.410 For a garden gun?

B

Bartholomew Roberts

Moderator
Is a 2.5” .410 throwing a half ounce of #8 shot safe to use on a half-acre lot? Safe to use meaning that any shot that leaves your lot poses not even minor injury to bystanders.
 
No. 8 shot fired at the optimum angle will carry nearly 200 yards. It won't hit very hard, but you wouldn't want a neighbor to catch one in the eye.
 
Henry-Repeating-Arms-Garden-Gun-H001-GG-2-768x620.jpg
 
Yeah, I’ve been using an old H&R .22 revolver loaded with ratshot as my garden gun; but it throws a big donut pattern because of the rifling and a $500 limited use smoothbore is not in my budget.

Anyone make #12 shot .410?
 
Lot's of #9 shot available in 410, are there houses in every direction?
A 410 is quite a bit louder than a 22lr with birdshot, that could be a problem.
What pests are you trying to control? I'm in the pest control business and normally don't have to shoot stuff other than pigeons.
 
First priority pests are rattlesnakes and bobcats. These are things I’ve found in my yard that are a threat to me and my dogs. Luckily the bobcats flee so I don’t have to deal with that. And the rattlesnakes just sit there wanting to be left alone, but unfortunately that doesn’t work for me.

I also have a lot of squirrels and rabbits; but they are just pests, not dangerous. I don’t need to kill them; but Hasenpfeffer sounds pretty good when I catch them raiding my garden.

Mostly this a thought exercise about better options for putting meat in the freezer if necessary and finding something with a little more reach than .22 ratshot.
 
the trick is to find an old cheap bolt action gun with a smooth bore in 9mm or .38/357cal rat shot.
they are out there. you just have to search.
or.....heres a 9mm smoothbore shotshell semi auto called a bernadelli. I had one. wow. talk about no kick and good out to 20yds!

 
Last edited:
Squirrels' are easily trapped in Havahart live traps using peanut butter{don't leave it out at night or you'll have a skunk or racoon }. I usually deport them, ha ha, to creek bottom about 3 miles from my place where my friends and I hunt squirrels in the late winter.
Rabbits are fun to shoot with a pellet gun, the magic spot is above the eye and slightly back.
Snakes can be killed with a shovel or grabbed with one of these and relocated.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0719LX97...olid=28HVBV9U6BY08&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
 
ignore the pencil. it pointing at a 24ga. go far right. that's a paper 22 shotshell. the 9mm is in between that and the 410 in the pic.



the pic is....10-12-14-16-20-24-28-32-410-22
 
I did a quick search a sure enough there are some 9mm garden guns, all the ones I seen were collector guns at 500.00+ and there is no ammunition.
 
these are modern 9mm rimfire brass case shotshells with #9 shot, imported from Italy.
im pretty sure its a 3/8oz load. google fiochi. im pretty sure that's who makes it. its been so long, I forgot.

 
Bartholomew Roberts said:
First priority pests are rattlesnakes and bobcats. These are things I’ve found in my yard that are a threat to me and my dogs.
Click to expand...
LoL
I'm literally surrounded by rattlers and bobcats...
In over half a century I've never once had a thought, let alone a need, to kill either
And I can't even remember hearing about a bobcat attacking and injuring a person or dog

BTW, if you have rattlers, then rabbits and squirrels shouldn't even be an issue...
Unless of course you are killing the rattlers
:confused:
 
Call your local pest control company, not one of the national ones, they specialize in bugs for the most part. A good PC guy will know all kinds of little tricks to keep unwanted animals out of a garden.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top