# goose gun



## CaptPick (Apr 1, 2006)

Can anyone tell me where I might find a Marlin goose gun in 10 gauge? I have found a few in 12 gauge but it is almost impossible to find a 10 gauge. This is the gun that is reffered to as the long tom it has a 36 inch barrel and is bolt action. any help that you can give would be appreciated.


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## M9 (Sep 21, 2004)

i would suggest you look at www.gunbroker.com . I picked mint Ithica Mag 10 from there for $500 2 years ago.


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## B-Money (May 2, 2005)

My neighbor has one. What a piece of hardware!!


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## CaptPick (Apr 1, 2006)

*goosegun*

Thanks for the info I really do appreciate it. Bobby if your neighbor ever wants to sell his let me know.


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## Levelwind (Apr 15, 2005)

Check Gunsamerica and Gunbroker from time to time and you'll find one. I have one, I used to have two. Great pass shooter. The official model name is the Marlin Super Goose.

Funny story. Quite a few years ago I had my house on the market and I got a call one evening from my realtor wondering if he could bring an interested buyer around. I said sure. It was during hunting season and the Super Goose was sitting out for some reason. The buyer turned out to be a gentleman from India. As they looked at the house he noticed the Marlin and asked if it were an elephant gun. I said no, it is a shotgun used for goose hunting. He smiled and nodded. As they were leaving I followed them to the door (I don't believe the buyer knew I was only a step behind them) and the Indian gentleman said to my realtor in a low voice 
"That IS an elephant gun".


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## Brian Castille (May 27, 2004)

My dad has a Marlin 10 gauge. He's holding it in the attached pic. He has had it for like 20 years and I'm pretty sure it's not for sale! It has killed many of geese over the years. I like my SP-10 better, but it's really cool to shoot his gun. Like mentioned above, sometimes there will be one on gunbroker.

If you want a challenge, try shooting a double on skeet with it!


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## 4thbreak (May 20, 2005)

I have the 12ga version with the 36 inch barrel. Its a cool gun to shoot a couple times, but definately not for everyday use.


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## Fishaholic (Jan 9, 2005)

Looked at one for sale at Collectors firearms about 2 weeks ago. Check them out if you want the info PM me.


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## 1-2-Fish (Dec 21, 2004)

I actually have one sitting in my closet that I might consider letting go. I believe it is actually called the "Super Goose Gun". Shoot me a PM w/ your contact info.

Gary-


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## CaptPick (Apr 1, 2006)

Gary how much do you want for it? If you are intrested in selling it let me know. You can Email me @ [email protected]. or call me @ (281) 578-6170.


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## THE JAMMER (Aug 1, 2005)

You realize the long barrel does absolutely nothing for you velocity wise, but it will give you a very long sighting radius.

In the old days, a longer barrel gave higher muzzle velocity, because more of the black powder got burned inside the barrel. With today's powders, it is all burned up well before 36".

They really are cool old guns though, but kick like a mule.

THE JAMMER


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## POCO LOCO (Mar 7, 2005)

Jammer, what you say is so very true, good luck Donk


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## Snap Draggin (Nov 11, 2007)

Brian Castille said:


> My dad has a Marlin 10 gauge. He's holding it in the attached pic. He has had it for like 20 years and I'm pretty sure it's not for sale! It has killed many of geese over the years. I like my SP-10 better, but it's really cool to shoot his gun. Like mentioned above, sometimes there will be one on gunbroker.
> 
> If you want a challenge, try shooting a double on skeet with it!


I have a SP-10 as well. I like it much better because I can get off more shots faster. It has a 26" barrel and patterns quite well at 60 yards with BB's and T's.


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## fuelish1 (Aug 3, 2004)

with the high powered loads of today and 3 1/2" 12 guage shells, I would think there wouldn't be much of a need for the 10 guage...unless you LIKE to spend over a dollar a shot! (my uncle had 3 of them pump 10 guages for a while)


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## CoastalOutfitters (Aug 20, 2004)

ck out a browning bps 10 , i own one and highly recc them over the one you are looking at....mine is a 24" factory choked barrel ..........shoots fine btw w a short barrel

bottom feed , bottom eject , less places for dirt to enter...


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## Levelwind (Apr 15, 2005)

The super goose is a VERY heavy gun. I have actually gotten a recoil headache from 3.5" 12 ga loads on a big kill goose hunt and went to the Marlin and the headache went away. The recoil is more like a push than a punch. 

The long barrel does two things for long range pass shooting. The longer sighting radius makes pointing more precise and the weight ensures that once you begin a smooth swing, you aren't going to stop it suddenly. 

The ten guage, due to the bore, is ballistically superior to the 3.5" 12. Watch a good shot with a ten guage and a good shot with a 3.5" 12 shoot all day, and assuming it is the right kind of shooting (not teal or wood ducks) the ten guage guy will have more birds and fewer cripples every time. No exceptions.


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## deke (Oct 5, 2004)

I will say one thing, I have seen 1-2-fish kill some geese from wayyy up there with that gun, so I know it will do it's job.

"The ten guage, due to the bore, is ballistically superior to the 3.5" 12. Watch a good shot with a ten guage and a good shot with a 3.5" 12 shoot all day, and assuming it is the right kind of shooting (not teal or wood ducks) the ten guage guy will have more birds and fewer cripples every time. No exceptions."

Great point!


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## coastalgriff (Jul 2, 2005)

There's one for sale on TBH http://discussions.texasbowhunter.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30034


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## daddyeaux (Nov 18, 2007)

Why would anyone want a gun with a 36" barrel??


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## Levelwind (Apr 15, 2005)

Pass shooting. The long barrel is useful. Maybe 32 or 34 would be just as good. Having done a good deal of it, I can tell you it's superior to a 28" barrel.


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## The Driver. (May 20, 2004)

*Turkey Shoots!*



daddyeaux said:


> Why would anyone want a gun with a 36" barrel??


My daughter went to KC shoot a few months ago and her boyfriend and family were teasing her how she had to shoot a live turkey. Told her how to get back at them! I own a 12ga bolt action with a 36" barrel! Her boyfriend said you should have seen the looks on the face of the compition when she stepped up to the line! Problem is she cant shoot! Her boyfriend won a turkey and they would not let him use it anymore after that!

Back when you could use lead it was a killer!


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## daddyeaux (Nov 18, 2007)

OK, but still no one has explained why you would want to shoot a 36" as opposed to a 28 or 30". Wouldn't a 36" be more awkward and cumberson to carry. Wouldn't it be slower on a swing for pass shooting?


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## dwilliams35 (Oct 8, 2006)

Well, the only remaining plus for that gun is that long sight radius: the distance between your eye and the front of the gun. That basically gets down to personal preference, because a gun with a shorter radius will be just as accurate it's psychological more than anything. When the gun was originally made, as was mentioned here, that long barrel was a major plus for muzzle velocity: with modern powders, you can do the same thing on the 18" barrel you see in some guns now. Once you get past that, the super goose is overly heavy, unwieldy, and very limited in follow-up shot capacity (it's the rare shooter that can successfully complete a bolt-action cycle while the gun is shouldered and aimed: a gimme with a pump and/or auto.).. If you want one because you want one, that's one thing: I would be the last one to try to talk a collector out of such a thing. If you want one to goose hunt, however, there's a heck of a lot of stuff out there that does the job better; and as long as the BPS 10 gauge is still out there, for basically in the same money category. I'm a big fan of the 10 gauge: having both and having used both extensively, I'm in the camp that will attest to it having a lot more going for it than the 3 1/2" 12-gauge "compromise" load. The ballistics are better, the shot string is reasonable, and they generally just don't kick as bad.


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## daddyeaux (Nov 18, 2007)

Bingo! We have a winner.......dwilliams that was well said. I was just curious if we were going to get the old "it shoots further" argument. The accuracy point would be the only advantage I could see. And I have been on hunts when someone had one of these and the bolt action is really slow. I would see it as a collectors item only. Thanks


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## Levelwind (Apr 15, 2005)

daddyeaux said:


> OK, but still no one has explained why you would want to shoot a 36" as opposed to a 28 or 30". Wouldn't a 36" be more awkward and cumberson to carry. Wouldn't it be slower on a swing for pass shooting?


Read much?



Levelwind said:


> The long barrel does two things for long range pass shooting. The longer sighting radius makes pointing more precise and the weight ensures that once you begin a smooth swing, you aren't going to stop it suddenly.


Sorry Dwilliams,



dwilliams35 said:


> That basically gets down to personal preference, because a gun with a shorter radius will be just as accurate it's psychological more than anything.


Ah, no, the gun with the longer sighting radius is CAPABLE of being pointed or aimed more accurately. That's why these guns are so effective at turkey shoots, as pointed out above.



dwilliams35 said:


> When the gun was originally made, as was mentioned here, that long barrel was a major plus for muzzle velocity: with modern powders,


Sorry, wrong again. The marlin bolts were built well past the era of black powder and even the very earliest smokeless powders. By the time they came on the market, there was no appreciable velocity difference attributable to barrel length. However like the need for "high brass" on more powerful shells, there were people who still believed it.

As far as speed of reloading, yes, and no. To have reasonable speed requires some practice. I have to bring mine slighly off my shoulder to jack the bolt. But I have killed two snows out of a flock with it on many occassions. It's a fun old gun to shoot and when I bought mine, you could find them for $250 or so. Very low recoil (due weight), very smooth swinging, and basically one very good accurate shot at passing geese out there far enough that I won't mention it in order not to start another flaming. Geese straight over the top, two shots easily. One out front and one overhead.

They are cumbersome and unwieldy, terrible turkey guns, too slow in the spread, etc. Good for one thing, pass shooting long geese, and pretty darn good for that. I own a BPS 10 and have shot ithaca and SP10s quite a bit, I'd rather have the marlin on a pass shoot.


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## dwilliams35 (Oct 8, 2006)

Levelwind said:


> Read much?
> 
> Sorry Dwilliams,
> 
> Ah, no, the gun with the longer sighting radius is CAPABLE of being pointed or aimed more accurately. That's why these guns are so effective at turkey shoots, as pointed out above. .


Heck, it's a shotgun: "accuracy" isn't exactly the word that really should have even been introduced here. In the hands of someone who even slightly knows what they're doing, a properly-choked and patterned shorter barrel is at no disadvantage anywhere: note that there's no such thing as a match-grade shotgun barrel. "capable" is in the hands of the shooter, not in an extra foot of barrel. "Easier" may be more appropriate: That being said, do you want easy in the goose spread or easy on a turkey shoot? once again, personal preference.



Levelwind said:


> Sorry, wrong again. The marlin bolts were built well past the era of black powder and even the very earliest smokeless powders. By the time they came on the market, there was no appreciable velocity difference attributable to barrel length. However like the need for "high brass" on more powerful shells, there were people who still believed it. .


Yep, you're probably right: they were a holdover from the early goose guns that DID need extra barrel length: however, even today, your "people who still believed it" is probably the key here.



Levelwind said:


> As far as speed of reloading, yes, and no. To have reasonable speed requires some practice. I have to bring mine slighly off my shoulder to jack the bolt. But I have killed two snows out of a flock with it on many occassions. It's a fun old gun to shoot and when I bought mine, you could find them for $250 or so. Very low recoil (due weight), very smooth swinging, and basically one very good accurate shot at passing geese out there far enough that I won't mention it in order not to start another flaming. Geese straight over the top, two shots easily. One out front and one overhead.
> 
> They are cumbersome and unwieldy, terrible turkey guns, too slow in the spread, etc. Good for one thing, pass shooting long geese, and pretty darn good for that. I own a BPS 10 and have shot ithaca and SP10s quite a bit, I'd rather have the marlin on a pass shoot.


 Speed of reloading? No, there's no "No" in that yes and no. period. You speak of two shots easily. With a "Modern" repeater you're only limited by the 3-shell limitation, not by "one out front and one overhead" a pump or auto could easily let loose five or six shells in the same timespan, with or without "requiring practice", when the feds let us. Pass shooting is a function of the shooter knowing how to judge a lead and properly swing a gun, not barrel length. ANY 10 gauge can make the same passing shots that a Super Goose can. Choking, ammo, and the skill of the shooter are the ONLY variables. That being the case, the Super Goose has a heck of a lot of limitations compared to what's on the market today. If you want a gun that's going to get some use, you need to get a modern gun. if you want a "long tom" for your collection, you don't.


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## Levelwind (Apr 15, 2005)

My Gawd I must be bored! hahaha. Waiting for laundry!

Barrel length has a lot to do with how precisely a gun can be pointed, also how smoothly it is swung. Top sporting clays guys are now shooting 32 inch barrels. Top trap guys always have. Ever wonder why? Smooth, precise tracking on longish targets. I do think 32" is about the point of diminishing returns, though. Haven't seen too many Marlin bolt actions at the big trapshoots.

OBTW, you mentioned in the goose spread. A super goose is NOT a good gun for *decoying *geese. too slow and unwieldy.

I'll give you speed of follow up shots, but with a caveat. The Browning Gold Hunter is the only popular ten guage I have not shot, and I've heard it's a soft shooting gun. But the rest, (Ithaca Supermag, Sp-10, BPS, even some of the good spanish doubles like AYA) will move you (me) around enough that
I'm rarely going to get more than two well executed shots at far passing birds anyway. The only time I have felt very limited was when geese were passing in a more or less continuous stream. I was wasting time loading the gun while my buds were dropping geese.

"Pass shooting is a function of the shooter knowing how to judge a lead and properly swing a gun, not barrel length. *ANY 10 gauge can make the same passing shots that a Super Goose can. Choking, ammo, and the skill of the shooter are the ONLY variables*."

Sigh. I'll never convince you. But do this. Take a short barrelled shotgun, one of those 24" turkey guns, or even a "coach gun", AND a gun with a long barrel. Go to where the geese (or doves, or ibis, or pelicans) are crossing 70 yards away or so and just point the guns at them and track them for a few degrees as if you were going to shoot them. You'll see the difference by the third bird, for sure, and it will be LARGE and UNMISTAKEABLE.

Yes any 10 ga can make the same shots. Sometimes. But not with the same ease and consistency.

Size does matter.

No, the Super Goose is not the perfect goose gun. That's why mine is in Kansas, with a friend, and my BPS ten is here at the house. I do more spread hunting, occassional pass shooting, and my friend does more pure refuge firing line pass shooting.

But they only cost (well, both of mine) around $250, and they perform better on long range geese most days than any 12 ga. If you can find a good SP-10 for under $750, or a BPS for under $450, it's a good deal.

They're a cool old gun, in some circumstances they can be extremely effective, and they're fun to shoot.


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## dwilliams35 (Oct 8, 2006)

No, you're never going to convince me: I've used pretty much every barrel length available at one time or another, including a SG. I know the theory, I admit that it could hold for somebody who uses one of the techniques that lend themselves to that. I personally don't see any improvement on those long shots with a longer barrel that you do: of course, my shotgun shooting relies more on fit and seating of the gun than it does on "aiming" : I have shotguns that I honestly can't tell you if they have a front sight, I've also got shotguns that I accidentally knocked the front sight off of, and honestly never missed them. 

Like it matters: we both agree (I think) that the SG is pretty much a single-purpose gun, while a "modern" gun is more versatile. I know that there's a lot of people out there who benefit from the longer barrels; if shooters have a shooting "method" that relies on that sight radius, it'll make those shots easier for them . If not, it won't: it doesn't make a bit of difference at the business end: if it's pointed at the right place when you pull the trigger, it'll be in the right place when it gets to the bird. If it helps you, fine. it doesn't make a bit of difference to me except for having an extra six inches to a foot of useless steel getting in the way; I can make the same passing shots with a properly choked BPS that I can with a SG.


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## Levelwind (Apr 15, 2005)

Absolutely (last load of laundry! haha), the old marlin is certainly a single purpose gun, but not something to be ridiculed or made fun of, if on a firing line.

In order to appreciate the difference between, say a 28" barrel (esp on a repeater where you have the reciever adding to overall length) and a 32" barrel requires that you be a very accomplished shotgunner (otherwise you'll never hit long targets consistently enough to notice the difference) and that you shoot a LOT of targets. But top gunners DO notice the difference. The top 10 clays shooters in Great Britain and their guns.

*George Digweed*

*15 times World Sporting Champion*

Gun choice: Perazzi mx2000s
Barrel length: 32 in

*Richard Faulds MBE*

*Olympic Gold Medallist 2000*

Gun choice: Beretta DT10
Barrel length: 32 in

*Graham Stirzaker*

*FITASC World Cup Winner 1986*

Gun choice: Ceasar Guerini Summit Sporter 
Barrel length: *34 in
*


*Kate Brown*

*World Sporting Ladies Champion 2005*

Gun choice: Krieghoff K80 
Barrel length: 30in

*Cheryl Hall*

*World Sporting Ladies Champion 2006*

Gun choice: Renato Gamba 2k 
Barrel length: 30in

*Mark Winser*

*World Sporting Junior Champion 2006*

Gun choice: Krieghoff K80 Super Sporter 
Barrel length: 32in

*John Bidwell*

*Former FITASC World Champion*

Gun choice: Blaser F3
Barrel length: 30



*







Georgie Jones*

*Pan American Sporting and FITASC Ladies Gold medal winner *

Gun choice: Beretta DT10 
Barrel length: 32"

*Ollie Baker*

*British Open Runner up & Junior Champion 2006*

Gun choice: Miroku Mk38 Trap Grade 5
Barrel length: 32in



*Matt Hance*

*England and GB Fitasc Team member*

Gun choice: Guerini Summit Trap 2007 model
Barrel length: 32in

Note the ladies tend to shoot the 30" barrels, overall weight is an issue for them. But you see no 26" or 28" barrels either. Stirzaker has run 100 straight at skeet with the Guerini (obviously not the strong suit of a 34" barrelled gun).


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## dwilliams35 (Oct 8, 2006)

Okay, now ask all of them how many need the extra sight radius, and how many just want the forward swing weight. Gauging lead, timing, ammo, trigger control. That's all that matters. Everything else is personal preference. If it works for you, fine: that doesn't mean that it will be at all beneficial to someone that has different shooting methods. like me.


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## daddyeaux (Nov 18, 2007)

If you please, I'm on my last load of laundry also...lol....I prefer a 26" barrel for shooting skeet, a 32" barrel for sporting clays and I hunt with a Benelli with 28" barrels. I was very skeptical of 32" barrels on an O/U until I shot one one day while shooting with Bobby Fowler and Jeff Briley. At the time I was shooting a Browning O/U with 28" barrels. I found the 32" just as easy to swing and it seemed to hold on the target easier. I now have a Browning with 32" barrels.


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## CaptPick (Apr 1, 2006)

*Goose Gun*

The main reason I want the super goose gun is because I use to own one of these guns years ago and it was stolen from me. It was alot of fun to shoot in a pass shooting situation. I mostly hunt of a spread these days and find my mossberg 12 more than adequate, but on days when Im feeling lazy or Im by myself, I enjoy a little pass shooting.


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