just because its no longer made does not make it a bad choice

Grumpy

The Grumpy Grease Monkey mechanical engineer.
Staff member
I was asked by one of the guys I hunt with occasionally, who does not own a shotgun,
why I suggested he borrow my, Ithaca 10 ga road blocker ,shotgun,
for a hog hunt he was intending to go on,
where the land owner specifically stated "SHOTGUNS ONLY"
IF your limited to a shotgun,
for close range big game I think you should at least consider a 10 ga

and when I gave him that option, he pointed out that that 10ga shotgun was no longer in production.
shop carefully these 10 ga shotguns can occasionally be purchased very reasonably
Ive seen lightly used 10 ga Ithaca shotguns, several times for sale for under $800

"I have no idea why that would matter, that the guns no longer in production,
if the guns still 100% dependable"
http://www.eregulations.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/18FLHD-LR2.pdf
the Ithaca 10 ga road blocker holds two in the magazine and one in the chamber , the legal max for some areas.its very effective, Ive used one for decades.

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I explained that the Ithaca 10 ga road blocker was about the most lethal weapon he could have in his hands as a 10 ga 3.5" shotgun
I,ve spent a great deal of time hog hunting, here in florida, brush tends to be thick, ranges short and a
1 3/4OZ slug loaded for stationary first shots followed by two 18 pellet 00 buckshot shells in the magazine
does an outstanding job at dropping hogs at under 45-50 yards if the person shooting has decent skills.
no 12 ga would provide quite the same weight of shot and since you rarely get more than one or two shots you may as well maximize the payload.
as will be all too common, the skill and experience of the person using the equipment has a huge effect on how effective it will be,
Ive used both an Ithaca 10 ga mag 10, and an benelli black eagle 12 ga 3" semi auto on dozens of hunts
the benelli has interchangeable chokes, its lighter and ammos cheaper
if you do your job as a hunter correctly either choice in shotguns works just fine,
but theres zero doubt the 10 ga throws a bit tighter /denser pattern and has measurably increased reach,
now that rarely is a huge factor, as I try very hard to get turkey into the 35-40 yard,max range before you fire,
yes the 10 ga is a larger gun and heavier and ammos at times harder to find,
but its not like you shoot several boxes of shells on a turkey hunt
I generally have a box of shells last a couple years.
so why would anyone want a 10 ga?
if youve ever had a turkey strutting around at 45-47 yards, and were reluctant
to risk wounding ,you know damn well the the reason,
and yeah its damn effective even at that range, and probably a lot further,
but I refuse to try stretching it past that.
having confidence in your equipment, and a well proven effective pattern, does mater.
theres also the shot size options, lots of the guys I hunt with use #2 shot in 2.25 oz 10 ga hand loads
and that will kill very well at 50 yards

https://www.ballisticproducts.com/

https://www.ballisticproducts.com/Th...uctinfo/00M10/

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yes 10 ga ammo is expensive compared to 12 ga, but I doubt youll go through more than a dozen cartridge/shells in a couple days hunting hogs, before you shoot more than you want too eat.


Lead shot comparison chart
Below is a chart with diameters per pellet and weight for idealized lead spheres.

Size Type Weight Diameter (in) Diameter (mm)
0000 Buck 82 grains 0.38 9.65
000½ Buck 76 grains 0.37 9.4
000 Buck 70 grains 0.36 9.14
00½ Buck 59 grains 0.34 8.64
00 Buck 53.8 grains 0.33 8.38
0 Buck 49 grains 0.32 8.13
#1½ Buck 44.7 grains 0.31 7.87
#1 Buck 40.5 grains 0.30 7.62

https://www.cheaperthandirt.com/pro...s&refType=&from=fn&ecList=7&ecCategory=201499

a 10 ga can easily be loaded to throw 2.25 OZ of buckshot
thats easily 16-18.... 00 buckshot

now I use an ithaca mag 10 ga for most of my duck hunts
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if your intention is to use buckshot, get an Ithaca road blocker shotgun,
or similar 10 ga, that throws (18) 000 buck with every shot.
thats double the average 12 ga shot guns 2 3/4" shell load of 8-9 pellets,
doubling your potential for hitting the vitals

and yeah, try hard to limit the shots to about 35 yards max.

https://www.federalpremium.com/shotshell/premium-slug-buckshot/vital-shok-buckshot/11-P108F+00.html



https://images.proxibid.com/AuctionImages/2849/172762/FullSize/3668_1.jpg

https://www.federalpremium.com/shots...-P108F+00.html
but I can assure you that a great deal of the FELT recoil can be REDUCED through the use of a vest with a decent shoulder pad sewn into it.
no matter what gun you sellect I would think thats a worth while option as it spreads and softens the impact noticeably
you might not be shooting 2.25" loads of shot from a 3.5" 10 ga. but no mater what shotgun youve selected a proper recoil absorbing shoulder pad might be a good idea!

https://www.chuckhawks.com/past_recoil_pads.htm

https://ads.midwayusa.com/product/699899/past-super-mag-plus-recoil-pad-shield-ambidextrous

https://www.amazon.com/Caldwell-Super-Plus-Recoil-Shield/dp/B001C5XOJQ



the standard 12 ga buckshot load is 9 OO buck and mag loads only hold 12 OO buck

that 10 GA is throwing -50%-100% more OO buckshot than a 12 GA
and a 10 GA slug is 1 3/4 or 2 full OZ vs 7/8 OZ or 1 OZ for the 12 ga.
https://www.cheaperthandirt.com/pro...s&refType=&from=fn&ecList=7&ecCategory=201499

https://www.cheaperthandirt.com/pro...s&refType=&from=fn&ecList=7&ecCategory=201499


https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/smaller-circles-in-larger-circle-d_1849.html

http://www.hodgdonreloading.com/data/shotgun

https://www.ballisticproducts.com/load17_03_31.htm

http://www.ballisticproducts.com/The-Mighty-10-Gauge-6th-ed/productinfo/00M10/

BTW both browning and remington sell or sold 10 ga pump or semi-auto shotguns recently,
\ so Ithaca mag 10 is not your only option in a 10 ga repeater,
I've tried shooting all three and personally prefer ,
and purchased the Ithaca mag 10 as a result.
but any of the three provide an experienced and well practiced owner,
with a good basic weapon that packs impressive knock down power,
if you can handle these 10 ga shotguns, remain cool under stress and shoot well ,
there,s a sense of security knowing ,
nothing walking can get too you if you load 3,
...1 3/4 oz federal slug loads
https://www.cheaperthandirt.com/pro...s&refType=&from=fn&ecList=7&ecCategory=201499
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https://www.gps4us.com/HORNADY-00-B...MIo9K3rJ_B2AIVjCSBCh1-OQdeEAQYBCABEgLNE_D_BwE

https://media.midwayusa.com/product...er_bushing_chart_and_charge_bar_selection.pdf

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1...r-single-stage-shotshell-press-10-gauge-3-1-2

http://www.ballisticproducts.com/Super-Buck-Lead-Ball-500-8-lb_jar/productinfo/SBK500/

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1...5-single-stage-shotshell-press-10-gauge-3-1-2

http://www.ballisticproducts.com/10-gauge-hulls/products/75/

http://www.ballisticproducts.com/The-Mighty-10-Gauge-6th-ed/productinfo/00M10/

http://www.ballisticproducts.com/Buckshot-Loading-Manual-4th-ed/productinfo/00MBUCK/
https://www.ballisticproducts.com/The-Mighty-10-Gauge-7th-ed/productinfo/00M10/
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you can easily save about 1/2 the cost of 10 ga ammo, in bulk if you purchase the tools and materials required, in bulk volume, and the reloading press, too hand-load, but the break even point will be close to 600-700 shells, and I doubt most guys will go through 100 shells a year, thus spending close to the cost of those 600-700 shells, that cost over $2 each from the factory, going into the project vs a lower expense a year might be prohibitive, on the plus side once you buy the press and materials you can get 5-8 reloads out of each shell case, and you can make or buy shotgun slugs and bird or buckshot from scrap lead, or buy in bulk commercially available options.

If your thinking of getting a turkey or goose hunting gun, why not ask around among your friends and see if anyone owns a quality 10 ga and 12 ga they use,
and actually put a few targets up at 30- 40,-50,-60 yards ,
stick a few 2" orange sticky target dots to represent a turkeys head
and try a few shots, using each shotgun,from a typical seated position,
all using the same shot size, get a feel for each guns size weight and effective reach
(lets say #4 or #5 in several of the various shot guns/and gauges)
keep in mind an extra 10-15 yards can easily be the difference between success/failure
but you really should get those turkeys in under 35 yards when you can.
and you try hard to not shoot untill the targets well within your comfort range
thats basically , what I did decades ago, and why I prefer my ithaca mag 10.
sure it will cost you the price of a couple boxes of shells,
if the guys with the shotguns don,t kick in a few to use,
but youll deal in facts vs what some guy posting might say.

https://www.cabelas.com/product/Remi...ads/739986.uts

https://www.cheaperthandirt.com/product/ammo-10-gauge-hevi-shot-hevi-13-3-1-2-5-2-3-8-ounce-1090-fps-5-round-box-816383135051.do?sortby=ourPicks&refType=&from=fn&e cList=7&ecCategory=201499

https://www.cheaperthandirt.com/product/ammo-10-gauge-winchester-supreme-high-velocity-turkey-3-1-2-4-copper-plated-2-ounce-1300-fps-10-round-box-020892013674.do?sortby=ourPicks&refType=&from=fn&e cList=7&ecCategory=201499

https://www.cheaperthandirt.com/product/federal-grand-slam-10-gauge-ammunition-10-rounds-3-1-2-length-5-copper-plated-lead-2-ounce-flightcontrol-flex-wad-1200fps-604544628265.do?sortby=ourPicks&refType=&from=fn&e cList=7&ecCategory=201499
 
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notice the recoil is not as bad as many people predict
as the action absorbs a good deal of recoil
yes the size or mass of the gentlemen , and his experience and familiarity with the mag 10 Ithaca,
operating that shotgun does matter, Im 6'3" 250lbs
and I can fire all three shots off with my mag 10, and HIT what I'm aiming at,( lets say a 5 gallon bucket at 50 yards, )
before the first empty 10 ga case hits the ground , but then I have over 34 years of practice,
Ive done that in practice lots of times using buckshot loads, in practice,.. just for giggles,
in the field its not a skill set you need,
a single 18 double 00 buck load, fired at my 35-40 yard self imposed max range,
does lethal things too hogs, as does a 3.5" 10 ga shell, of 2.25oz load of #2 on turkey at that range.
BTW I owned a single shot H&R break action 10 ga, it kicked FAR worse,
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especially after I removed the steel weight in the stock,
I sold it to a buddy that really liked it, and for a few bucks more than it cost me,
but I threw in 100 loaded assorted. shells I had, it was money used to buy a 10 ga MEC reloader
and 500 empty cases to use in my ITHACA
 
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btw if you hunt, (especially turkey)
I will also point out that use of decent camo has proven very effective in my few turkey hunts

http://www.turkeyhuntingsecrets.com/sto ... d-leaf.htm
sneakyleafs350.jpg

adding two or three packs of these leaves to most camo makes almost any camo noticeably more effective

and while you don,t need a ghillie suit its also beneficial at times
http://www.ghilliesuitsource.com/

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turkey do have good eye sight
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netting and camo fiber kits can allow you to build a suit, modify/enhance camo, or fabricate a shot gun cover sleeve easily
wearing similar camo Ive had deer and racoons and even hogs and turkey walk by much closer than most people might believe possible provided the winds correct
 
theres lots of info on learning to hunt turkeys
and lots of books available if you look for the info










 
theres lots of info on learning to hunt turkeys
and lots of books available if you look for the info










 
this guy looks to be entertaining but, at least to me.. seems to be marginally NUTS:facepalm:
 
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