2" 410 shell needed

B

Bernie Link

New member
A while back I picked up a H&R single shot shotgun. The marking on the barrel says "410-44 cal." The guy at the gun show I got it from said it was made in 1919 & shoots 2" 410 shells (which I can't get any more). I'm looking for someone that will make me some 410 ammo in a 2" length (in a light load, this gun is an old one), or have I been fed wrong info??? Can anyone help me? Thanks, Bernie
 
The earliest centerfire .410s were 2" sold by Eley starting in 1874. The first 2½" shells were produced by Eley starting in 1911. Winchester dropped 2" in 1927, so, presumably, their popularity had dropped way off by then. The first 3" put in its appearance around that time.

Since your gun is from between those dates, it could be either 2" or 2½". About the only way I know to be sure is to make a chamber casting or a gauge. A pin gauge near the chamber OD (within a thousandth) could be slipped in to see how far it goes before a throat taper stops it. That will be right at 2", 2½" (as the 3" wasn't around yet in 1919).
 
Don't know where to buy 2" 410 hulls. 2-1/2" & 3" hulls typical purchased these days.
Even so the shipping of live ammo with a delivery service requires a additional Hazmat Fee added.
> 1. Little benefit for the reloader.
2.Spendy charge/s incurred by the parcel receiver~
~ for a few shot shells.
i.e. Not worth the either's effort.
 
If you have a spent 3" shell cut it down to 2 1/2" cleanly with a sharp razor blade. Gently slide it into the chamber until it hits resistance..gravity + a touch is all you should need. If it bottoms out you have a 2 1/2" chamber. If it stops with significant brass still up you have a 2" chamber. A 2" chamber will have you going into the forcing cone causing the extra resistance which will get dramatically harder PDQ. What you have should be a 2 1/2" made to also fire the 44 XL shot shell and 44/40.
 
Something to consider.
Having such a old shot-gun shooting obsolete ammo. Maybe beneficial to this OP to have a gunsmith re-ream the old chamber to 2-1/2 or 3".
 
Magtech does 2.5 " brass shells for .410. Buy them cut to 2" and shoot BP loads (using 45 cal fiber wads and cards). 444 Marlin brass will also work but may not extract well.
 
I have a ".44 Shot" barrel for an H&R. At some point - probably not long after it was made - someone stuffed a .410-44 reamer in it. Very near the time that I obtained that barrel, a .410-44 barrel passed through my hands and I helped another guy get a chamber cast of his .410-44 barrel.

I did a lot of research and almost as much experimenting on my own, to see what worked, what was questionable, and what modern components still work in these old chambers.

My recommendations and bottom line:
-Having a friend or commercial business reload some 2" .410 for you is the cheaper way to get the job done. However, the Magtech brass shells have thicker case walls than what was on the market 100 years ago. They may stick in some chambers.

-Obtaining some .44-40 cases and reloading those as shot shells is the easier and more authentic option. The thin case walls are more susceptible to damage while being reloaded, but should work better in the chamber.
 
IIRC the handgun 410 shells are 2"
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I just checked the large stash gifted to me by my now-deceased friend, DPris.
All of the ".410 Handgun" ammo I was given is in standard size boxes (for 2.5" shells) and labeled as 2.5".

Something on the market might be 2", but everything I have here is 2.5".
 
Post #7 sounds like the best advice.

If you can't find a 3-inch fired shell, carry your gun into a smaller gun friendly gun store and see if they will let you try a 2 1/2 loaded shell and see if it fits.
 
If you can't find a 3-inch fired shell, carry your gun into a smaller gun friendly gun store and see if they will let you try a 2 1/2 loaded shell and see if it fits.
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That's not a good way to check a chamber. Shotgun chambers don't work like centerfire chambers. (It's still not the greatest idea for identifying centerfire chambers, either.)
Unfired shotgun shells are shorter than their required chamber length. As such, it is generally not just possible, but typical, for a 2.5" .410 shell to slide right into a 2" chamber; or a 12 ga 3" shell to slide into a 2-3/4" (or 2-9/16") chamber.
Using loaded ammo tells you nothing about the chamber length unless the shell refuses to fully chamber. ...And then all you know is that the chamber is substantially shorter than that shell.
 
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If you can't find a 3-inch fired shell, carry your gun into a smaller gun friendly gun store and see if they will let you try a 2 1/2 loaded shell and see if it fits.
That's not a good way to check a chamber. Shotgun chambers don't work like centerfire chambers. (It's still not the greatest idea for identifying centerfire chambers, either.)
Unfired shotgun shells are shorter than their required chamber length. As such, it is generally not just possible, but typical, for a 2.5" .410 shell to slide right into a 2" chamber; or a 12 ga 3" shell to slide into a 2-3/4" (or 2-9/16") chamber.
Using loaded ammo tells you nothing about the chamber length unless the shell refuses to fully chamber. ...And then all you know is that the chamber is substantially shorter than that shell.
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Don't even try it. It's even worse than the internet would lead you to believe.
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I agree. The length of any shotgun shell on the box is the FIRED length. Either find a gunsmith who can measure it or find someone who can make a cast.
 
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