I'll politely disagree with the outperforms statement. On paper, the 12 would seem too. There is the internal pressure difference. The pellets from the 12 are faster And carry slightly more energy per pellet. But in the blind it doesn't play out that simply. While the 12 has slightly more pellet energy, I believe the 10 puts more pellets on the target consistently and possibly in a shorter time duration. The 10 for whatever reason hits game hard. I can't exactly explain why as I said before. My thoughts are shot string and patterns. The 10 shines with large pellets and payloads. Every 10 I ever shot patterned beautifully with big shot and with 00 buckshot. I've shot both, a lot. Killed a lot of birds and deer with both. Patterned both, a lot. Through all sorts of chokes. I've even shot clays with both. Shooting a 10 in a hunting setting never really bothered me. That was before my accident and being forced to use much lighter loads or stay home for the most part. But I wasn't shooting several boxes of shells through the 10 either. The 10s recoil in a suitably weighted gun is different. More of a hard push. Kind of like 40 S&W vs. 45 acp. It isn't as snappy. The 10 was actually a cream puff to shoot compared to a 3.5" 12 gauge 870. That gun would hurt you. Admittedly today I shoot 2 3/4" 12 gauge through a Beretta with Kick Off And limit my range. I don't shoot any 3.5" 12s. Plus I don't hunt nearly as much as I used to. Breaking 4 vertebrae and 9 major back operations will slow you down some. But if I knew I was going out to shoot large, long birds and HAD to put meat on the table, the 10 would go and the 12 would stay home.
Anyone use a 10 gauge?
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jimbo300
Well-Known Member
I can't imagine TSS in a 10, gotta be impressive. I'm still old school running a Hastings .680 choke I shoot copperplated 5 shot in more open areas and swap to 6 shot in more heavily wooded areas. Both pattern extremely well.
#5 TTS from my 10ga kills everything inside of 100 yards.
I'm amazed at the power of TSS with the right wad, stunning. Load less shot at higher velocity with tight groups.
I'm starting to pattern loads out of my 410 with it now.
I'm amazed at the power of TSS with the right wad, stunning. Load less shot at higher velocity with tight groups.
I'm starting to pattern loads out of my 410 with it now.
birddog 68
Well-Known Member
TSS really revived the dying 410. I think it was going the same route as the 10 gauge
No doubt, it's nothing short of incredible.
I'm thinking I only need a 10ga and 410 to cover anything I need for both hunting and self defense in the home.
Nothing beats overkill/overmatch, whichever word you prefer.
I'm thinking I only need a 10ga and 410 to cover anything I need for both hunting and self defense in the home.
Nothing beats overkill/overmatch, whichever word you prefer.
No replacement for displacement.
Gar Guru
Well-Known Member
I shoot a H&R single barrel 10 for turkeys religiously. Loaded with 2 1/2 oz of TSS8 it is sudden death for Toms out to a long, long range. Put a Leupold 2-7x32 on a picatinny rail on mine and had it threaded for chokes. Most people like a 20 gauge these days, my 10 will put more pellets in a 10 inch circle than most 20 gauge loads contain.
Calvin45
Well-Known Member
We do love the punishment. I read an article somewhere where they did the math and concluded that out of a lighter weight pump gun the 3.5 inch 12 guage Turkey loads generate significantly more ft lb of recoil than a .458 win mag out of a rifle of typical heft for that chambering, and with a much faster recoil impulse. We take more of a beating to hunt an almost flightless bird than we do to hunt elephants…
birddog 68
Well-Known Member
In my younger days when I was tough I had a Remington 12 gauge 870 super magnum and when shooting 3.5 shells it kicked like a mule. Nowadays it's usually a 20 gauge for me.
I use a single shot, H&R for turkey.
They love Remington sp10s in southern Illinois goose pits. I bought one and killed one turkey with it and sold it the next day. Way to heavy to hold up waiting for the perfect shot at a turkey head lol! They are good out of a goose pit but I'll stick to my sbe with 3.5s
Where the 10 loses out to the 12 is weight. It's a lot of gun to tote if you're on the move. But the light weight of a 12 combined with 3.5" shells make it a punisher to shoot. One thing I never did with the 10 but have always wanted to try is load up some of the old 2 7/8" loads and try them. My new manuals make no mention of 2 7/8" but some of my older manuals do with loads in the 1 1/4 oz range if I remember correctly.
comfisherman
Well-Known Member
Never really was bothered by the 3.5 12 gauge but my first was at the age of 12 in an old 835 mossy. Thing had the heaviest walled barrel I've ever seen and swung slow and was hefty. Shot a ton of birds with it. Was dang near as tall as Me up until high school.
Modern guns roll those things so mild and fast it blows my mind.
I'd still like an Ithaca 10 some day just for kicks but it's not terribly practical.
Modern guns roll those things so mild and fast it blows my mind.
I'd still like an Ithaca 10 some day just for kicks but it's not terribly practical.
