Considering a 10 gauge

Gun show this morning a guy has one of the old Stevens 9478 10 gauge single shots asking $200, good shape. I've considered getting a 10 for coyote hunting and who knows, I might give turkeys a try or water fowl someday. I tend to like single barrel break opens as shotgun types go, I would definitely want to figure out how to add some weight to it, though.

I have a Lyman shotgun loading manual. How much loading infrastructure is out there for the 10? I got into 20 and 12 pretty cheap with the Lee Load Alls, but they don't make them in 10. Is there a Lee Loader hand tools somewhere for the 10 gauge?

I would be most interested in lead #4 buckshot loadings in it or similar. Seems most of the 10 gauge shells you see are steel, which is understandable as it's mainly a water fowl gun.

Thoughts?

Buy it!

Rich, there are two 10 Ga lee loaders on eBay right now. One for 2 7/8 and one for 3 1/2........problem is they must be made of solid gold judging by the asking price. You might run ad here?

Mec 600 jr can find them all over. Just get one in another gauge and convert it.

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Originally Posted by bassnbuck

Rich, there are two 10 Ga lee loaders on eBay right now. One for 2 7/8 and one for 3 1/2........problem is they must be made of solid gold judging by the asking price. You might run ad here?

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Yes, they get pricey. The main body die is longer for the 3 1/2 shell. A few years ago I bought both for about $50 each. MEC makes a junior in 10 gauge for about the price of that Stevens. I started with an H&R 176. It has lead in the stock to balance the 36" barrel. I am guessing the Stevens does as well. I now have an Ithica road blocker in 10 gauge and a Spanish mercury double. Plus a 1881 Colt hammer double, hence the 2 7/8 loader. Since I make my own shot, I used scrap shot (irregular) for a 2 1/4 OZ load. This is used mainly to blow up V8 cans and plastic jugs. There is enough data for 10 gauge published.

BUY it but: Prepare to be abused if you get all you can out of that single shooter. I have 2 autos in 10ga. Ithaca mag and browning gold. they are great guns and I use them mostly for fur and varmint hunting. If you want a shotgun that kills like lightning then 10 is for you. I shoot a load that uses blue dot and 2&1/2 oz shot. I don't shoot the BPS or dbl or single shot 10ga guns. I even prefer my 10 autos to shooting any of my 870s. Just my experience, yours may be different. 10ga

I've done the 10 gauge 3 1/2" in a couple Ithaca MAG-10's , Remington SP-10 and a Browning BPS . And I liked them all . At the present I have 10 or 11 ten gauge doubles all 2 7/8" . I handload of course for the 2 7/8" shells on a MEC600JR . I may however eventually get a Ponsness Warren LS-1000 10 gauge 3 1/2" that's been factory converted for 2 7/8" . I usually shoot 1000-2000 10 gauge a year in trap , skeet , sporting , birds and deer .

Now that's the short version of my history with 10 gauge guns . I will say I have a friend or two that own H&R 10 gauge singles but I've never pulled the trigger on one . So as to the recoil factor in a single with semi stout loads I have my reservations .

I have had a few 10 gauges, and used them for all kinds of stuff including dove hunting with 2-7/8 shells.

I finally opted for the 12 ga in 3-1/2". [the win super X-2]
I have like 3 flats of 3-1/2" shells, somewhere in the neighborhood of 25,000 2-3/4" rounds and about 50 boxes of 3" shells.
even for duck hunting I mostly use the 2-3/4" shells.

Anybody know how these are?

http://www.lanesreloading.com/10gauge.html

I had two browning 10 gauges, the auto and BPS. The BPS, bought used, also came with the short slug barrel with sights. I really enjoyed hunting ducks with these fine shotguns and experimenting on everything from doves to crows. Arthritis ended my fun. They kicked but not viciously as does a 31/2 inch magnum.

I have the Lanes 12 gauge tool and it works.

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Originally Posted by runfiverun

I have had a few 10 gauges, and used them for all kinds of stuff including dove hunting with 2-7/8 shells.

I finally opted for the 12 ga in 3-1/2". [the win super X-2]
I have like 3 flats of 3-1/2" shells, somewhere in the neighborhood of 25,000 2-3/4" rounds and about 50 boxes of 3" shells.
even for duck hunting I mostly use the 2-3/4" shells.

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Same for turkey hunting, i have literally peeled their head off with a standard trap load 2-3/4 1-1/8 oz of 7s, The 'Hype' that you need a 3-3.5 Mag shell for turkey is ABSOLUTE garbage! Maybe if you planned to shoot 60-80 yards, Turkey hunting to me is calling them in close range, peel their head off. Why fill the bird full of shot?

As to the mention of the 12 gauge 3 1/2" I had a Benelli SBE for awhile . To be honest i bought it for buckshot . I liked it fine but with 3 1/2" it would get your attention . Also had a Benelli NOVA for awhike and that one wasn't fun with anything over 1 1/4 ounce loads .

I have two H&R 10ga single shots, both 24" with threaded choke tubes. One is scoped for slugs the other with a bead for turkey. Both have a factory weight in the stock and I think they weigh about 9 pounds. Factory turkey loads are noticeable as are my HB slugs using Mr. Hubble's load data. Neither of these compare in the recoil department with an H&R 3.5" 12ga single shooting 2.5 oz factory turkey loads, that was abusive.

BB

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Originally Posted by 54bore

Same for turkey hunting, i have literally peeled their head off with a standard trap load 2-3/4 1-1/8 oz of 7s, The 'Hype' that you need a 3-3.5 Mag shell for turkey is ABSOLUTE garbage! Maybe if you planned to shoot 60-80 yards, Turkey hunting to me is calling them in close range, peel their head off. Why fill the bird full of shot?

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We have turkeys out the wazoo around here, I literally stepped on a big tom walking into our deer hunting spot with my son a few years ago. Still don't understand how KDWP can get away with charging people to hunt them sometimes. Anyway, I never had much interest in hunting them. Never have water fowl hunted either, but had enough flights of big Canada geese fly over my tree stand this Fall and Winter that it has peaked my curiosity about it.

The place I live on is pretty heavily wooded and the leaves are coming back. In the limited calling I've done so far, shot opportunities are short and quick. Seems a shotgun is a better tool than a rifle. The 12 did the job, but it seems like when it comes to holding enough of the larger shot to throw killing patterns reliably, the 10 would have an edge. Coyotes are tough.

Not sure I want something else that shoots unusual ammo though.

the 10 holds like 3-4 more pellets than the 12 in most sizes.
2 oz's of 6 shot is 2 oz's of 6 shot.
I started using 3" wads in my 3-1/2" shells and stacking gas seals below them, the 3-1/2 has a higher pressure window so I could ramp things up if I wanted.
I could get steel stuff up to 1700 ish with 2-3/4 shells, so the longer shell become a vessel for larger shot.

yotes don't stand a chance against buck shot or even number-2 lead shot out to 50-60 yds.
you could use Hevi-shot [expensive] and extend the range but by then your getting into rifle range any way.

I have a Charles Daly Prussian double for which I still have to fit a hammer and make a forend iron, and a W&C Scott single which is strong and thoroughly usable despite having "not for ball" with the proofmark, meaning that it was made between 1875 and 1887. If you need to build in weight to make a single absorb recoil, you might as well build it in where future generations might find it useful. Both of these are for the 2⅞in. cartridge. It has to be admitted that the superiority in patterning over a 3in. or 3½in. 12ga is about gone when shot-cup wads and steel shot are used.

Well, I decided not to go back to the show and get it. Might still get a 10 one day. In the meantime, I'll work on developing a 12 gauge coyote load.

I load a 17 pellet 00 load for the 10ga sharpshooter mold scrap lead. its devastating on coyote.s been hunting with a 10 for 30+years. Nothing delivers steel shot or buckshot like a 10ga...

I regret I did not buy a 10 gauge Kennedy double 2 barrel set at a VT. small gun show. It had a 13 1/2 inch pull, 2 sets of barrels 1 32 inch full/full 1 28 inch IC/Mod Seller wanted $700.00 went looking for my buddy to get the other $200 I needed but when I got back it was GONE.

I should have given the seller the $500 I had first. This was around 1995.

A writer for the Trapper Predator magazine loved the 10 he called Moose D*&K. I did not like semis at the time so wanted the double.