You may wish to pass such gun on to someone who is more likely to restore it for use in it's designed pressure range, with projectiles suited to it's very soft bbls.
What you are proposing is sort of a demolition derby, with you on the recieving end of the flying parts.
Ten pounds is not actually a 'heavy' Ten. The heavies, designed for all day pounding with modern 3 1/2" Nitro's, are of at least twelve pounds, and can go up to fifteen in some Euro-specimens. These specimens have 'modern' steel recievers and bbls, engineered to withstand the repeated firings -- and weighted enuff for a gunner to withstand the cumulative recoil.
Now, there are GREAT modern Big Tens that weigh a very well balanced ten pounds that have the all the strength needed to take the pressures [which are actually moderate, compared to say..a 3 1/2" twelve Roman candle]. The Berretta Ten's, the Neumann's of the 1960's[marked imported by Silvers and Sons, San Francisco], the AYA Light Ten [they also made a twelve pounder], the Ugartechea Ten, quite a few light Euro's of lesser known Continental makers, and English guns -- all can be had in the 3 1/2" Ten chambering.
These are generally delightful guns, well stocked and well made of modern material. While it was not uncommon to pick them up for 400-600 dollars, or as low as 200$ for a good Spanish make back in the Days of Doublegun Ignorance, it ain't so bluidy likely now, myte. But those prices allowed me to play with them and pass them on, so I was able to form an opinion or two. I don't have time to relate all that now, but if you can ressurect my past posts there is prolly more than one screed on the subject.
I know y'r having fun with the Tens, so am encouraging you to continue, to handload to the gun, to find the Doublegun Magazine Articles on the loads and chambers and suitable guns for them, and to continue delving into the great satisfactions of the Grand Morning Booms rolling out over the River and Marsh.
However, even if the vintage and abused Damascus guns are there for the owners wishes, someday the doublegun masses will decide that a vintage Ten is a MUST!!! Then the restorations and resurrections and PRICES will cause one to reflect on past actions with some wish, to have done otherwise than one did. At the least, load or buy low pressure Bismuth for the old-timers.
I used to shoot up my leftover factory Ten steel shells on the Clays and skeet at the end of the season. I will assure you that such activity is tolerable and kinda fun in a modern ten pound gun. However, I also kinda regret the misuse. There are good alternative loads or alternative guns for such activity. It's easy enuff to track down an inexpensive used American Arms [Spanish] 26" bbl'd Ten in a camo or phosphate 'Parkerized' finish pretty cheaply.
Now THERE is a beater utility double that will happily gobble the cheapest, hardest economy steel load you can toss thru it. Happy hunting.
