I have a Remington SP-10 Magnum and except for a few minor problems, like the front bead coming off, I really love it. The gun, with a wood stock,has a real solid feel to it and is actually a pleasure to shoot, evenwith 3.5 inch magnums. It has much less felt recoil than a 12 guagewith waterfowl loads. Thisis due to both the design of the gas system and the weight of the gun, 11 pounds. SAAMI regulations restrict commercially sold 10 guage ammunition to the same pressures as 3.5 inch shells in a 12 guage so the 10 guageloads are ballistically similar to those in a magnum 12 guage. However, the 10 guage will pattern better and do it with less feltrecoil. In addition to waterfowl, it is a superior weapon for turkey hunting.

The SP-10 Magnum is not cheap, a new one will cost $1200 to $1300 but is gun thatcan takevery difficult conditions inthefield and cycle flawlessly every time. The weight of the gun is a problem for some people but I have gotten used to it and actually feel that even if I don't get any ducks or geese, at least I got a good workoutcarrying it around. One problem with the 10 guage is that ammunition is not as widely available as 12 guage ammunition and is more expensive. Toreach the maximum potential of the SP-10 you would probably want to hand load. The SP-10 Magnum is so strong and robust that you could probably shoot hand loads with it that you would not want to try in any other 10 guage. I have seen some sites on the internet with details of hand loads for the SP-10 Magnum that substantially increase the range and lethality of the weapon. I would not try this with any 10 guage other than the massiveSP-10 Magnum.

I know there will be plenty of posts critical of the 10 guage in general and the SP-10 in particular but I like mine so much I even use it for hunting upland gamebirds like pheasant.

Caldoc