I've pretty well sworn off posting on the forum but will chime in on this one.
To Forrest:
The USA isn't the whole world despite what people seem to believe. The gunners in the UK are perfectly within their rights to use shotguns larger than 10 gauge for waterfowling, puntgunning is even still legal there. The waterfowl populations on that side of the water have seemed to survive just fine even with these guns firing a them for the past 200 years.
The ammunition is expensive, the guns are expensive, they're heavy and hard to use. Most guys use plastic automatics for waterfowling there just like they do here. If big guns were made legal again in the US (which they never will be) there would be a few people who would take them up but not very many.
There was a time before steel shot when even the magnum 10 gauge was almost a thing of the past. I knew hundreds of goose hunters growing up in Southern Illinois and the guys who regularly used 10 gauge guns could be counted on one hand. They did gain some popularity again when steel came in but have fallen off in use somewhat since the introduction of the 3 1/2 inch 12 gauge.
Large bore shotguns aren't a threat to fair chase, the gun companies wouldn't all jump on the band wagon and start making them or the ammo to use in them. Think about this, when lead was legal and they were at their most effective, how many gun companies produced a 10 gauge gun after WWII? Other than the Spanish doubles and O/U's that were imported, I can only think of one, the Ithaca Mag 10. If everybody wanted/wants to shoot big bore shotguns why weren't they more popular?
And as far as somebody working up a gun that could throw a 90% pattern at 80 yards, how many guys do you know who could make a gun like that work for them? Long range shooting is for the specialist. I'm as avid a waterfowler as I know and even I with my magnum 10 gauge won't hardly take a shot outside 50 yards because I know I can't hit the birds that far away. There aren't but a handful of men in the US who could use a gun like that to it's full effect. Even if somebody made it what threat would it really be?
Anyway, that's my 2 cents, I'm back into my non posting mode.
Destry
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I was as virtuously given as a gentleman need to be; virtuous enough; swore little; diced not above seven times a week; went to a bawdy-house once in a quarter--of an hour; paid money that I borrowed, three of four times; lived well and in good compass: and now I live out of all order, out of all compass. Falstaff - Henry IV
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