CrowShooter;
Note I did not say the Diameter of the 10 ga was 13% greater than the 12ga. I said its "Bore Capacity" is 13% greater, which is based on the square of the diameter. Thus .775/.729 = 1.13. What this amounts to is if you loaded both guns to have the exact same length of shot column in the bore the 10 would hold 13% more shot than would the 12. There is in fact less difference between the 10 & 12 than any other two gauges in common use.
In the very early days of the 10ga many of those sold for field use as opposed to waterfowl were chambered for a 2 5/8" shell. The 2 7/8" length did not become the standard until later when the 10 had lost most of its favor outside the waterfowl blind.
I like my 10lb 10ga Lefever but it is not suitable for the type of hunting I do. Anyone who has or can get one which is suitable for their use I definitely say go for it. However the cold hard facts easily explain why the 10ga lost out in the popularity race to the 12. Until you get to heavy loads of large shot, it simply holds no real advantage over the 12.
