Composite Barrels and Nitro Powder

[Pete Lester]

This morning I shot 4 crows before work with my NH 10 gauge. Usually this would not be very noteworthy. However according to my spreadsheet this morning made 1502 1 1/4 ounce 2 7/8" 10ga nitro powder rounds fired through this particular Twist steel barrel gun at crows since Aug 2010 (872 crows were felled).

Loads used were all Federal Hull, Win 209 or Fiochhi 616 primer, either 32 grains of 7625 or 27 grains of Green Dot, SP10 wad, appropriate 16ga filler wad and 1 1/4 ounce of lead #6.

A few years ago I was a skeptic of shooting such loads in a composite barrel gun. Now I don't have any concern and simply enjoy the gun.

Still a happy member of the 2 eye 10 finger club.

http://parkerguns.org/forums/showthread.php?t=4750

[Bruce Day]

Assuming the powder charge was enough to send the load at about 1175 fps, what you were shooting was the same or close to the Parker patterning load for your gun. And assuming your gun was made in the mid 1890's or later, your gun would have been stated by Parker as intended "for the latest smokeless powder" ( 1893 catalog ).

[todd allen]

That's an awesome project! A short ten would be a fun crow gun.
BTW, our crow season is just about to start.

[Paul Plager]

Beautiful gun Pete.

[wayne goerres]

Mr Books. I read your post on the condition of your 10 ga when you bought it. Now I am not quite so worried about fireing mine. I have put a few bp loads through mine and now I am working on light nitro loads. hopefully mine will hold together.

[Mills Morrison]

I actually prefer the low powder loads from a performance standpoint. Low recoil on the first shot does not break my concentration on the second shot. Out at the gun club this morning shooting my NH 10, Ithaca 16 and Greener 12. My wife liked the Ithaca, so I may yet convert her to Damascus barreled doubles.