Jack. I have used my 1886 toplever for pheasants using Shermans load #79 with 1oz - 1-1/4oz of lead shot. Just put in extra undershot cards for the lighter loads. It's a bitch to carry for a day but you sure don't stop your swing with it and it powdered some pheasants that day. I got to watch Trigg shoot a 10ga for the first time that day and he dusted one also. I think that if I ever found a nice light 10 I'd use it for all my pheasant hunting. Unfortunately, it's hard to beat Murphy to any light 10 that comes up for sale. There's one in Alaska now but the bbls are wayyyy too thin and corroded and the way too high price is inflexible or I'd own it. The one I saw at the Novi Mich show this past weekend would do quite nicely were it in better condition.
Harrys shim idea works well. I have a bunch of .0025" shim material that's very springy and tough that I use or you can buy a cheap set of feeler guages and cut up the blade of the proper thickness.
|