RST sells a short 10 in a ten pack box. Velocity is 1175, 1 1/4 oz of lead 7.5 shot. It's a great low pressure load, a bit expensive but save the cases and reload them. Easy for me to say: I have a whole wine crate full of cases and haven't done it yet.
You'll enjoy the loads. I shoot ZZ's and driven mallards with them. No recoil in my #6 frames.

On another load I just saw this morning Ballistic Products has a 5/8 oz, 1 3/4" ,1200 fps, 12 ga load that has to be great for Damascus 12's.

RST is where I get my 10 gauge shells

I shoot three short 10's: one #3 frame and two #6 frames.

I find my accumulation of 10’s keeps growing . Not my original intention but I suppose there are worse things :whistle:

10s keep finding me too

Me too. I had to really step away from one the other week.
I've found a lot of duck hunters are not too keen on tens and don't want them shot on their clubs. They think people skyscrape with tens. Fact is they really skyscrape with 3.5" 12s.
The good news is if you put a good lead on a duck at 70 yards with a 10 you'll hit it.
That's what they were made for.

I suppose seven or eight more Parker10’s and an Ithaca NID Mag 10 and I’ll be satisfied :rotf::rotf::rotf:

wish they had made enough 10 ga 6 frame guns were we all could have had one....i love those big frame guns....charlie

y)

There are a lot of "ifs" in that statement. It can be done if you are using a pellet size that will have sufficient retained energy at 70 yards, if the gun will throw a dense enough pattern to get the required number of shot in the bird for a clean kill (1 1/4 oz. 10 bore loads won't do it anywhere near consistently) and if the shooter is skilled in long range shooting and has taken plenty of shots at paper at 70 yards to make sure his gun and loads will do the job humanely.

Captain Charles Askins and Elmer Keith, early proponents of long range shooting, killed a lot of waterfowl at 70 yards and beyond, but they knew their guns and loads intimately through a lot of work at the pattern board. They knew what it took to kill consistently at long range and they were diligent in making sure that the guns and loads they used were sufficient for the task. There was no guess work with those boys. They did it the way it needs to be done.

Taking shots at extra-long range, regardless of the gauge of the gun, without doing the required due diligence with both gun and loads, is sky busting in my opinion. I must admit that I have little patience for sky busters. It has always been a pet peeve of mine.

the ten ga short 2 7/8 shell with bismouth bb size shot will cleanly kill a duck a big duck or goose at 70 yards and the 3 1/2 inch 10 ga with 2 1/4 ounces of bismouth bb shot will kill cleanly at 70 yards...i have tested these guns many times on paper and cans....the holdback to this range at 70 yards is having a person who can handle one of the big guns and bee able to shoot them well...the 12 ga 3 incg gun and the 3 1/2 inch 12 ga will also kill cleanly at this range...the guns are capable but most shooters at this range are only sky busting them but the right man with these guns will be as good ascaptain charles askins and elmer keith.....my dad was a fine long range duck shooter but i am not with the same gun.....charlie

Charlie helpful response on Short Ten kill range. I am going to go and take the 10 I have for sale on GI and keep it!!!!

When this thread started I owned no Parker 10's. Now I own 5. A 6 frame 10ga NH, a D 6 frame 10ga 36", a DH, CH and AH 3 frames. Looking for a BH Damascus and GH.

Short 10
 

I now own an EH Damascus 30” on #3 frame had a good time on doves whitewings and morning I like to shoot gauge mates and AA 1 1/8oz 7 1/2 shot. Turkeys this spring with RST 2 7/8 # 6 shot. Counting the days. Shot couple ducks with gauge mates and 12 ga Kent Bismuth.

I have 30 inch 10 gauges and 32 inch 10 gauges and I think the 30 inch ones handle a little better. The weight is not too far out front

My 28” EH is kinda lively innthe hands , you oughtta try a round of skeet with it . Now if I can ever run across a 26” EH :whistle: Your 4 frames aren’t longer then 32” ?

Short 10
 

Mills I agree my 32” bbls seem like too much weight forward. I wish the good priest who ordered this gun had specified 30” and 32” instead of 28 and 32!!! My EH 30 inch swings great on doves.

Thank you Alan. I just ordered some ammo from RST. Looking forward to trying out this family heirloom for the first time. And, I will save the shells and try my hand at reloading. This shotgun has really been teaching me a lot and exposing me to a whole new world of hunting and firearms history.

Hey, if you want to send me a dozen or so of those shells I'd be happy to send you a gift card to whatever store you like to shop at......

MT

Charlie, I agree with you. But a 10 bore is not a 70+ yard gun unless it is bored appropriately and heavy 10 bore loads are used in it. A 1 ¼ 10 bore load, as is sometimes used in these guns, won’t do it. Some assume a 10 bore is automatically a 70+ yard gun. It may be, but only if it is bored and loaded appropriately. I have absolutely no experience with the 12 bore magnum loads so I can’t speak to their effectiveness at long range. I only speak about things that I have actual and extensive experience with.

I’ve never owned a gun, 10 or 12 bore that patterned BB’s worth a damn. I’ve gotten passable patterns with #2’s from a 10 bore but not a 12. Whether or not my long range guns are typical, I don’t know. I used #3’s back when I could get that size shot from Herter’s. When it was no longer available, I went with 4’s.

I dunno if I posted this before or not . At the time my only hammerless Parker 10’s . At the top a circa 1889 EH 2 frame 30” below that a circa 1890 NH 3 frame 32” below that a circa 1891 EH 2 frame 28” and on the bottom a circa 1899 EH 3 frame 32” . I’ve since added a circa 1889 DH 3 frame 32” thatsin need of some work .

nice collection of 10 bores you have there.....charlie

You just can’t have too many tens ��! Love it.

I heard that ! I just added a 0 Grade 4 frame with 34” barrels . Hopefully I’ll have in hand in 10-14 days !

Therapy? LOL! Bet the new on is great. Maybe for a turkey over in the Blue Ridge or in The Valley! Good luck! Jeff

Like most everything I buy it has a couple issues but time and dollars should fix that :rotf:

sounds like you have bought a great gun bet shes shot her share of ducks in the past hopefly some in the future....charlie...

I dunno about killing anymore ducks with it . But if I live long enough and the river don’t rise I’d be willing to bet a tidy sum that it kills a deer with one of my handloads :whistle:

short 10
 

I'll be shooting the "boathouse" in the 10 gauage challenge .

I have killed numerous snow geese and several sandhill cranes with my 2 7/8" EG. Handloaded with bismuth shot.

I have killed numerous snow geese and several sandhill cranes with my 2 7/8" EH. Handloaded with bismuth shot.

I did read most of this but Im still confused as why the 2 7/8 is called the short ten, what is the 2 5/8 called Shorty ?

I think the 2 5/8 is slightly earlier than the 2 7/8s . From what ive read though the 2 7/8 became more or less the standard 10 ga length . But when you mention the 10 ga to most people they automatically think of the 3.5 magnum . So the 2 7/8 is the short 10 ga compared to the 10 ga 3.5 . I don't think 10 ga 2 5/8 guns were as mass produced as 2 7/8s .

the 2 5/8 10 was the common "short" ten in England -

even as the 2 7/8 was the norm here

I believe Milton is correct. I have three Remington 10 gauge doubles made in the mid-1880s and they have 2 5/8" chambers. My 10 gauge Remington double made in 1899 has 2 7/8" chambers.

So after what year did Parker make 2 7/8 standard ?

Well I think hes also right the 2 5/8 was more popular in England but I think they also ended going with the 2 7/8 length as well shortly after the Americans or around the same time .

Yep I use my short Ten.

They are a lot of fun to shoot, and another one has followed me home. A grade 1 Ithaca Crass from 1895, 30" Twist barrels and lots of condition and tight. Not a lot of bling, but a lot of gun for not a lot of money. Oddly enough the frame is stamped 1P (grade 1 plain) and 12, but it is a 10 gauge. I am guessing it's just a miss stamp, it weighs 8 1/2 pounds.

nice gun i like those barrels...just a big old 12 ga...ha charlie

Since this thread was started 9 years ago it would be interesting to see who is still shooting the short 10 .

The unfortunate thing is when I try to convince people to give the short 10 a try they think its going to kick like a 10 ga 3.5 magnum and trying to explain the difference , it just gives them a headache .

I was telling my FFL recently that I was going to be buying a 2 7/8 10 ga soon and was going to get him to do the transfer for me . He started telling how the 10 ga was too much gun and the recoil was too extreme . So I tried explaining to him what the 10 ga 2 7/8 was and with RST ammo you're essentially shooting the payload of a modern 20 ga but in a much heavier gun . His response was nope 10 ga = loose teeth fillings ......

Tell him to find a better dentist