10 gauge coach gun

[pesta2]

With the interest in Cowboy Action shooing and firearms from that period, you think someone would make a 10 gauge stagecoach shotgun. From what I have seen seams the 10 gage was the prevalent gage then. Why might I bring this up, becasue I want one! Seems the 10 ga is going the way of the Dodo becasue of the 3-1/2" 12 Gauge.

[oldbillthundercheif]

"Cowboy" shooters, in general, don't want anything stronger than a 12ga loaded with just enough powder to expell a light load of birdshot. Why?

"I can't shoot as fast with guns that recoil!" - Wimpy C. McScraggs (average cowboy competitor).

[SIGSHR]

The manufacturers no doubtedly wince whenver they hear "You oughta make". In the case of CAS, I'm suprised Rossi (are they still in business?) has
not reintroduced their Overland model with outside hammers. Bought mine back in 1973, all the CAS shooters I know are always trying to buy it.

[smooks75]

You might want to look at the New England Firearms (NEF) series of single shot shotguns. Thay make a nice one in 10ga.

[CobrayCommando]

It's too bad nobody makes a 12 gauge 3.5" coach gun. But the recoil out of that or a 10 gauge coach gun would be horrendous.

Other then 2 shots for self defense though, it would be pointless to use these loadings for anything else right?

[SIGSHR]

I am not a CAS participant, but I think the reason why CAS participants
use light loads are
1. Like Bullseye shooters, they are concerned with accuracy and not stopping power, hence they have no need for hard kicking heavy recoiling loads.
2. Like Bullseye shooters, they fire large numbers of rounds, hard kicking
ammo is also very hard on the shooter and fatiguing.

[gordo b.]

It's real heavy in recoil even with a 9.5 pound gun like my 20" Aya Matador. I have a stash of 2 7/8" paper shells and they are almost like a 12ga recoil. The heavy recoil means slower "splits" between shots-not good for competition. The recoil can induce flinch in long strings that cannot be overcome.Also 10ga. are expensive to feed! No cheap shells for these babies and even reloading is about 50% higher than a 12ga.. There are threads showing pictures of mine if you search this forum. I cannot repost a picture. I keep it hidden up high in my TV room, incase someone surprises me when I am curled up vegging.;)

[RwBeV]

I have both a 2 7/8 inch and a couple of 3 1/2 inch guns and a 10ga muzzle loader or two, I dont shoot the cowboy action stuff but I do hunt waterfowl and turkeys and anything else I can get away with and just love it. The 2 7/8" gun is an antique WW Greener double I shoot black powder out of it, the great thing about it is that it can be loaded with as little as 2 drams (about 54 grains) of black powder or up to 5 drams (about 135 grains) so if you reload, shooting a 10 is no big deal if you don't it can get pricy real fast. If you do find a hammer gun, I asume that is what most cowboy action shooters use, it will probably be Damascas barrels have it check out by a good gunsmith and DO NO SHOOT SMOKELESS POWDER in it!! This could be very bad for the heath.

Keep your powder dry

[oldbillthundercheif]

Does CAS have a cap-and-ball / muzzle loader division?

A 10ga percussion SxS blackpowder shotgun sounds like it would be a hell of a lot of fun to shoot. I have always neglected front-loaders...

[Diggers]

10GA? OUCH!:eek:

[RwBeV]

I love shooting the old muzzle loader it is a huge gun, about 14lb it was built in England by Mortimer around 1860 or so. I take it up to a Phesant hunt every year that the Game and Fish puts on, strickly non-toxic shot, it gives the warden's headache's trying to figure out how to tell if I have non-toxic shot of some kind in it. I shot about 4 drams of Fg and an 1 3/8 oz Bismuth it realy gives the Phesants hell. I use the same load for Duck's but I bump it up a bit for Geese. I figure that cartridge guns will lose favor sooner or later and when and if it happens I will be ready.

Keep your powder dry

[Daves-got-guns]

i was gonna suggest that 10 guage muzzleloader, but somebody beat me to it. I imagine the muzzleloader would be the most affordable way to go, and if you want to go nuts you could load up some fine tuned home defensive loads! i even considered owning one for that purpose, but sooo many guns soo little cash

[hpg]

why????????????

[timothy75]

I agree it would be cool and would be the first to get one if they were avalible, but I doubt it will happen. The good news is you can find originals in good codition safe for shooting with black powder for a fraction of the cost of a vintage rifle. Also I have several firearms catalogs from the 1870's and 1880's and all shotguns are avalible in 12 gauge so it is a period round.

[Daves-got-guns]

why to me or why to pesta? i think it has something to do with the fact that a 10 gauge is very powerful, and nothing quite says get off my property like a man waving a double barrel 10. OK a 12 guage will usually have the same affect, and they make factory 10 guage loadings in the 12 gauge, but when you say 10 guage, it just sounds meaner. I would probably never use anything bigger then a 12 for home defense, and quite frankly sometimes the big 12 seems like alittle much. But i would only turn down the 10 guage if i couldnt own a pistola, because inside the house that 10 guage is gonna blow your eardrums inside out.

[CobrayCommando]

If I had a blackpowder shotgun I would fill the barrels entirely with the coarsest black powder, then use it for home defense as a hydrogen lance sort of thing.

Err... Naturally I would have a tactical fire extinguisher on the bottom.

[Deathfromthecattails]

Recoil ? a BP 10 with 1 1/2 load of shot and 100 gr of FFG American Pioneer Powder has the recoil of a modern day 12 dove and quail load

you want recoil try my Greener SxS 8 ga 3 1/4 oz of copper plated BBs the old girl will put 90 bbs inside a 30 inch circle @ 80 yrds I wouldn't try to steal my watermelons :D

[RwBeV]

How old a Greener do you have there Deathfromthecattails?? I figure my 10gauge was built around 1874-1875 time frame. Its hell on geese and ducks.

Keep your powder dry.
Bob

[auburnboattail]

Cowboy shooters want light loads and fast handling,
Waterfowlers/Gobblers want magnums 10 is good(geese long barrels, turkeys short brush barrels)
Whitetailers and and upland want light carry and fast target cover.

The 10 is great the old Ithaca mag ten or Remingtons updated version of it are great. I shoot the mag 10 for goose in Illinois and Wisconson.
The NEF is a good gun, albeit single popper so you better be good.

A double 10 is great to think about, but I think would have small commericial value. That is why there are so few modern 10's from the manufactueres today. But isnt that what this sport is all about the what ifs and you should of seen it, 275 Boone & Crocket easy

[koolminx]

I too want a 10 Gauge! my 3 lb Pardner 12 gauge that I shoot 3" mag's from dont' hurt near enough and I'm getting wimpy and old!

So I want me a 10 gauge also. My great grandpa carried his'self a Greener 10 Ga. while riding out in the old west of the 1860's with his Pa. I want one badly ;)


Bad thing is... I haven't seen one selling for less than $1900 bucks! What's that all about?

Anyone got a cheap one for saaaaaaaay, $250?

[Dave McC]

A local gun smith and mad scientist some decades ago took an old Greener 10 gauge and lopped off the barrels to around 18". Some brass cases got loaded with FFG and .375" pistol balls. I got to try a few shots.

Recoil was doable, but not what I'd want to take say,100 rounds of. We also shot a 375 H&H and there was little difference. Effect at target, well, I termed the thing a double barreled Claymore.

I really do not see much of a market for a 10 gauge coach gun, but it could be a lot of fun.....

[phydaux]

"Cowboy" shooters, in general, don't want anything stronger than a 12ga loaded with just enough powder to expell a light load of birdshot. Why?

"I can't shoot as fast with guns that recoil!" - Wimpy C. McScraggs (average cowboy competitor).
My club is quite proud of it's regular "all shotgun" stage where shooters fire off 10 rounds as fast as they can run-n-gun. I have a buddy who shoots an 18" 10 guage SxS, and reloads his own shells with black powder.

We've learned to make his shoot last, otherwise the cloud of white smoke from his coach gun obscures the targets for the next shooter.

[koolminx]

I like the Double Barrel Claymore saying! When you say there's no much market for a 10 gauge, that's fine, but there's plenty of gun's out there that there is not much market for, like my J.Stevens .22 Long from 1886 and my .32 rimfire J. Stevens from even earlier. But I still love the hell out of shootin them! :)

[bamaranger]

Seems like I read an article in "Backwoods" magazine that was very positive on 10 ga muzzleloading doubles. Each bbl held a substantial quantity of 00buck and the results were impressive. The test gun also shot round balls to point of aim well.

Regards the OP, I'm thinking a true 10 ga double would be a very much larger, heavier gun than a 12 double, and help w/ recoil a good bit.

The problem with 12ga 3.5 is you get 10 gauge recoil in guns w/ 12 gauge frames, which means WOW. Anybody that shot a 3.5 in an aluminum framed pump like the mossberg knows what I'm talking about.


I wonder just how formidable, and successful, the stage coach guards were with 10 ga coach guns? Seems like a cloud of buckshot would be a strong deterrent in the classic Hollywood fleeing stage coach scene. Easier to hit with on the move too.

[Dave McC]

bama, their 10s were chambered for a 2 7/8" case and 1 1/4 oz of shot. Lots of times, the bullet molds sold with Colt revolvers and others were called into play. The molds for the .31 pocket pistols threw balls between 0 and 1 buck and were often used to make shot loads for the 10.

IMO, a 10 gauge coach gun would be as much fun as a new litter of bird dog pups. But, I see little market for same.

[bamaranger]

Lets see, 1-1/4 ounces of .31 cal lead balls sounds like a 9-10 pellet load to me. Not the swarm I had envisioned, but still formidable.

Seems like the 10 ga. muzzleloader article was running 12-15 pellets of .32 cal (.315 dia) muzzloader balls and it was devastating up close and impressive to 50 yds.

[Dave McC]

Effect would be similar to a 12 gauge load of 00 plus a skosh, bama.

I have to admit this is starting to feel like a project,if and when I can find one of those Spanish SxS 10s they imported in the 60s and 70s. Cut the barrels to about 25",add a good pad and load up some brass cases.

[Newtire]

I just picked up a big 10 gauge and it looks like a style I have seen before but can't think of the name. It said "Whitney Type" on the ad where I bought it off Gunbroker but here it is and it appears sound enough to shoot. I am going to give it a test with it strapped down and the butt inside of an old tire. Sure seems like it will be a fun gun to shoot.

[Dave McC]

Welcome, Newtire. Looks like a nice old M/L shotgun, but please have a decent smith look it over before firing. It's well over a century old and may be tired.

Also, check to see it it's still loaded, many are.