A pattern of 1 1/4 ounce lead 6 from Ithaca Super Ten (2 7/8" 10 ga double barrel). 60 yard range via laser range finder. Looks like it would have been a dead bird.
What is the length of the shot string. The reason I ask is because the shot does not get there all at once, I'm not even sure it makes much difference as you are only talking about fractions of seconds on impact.
What is the length of the shot string. The reason I ask is because the shot does not get there all at once, I'm not even sure it makes much difference as you are only talking about fractions of seconds on impact.
I have no idea, given it is a 10ga shell the shot string would be shorter than any other gauge.
Do you have any experience with shooting the light loads through the 3 1/2 inch bores? I've been looking at the American Arms Turkey Special for a long long time. I keep trying to find a good excuse to justify it.
Do you have any experience with shooting the light loads through the 3 1/2 inch bores? I've been looking at the American Arms Turkey Special for a long long time. I keep trying to find a good excuse to justify it.
You can shoot any light 10ga load in 2 7/8" or 3.5" shells in a gun chambered for 3.5". Autoloaders may not cycle, but doubles will have no problems. Alliant Powder company has some 3.5" 1 1/4 ounce lead loadings on their online reloading center website. The problem is modern 10ga guns are built heavy to shoot 3.5" heavy loads. Of course the heavy gun is not going to recoil much but 9 to 12 pound guns are fatiguing even without being shot.
OK, Pete, you really got my curiosity up. As a diehard 12 ga. shooter (at least for crows), after your post I began to agonize over the possible differences in the two guns/loads.
Went out with my O/U and a couple of RIO #6 shot that I use. Taking cardboard the size shown on your picture, I set up (via laser) a similar shot and had at it. A couple of points to mention:
- You are a better artist than I am.
- My loads were 12 ga., 1 1/8 oz., vs. your 1 1/4.
- The picture is of a single shot taken. I was a little low on my shot...
- My shotgun is fixed choked at Mod.
In our sporting clays tournaments, we will frequently have a 60 yd. shot so I am comfortable with taking a crow at this distance. An both your and my pattern, I believe that both shots would kill our bird. Comments?
Demi
-- Edited by Island Shooter on Tuesday 6th of September 2016 03:33:08 PM
Given the number of pellets in and around the head of your target that would be a dead fold I would think. BTW 10gacrowshooter is the artist. Remember we shoot the majority of our birds with 12ga guns too, 1 ounce and 1 1/8 ounce loads. Although your gun/barrel is marked modified what does it shoot for pattern percentage in 30" circle at 40 yards? That is the only measure of choke that matters.
The antique 10ga doubles are a very fun and very effective novelty gun. We don't use them when we expect volume shooting. They are more expensive to shoot due to cost of hulls and wads. They are simple to load for once you get the hang of it, first cutting hulls to 2 7/8", then using a filler wad inside the shot cup to get the right height for the shot column for proper crimping. Gun for gun they do reach out better than a comparable 12. Perhaps there is something to the theory of shorter shot string, we have no way to measure that. The short tens are fun, and it's also fun to be unique. I would not be surprised if some of the short ten doubles we shoot went 50, 60, 70 years without being used. Ammo for them went extinct a long time ago.
The real trick to dumping a 60 yard crow is putting the shot string on the target.
Target after target, clay or crow, if every shot is a 60 yarder I am grabbing my old 10 bore.
Perhaps one advantage of a 10ga on long shots is it's weight. As you probably know in trap the gun moves less when shooting from the 27 yard line vs. the 16 yard line. It does seem easier to me to have and keep a smooth swing with 8 to 9 pound gun on the long birds.
Island Shooter wrote:
OK, Pete, you really got my curiosity up. As a diehard 12 ga. shooter (at least for crows), after your post I began to agonize over the possible differences in the two guns/loads.
Went out with my O/U and a couple of RIO #6 shot that I use. Taking cardboard the size shown on your picture, I set up (via laser) a similar shot and had at it. A couple of points to mention:
- You are a better artist than I am.
- My loads were 12 ga., 1 1/8 oz., vs. your 1 1/4.
- The picture is of a single shot taken. I was a little low on my shot...
- My shotgun is fixed choked at Mod.
In our sporting clays tournaments, we will frequently have a 60 yd. shot so I am comfortable with taking a crow at this distance. An both your and my pattern, I believe that both shots would kill our bird. Comments?
Demi
-- Edited by Island Shooter on Tuesday 6th of September 2016 03:33:08 PM
-- Edited by nhcrowshooter on Tuesday 6th of September 2016 05:19:54 PM