Williams & Powell 10 Ga
Went Duck hunting this weekend in the Salt Marshs of Dulac, LA.
Saturday was a marginal day; we shot 6 Ducks. A cold front pushed in that evening changing everything. Sunday morning we harvested 29 total.
I hunted with my new William & Powell 10 Gauge (1880's Vintage). Due to the lack of Nice Shot availability, I wound up using Hevi-Shot's 3" 12 Gauge # 3's (1-1/4 oz). I used this in conjunction with my set of Gauge Mate Gold Adapters. All components performed flawlessly.
I choose the Hevi-Shot because of the manner in which the shells are loaded. The Steel Shot is loaded first in the bottom of shot cup, followed by an equal amount of Tungsten loaded in upper portion of the cup. I liked this arrangement because of the idea that the Steel Shot, after pulling the trigger, always has the wall thickness of the shot cup between the shot and the Barrel Walls (as it travels the length of the barrels). The theory being that the shot cup would protect the inside diameter of the barrels from the hard steel. All evidence indicates that it worked out fine. The 10 or so shot cups retreived from the water showed no signs of the steel having pierced the shot cup walls. There is no evidence of scoring in the barrels.
Prior to hunting, I went to the range to check pattern performance on the pattern board. Shooting the 12 ga Hevi-Shot produced patterns approx 25 % more open than RST's 2-7/8" # 6's (Lead) at 25 yards. The combination of the adapters with the 12 ga ammo was deadly on the ducks out to 30 yards (Estimated distance). Regrettably, I didn't make any long distance shots. Recoil using the 3" 12's is marginal.
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11-23-2015, 11:55 PM
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