doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com THE SHORT 10...GREATEST GAUGE EVER?

I know this will be hotly debated over and over and will bring out the "crazy" in everybody but after shooting vintage 10 bore SXS's for over 20 years I have come to the conclusion that all of those live pigeon shooters from the Victorian age were right and knew what they were doing. For those of you who shoot the "short 10" with 2 5/8 & 2 7/8 chambers you know what I am talking about. I also prefer them with outside hammers. I am not talking about the modern semi auto and pump 10 gauge guns! Of course there will be the critics who think the 16 gauge or the 28 gauge are the greatest things ever. And by the way...weight be damned! The 10 will do it all and you can shoot 12, 16, and 20 gauge shells with inserts that pattern beautifully. So enjoy the can of worms I have just opened up!

I shoot a late Syracuse L.C. Smith Quality 2 and an Ithaca NID with cocking indicators.
BOTH fun 10 gauge guns

Mike

Nope, not in my opinion.

Funny for a 12boreman to consider a 10 as the "greatest gauge ever".

YMMV, SRH

THE NAMES 8 BORE AND 8 GAUGE WERE ALREADY TAKEN!

I've owned, shot and duck hunted with a short 10. It weighed in at 10 lbs., with 32" barrels. Had no problems swinging it fast enough to get on a streakin' woodie. Also hunted it in Arkansas in green timber. I could kill ducks with it no better than I can with 2 3/4" bismuth 1 1/4 oz. loads. No farther, no deader. There is no deader than dead.

I traded it on a 32" 16 ga. Elsie. I got the better end of that deal.

JMO, SRH

IMHO....Stan is the Man.

Until one has used a vintage 10 gauge hammer gun with black powder to shoot clays and live birds they can make no comparison. There is something about a 10 that just settles into the hands and feels right. Especially with an English stock. Most of my 10's weight 8 to 8.5 pounds. Not much more than a 12 but they just feel better!

The short ten is a favorite of mine. There is something almost mystical about the kills it can produce. And for me that is usually with only 1 1/4 oz shot. It just shoots better than paper stats would indicate it should. Don�t use it much anymore since I�ve pretty much aged out of laying in a field behind goose decoys or freezing in a duck blind with the snow burning my face red. But they are great memories!

I just destroyed my newly acquired chamber reducers in a 10ga Parker PH and don't want to spend the money shooting 10ga shells. Will be looking for a heavy 32"x2.75" 12ga instead.

Despite many "olde wive's tales" the 10-gauge was never the dominate bore size here in North America. From the introduction of cartridge shotguns right after the Civil War the 12-gauge has reigned supreme. The 10-gauge production peaked in the 1881-85 time frame, but never reached 50%.