cases of 3 in Fed Prem 12 ga BB I kept . There was 950+/- cases of the other ammo. You couldn't hardly get in my small shop's door. I advertised that ammo at 7.50 a box for 2 3/4 inch and 8 dollars for three inches. My shop was on a small farm on the Eastern Shore of Md. The day the ad came out you couldn't get in my yard. They were parked on the road. I sold every box of that ammo in 3 days. All cash sales. I went back to his place with the cash for him. I bought 2 Ithaca Mag 10s from him...a deluxe for 300 and a field for 200. I used the deluxe gun for a lot of years. Sold the last of the Fed Prem 10s. Almost all BBs to the local gummit trapper who was shooting coyotes from an airplane. He couldn't find 'em any longer. Gave me 30 bucks a box. I also bought and sold quite a few Rem SP10s Pretty guns but I considered the Ithaca a bit better made.

 

[Bald1]

I probably would not do it, but I might believe steel shot would be OK, because being cylinder bore, there is no choke to stretch out. I believe that is an issue for a choked gun and the non compression of steel

My thinking exactly. There's no choke to distort.
RANGE REPORT…….. my deal on slugs fell through so I could only shoot some #4s and a handful of 000buck. Very informal . Basically just function testing. I started with 2 bowling pins at about 25 yds. After 10 shots I had no more bowling pins. Just pieces of bowling pins. I'll pattern it on cardboard but it seemed plenty accurate with #4 for Turkeys. Gotta order some slugs online. I've never been recoil shy, so that was no big deal. But my shoulder was red. I was only wearing a T shirt. All in all I'm pretty happy with my purchase. Good clean FUN !!!!!

 

[Lonegle57]

Carried my father-in-laws Browning BPS one turkey season, thinking maybe another 10 yards. It didn't pattern well, did manage to take a turkey. I did get tired of my thumb of right hand hitting my nose every
time I shot it. Also thought if my shoulder was against a tree damage would ensue, to my shoulder that is. Gave it back to him and suggested selling it.

 

[Buick]

My mag 10 experience came courtesy of my father, who carried my twin brother and me duck hunting nearly every weekend in the northern part of NC's Currtuck sound. He found the Mag 10 at a gunshow with a badly bulged barrel for 200.00. Had the whole gun parkerized and the barrel cut to 24" and threaded for chokes and the forcing cone lengthened. It swung nicely for a heavy gun and killed all manner of creatures with noticeable oomph at markedly greater range, lets say it was a reliable killer on ducks and geese at a full 50 yards. I seem to recall the load as Federal #2 or BBs. It was a great deer doggin gun with 3.5" triple ought buck. 12 gauge loads seemed weak in comparison.

 

[Kevin J.]

I did have to rebuild it twice because I shot it so much.

Shoulder, shotgun, or both?

 

[RobertJ.]

I bought one of those once, from a pawn shop in Lewiston, Idaho. I paid $70, fired most of a box of ammo, then sold it for $75.

What was I thinking? I've never been a bird hunter. I just liked large and powerful way back then. But that was a long time ago!

 

[metrotps]

Kevin J. asked "Shoulder, shotgun, or both?" LOL Lucky for me just the shotgun. I used it for Ducks, Geese, and as a backup gun for Black bear. I even shot Trap with the 32 inch barrel, using #4 lead shot, at the old Paine Field Gun Club before it was closed down.

 

[Nevada Ed]

Being a Cylinder bore..............
you are good to go with steel shot if you want to try it on geese or ducks.

If you reload , just use a good heavy duty plastic wad, to protect the metal barrel.

Steel BB's are good to 70 yards !!

 

[CptCurl]

To the OP: Congrats on your purchase! Go shoot it.

I do happen to have a 10 bore ball gun, and I have shot mine.

Mine is a double barreled, high grade Greener made for hunting tigers in India from the back of an elephant.

Here's a YouTube video I made last winter, the first time I shot the beast:

Greener 10b Ball Gun - First Two Shots by Me. - YouTube



Cheers!
Curly

 

[CptCurl]

BTW, here's the target from the two rounds I shot on the YouTube video:

Here's a look at the ammo also:

The outside of the case is embossed with loading information for this brute:

Curly

 

[Bald1]

Foster slugs will give the best accuracy but expensive and hard to find..

Foster or "rifled slugs" are the only ones i can find. Luckily they are the cheapest kind. I spent decades shooting them thru 12ga

 

[Bald1]

Capt that gun is a work of art. Beautiful.

 

[Rosco Shooter]

I fired a 10 gauge at a a near vertical angle at a goose once during the late '70s. It corkscrewed me down in to the mud, and left my right pectoral muscle black and blue for a month. Never again

 

[Skeet 028]

Had a pigeon shooter friend who had a collection of Greeners. I know he had a ball gun but not the caliber. He also had a 12 ga hammer Greener that was beautiful. I shot it a little and it was a good shooting double. It was a damascus bbl'd nitro proofed gun. Doubles were never my forte' but I really liked that gun. I shot 2 rounds of sporting with it and broke 98. As far as shooting 10 ga shotguns...I mostly left fixed breech guns alone. I shot a few rounds out of a browning BPS and have to say...even though heavy...it was brutal to shoot especially at really high passing birds. First shot with it was a passing Blue Goose at about 80 yds almost straight overhead. Stomped that bird. Kicked the snot outta me! . 2nd shot was at a goose that the party missed leaving the decoys about 55-60 yds. Still brought tears to my eyes. I went back to my Mag 10 Ithaca

 

[PauldL]

Nice Shotgun, O.P.