If you were planning to use a 10 gauge for crow, what type of ammunition would you use? Thanks
There is currently no factory ammo in 10 gauge I would use because what factory ammo is available is just too heavy a load IMO. I do use a 10 gauge quite often, however it is not the 3 1/2 magnum most people think of. It is a Parker double barrel chambered for what was the standard length shell of 2 7/8". I have to cut the hulls down to size which is really quite easy and I load it with 1 1/4 ounces of #6 shot at about 1175 fps. The advantage is the larger bore that throws much better shot strings and patterns than a comparable 12ga. I will take shots successfully at ranges I would not try with a 12ga, and I have been hunting crows for 40 years.
Here's a video on how to load standard length 1 1/4 ounce 10g loads. I suspect that these loads would not cycle the Remington, Browning and Ithaca autoloaders. They will work just fine in a Browning BPS.
I've loaded "light" 1-1/4 oz loads in full length 3-1/2" 10 ga. hulls using filler wads and data from Ballistic Products. I have not tried them in the Browning or Ithaca auto-loaders but have had success in my Remington SP10.
That takes a a lot of filler .
When I started loading 2 7/8" 10ga I used 32gr of SR7625 in the Federal Hull. I couldn't find a dealer that would sell 7625 in 4 or 8 lb kegs. It was pricey at $27 a pound. I saw the Recipes for 1 1/4 ounce loads in 3.5" hulls from Alliant and I switched to their load using Green Dot ($105 for 8 lbs) but I reduced the powder to 27 grains (in a 2 7/8" hull) to reduce pressure for the composite barrels. I'll bet the Remmy SP10 is a soft shooting gun with 1 1/4 ounce loads, but all that filler must make it look like a ticker tape parade when you shoot it.
-- Edited by nhcrowshooter on Sunday 24th of March 2013 01:57:48 PM
I've loaded "light" 1-1/4 oz loads in full length 3-1/2" 10 ga. hulls using filler wads and data from Ballistic Products. I have not tried them in the Browning or Ithaca auto-loaders but have had success in my Remington SP10.
Plenty of confetti with every shot for sure. I used a combination of over powder and over shot wads as per a recipe I found. I had to go with the 3-1/2' hulls as the SP did not like the shorter shells I tried. They do cycle like a champ through my BPS, though.
-- Edited by hvtrapper on Tuesday 26th of March 2013 01:00:49 PM
Plenty of confetti with every shot for sure. I used a combination of over powder and over shot wads as per a recipe I found. I had to go with the 3-1/2' hulls as the SP did not like the shorter shells I tried. They do cycle like a champ through my BPS, though.
-- Edited by hvtrapper on Tuesday 26th of March 2013 01:00:49 PM
I have a BPS 10ga too and it will like you said cycle the 2 7/8" shells perfectly. In fact unlplugged it will hold 6 of them, perfect for snow geese when loaded with 1 1/4 ounce Bismuth.
-- Edited by nhcrowshooter on Tuesday 26th of March 2013 01:21:43 PM
. 
I used a combination of over powder and over shot wads as per a recipe I found. I had to go with the 3-1/2' hulls as the SP did not like the shorter shells I tried. They do cycle like a champ through my BPS, though.