best 410 rounds for dove?

D

Deja vu

New member
One of my sons recently finished his hunters safety and really wants to shoot some doves. He wants to use his shotgun (Winchester 500e)

I know the 410 is not a great gun to start hunting with but its what he has. He does not like shooting my 12ga shotguns. He has practiced quite a bit and can shoot clay with his 410 so may be it will work.

Any way what do you think the best rounds for Doves would be? We may also go after Quayle and Pheasants later so advise on those would be apricated as well.
 
For me... If I am in a small field that really only presents mainly short shots, I like the 8 but 9 is the cats meow... In larger fields, the smaller pellets lose velocity faster so i go 7 1/2...

Brent
 
.410

I cut my teeth on the .410, like many I suppose. It really is not a good beginners gun though, as there is just not much payload or resultant pattern to work with........but..............If one must, consider ........

I'd not even fool with the 2.75" shell, but by all means, stay with the 3 incher.
And, do not fall for the tendency to use larger shot. To get any semblance of a useful pattern, I would not go larger than # 7-1/2 shot. That means 6's, are out and anything bigger too.

For some reason the bulk stores seem to stock .410 in larger shot sizes, likely I guess mirroring they're larger bore buys. Don't buy'em.

All that said, a few years back I ran into a close out on .410/2.75 shell with #8 shot. Bought the lot, and it proved about as useful on rabbits in front of beagles as my standard 3"/ #7-1/2 load. But that is very specific use, often on stationary, easy to hit bunnies.
 
A .410 should NEVER be used as a starter wing shooting gun. It is really only effective at flying birds in the hands of an expert. Get the kid a 20ga.
 
Doyle, If he has been using the gun for hitting clays than he may do well...
From 8 to 12 or older, all I had was a .410 bolt gun and I now see the skills it forced me to gain...

Brent
 
Brent, it may cause some shooters to get better at their skill but it will cause more (especially kids) to get frustrated and want to give up.

With the high cost of .410 ammo these days, there really isn't any reason to choose it over a 20ga.
 
Use heavy enough shot...

My suggestion is to use heavy shot. Due to the small amount of BB's there is a tendency to use #8's or #9's. In the .410 these are cripplers on doves. Use #7-1/2 at least, or even #6 is better. Learned this the hard way, but I do enjoy shooting doves with a .410!!!

...bug
 
Brent, it may cause some shooters to get better at their skill but it will cause more (especially kids) to get frustrated and want to give up.

With the high cost of .410 ammo these days, there really isn't any reason to choose it over a 20ga.
Click to expand...

I agree that the 410 should be used more by experts. The thing is all my shot guns are 12ga and he is not big enough to handle those. Unfortunately at this time a 20ga is not in the budget. Give him a few years and he will be fine with a 12.

yes he does shoot clay with the 410 and does pretty good for a 12 year old.
 
got both sides of the shot issue here, some say use bigger shot, others say there isn't enough pellets, so use smaller shot.

7 1/2 or 8s are dove loads. My experience is that they do fine within their range. Going to the .410 means its harder to put enough pellets on the target, NOT that the pellets are any less effective. One or two #8s from a 12ga are exactly the same as one or two #8s from a .410 in my experience.

Solid hit with the center of the shot column always works, .410 or 12ga. The one real difference is that with a .410 there is sometimes something left.:rolleyes:

Seriously, its the difficulty hitting moving targets that makes the .410 an "experts gun". If your boy is shooting clays and doing acceptably well, he should do about the same on live birds, once he adjusts to they way they behave.

You might consider finding some very light 12ga loads (trap loads?) and have him try them when he is ready (and he will be ready before you know it).

.410 shells in the larger shot sizes are meant for ground shooting of pests and small game more than they are for wingshooting larger birds. One can do it, but the difficulty often turns off beginners. Or turns them off to the .410, at any rate.

at 14, I got the use of a .410, and my first outing wasted an entire box of shells without a single hit, other than the one fencepost I shot (which, fortunately wasn't moving). The next time, I borrowed my Grandfather's 12ga double, and came back with some birds, and a split lip! The time after that, I came back with just some birds. Have used 12ga ever since. I have a couple of .410s (one bolt action, and a T/C Contender pistol), but don't use them for wingshooting. Fine pest guns though.
 
In this heat at this time of year, 7.5 or 8 will do just fine IF he can work the gun properly. To that end, try some of both lengths - 2.75 and 3" and see what works best at the pattern plate at 25 yards - that is the nominal testing distance for 410, not 40 yards. If he can swing the gun and hit some clays, and he stays to the 25 yard MAX distance, he should be OK. If you access to the field ahead of time and you know where he will be stationed, you might put a few survey stakes with a little orange ribbon at 25 yard distances in a semicircular pattern so he knows not to shoot at anything past those stakes - should help keep the frustration level down

Have fun and I hope he limits out
 
Use 3" shells. Number 8's are cripplers in the .410. Be sure to buy your son at least 1 box of #6's to try. He'll be a happier hunter!

...bug
 
Use 3" shells. Number 8's are cripplers in the .410
Click to expand...

:rolleyes:

Velocity of most 3" game loads is 1140.. The loads I shoot are 1300 FPS...

Out my 870 with a full choke.. It kills them stone dead when I shoot them at 15-25 yards.... If I need to shoot them farther away than that I take out a bigger gun... I can hit them at a greater distances but then I get cripples...

A .410 is never a wise choice for a beginner, but sometimes there's no other option... I agree with the fact that its an experts gun...
 
Last edited:
.410s

I like .410s. I can do nicely with a .410 and backyard clays. Birds are another matter entirely. Breaking a clay pigeon is not the same as killing a bird. You cannot wound or cripple a clay.
Note: .410s come in two shell lengths: 2.5 inches and 3 inches. There are, to my knowledge no 2.75 inch .410s.
The 2.5 inch loads are one half ounce pretty much at 1200-1250 fps across the board.
The three inch loads are more variable. Winchester sells 3 inch loads that push 3/4 ounce of shot at 1100 fps. That is as much shot as a number of 20 gauge loads.
3" .410 loads are too slow
Click to expand...
Three inch loads have 90% of the velocity of a 2.5 inch and 50% more shot.
Pattern the gun at 25 yards with the shot sizes mentioned. Get a sense of which load gives the most uniform pattern at that yardage. Then go hunting.
Pete
 
Last edited:
Yep.

Most 2 3/4" 20 gauge loads are 7/8 oz with 1 oz being an option as well... While most of your 28 gauge loads are 3/4 oz...
Click to expand...

True enough. That 28 gauge bears some thought....it'd be a nice gun for a youngster (or an oldster).
Pete
 
Many consider the 28 to be the ideal dove and quail bore size, ammo is easily carried afield, guns are light but not too light normally, recoil is easily tamed - all in all it is seeing a resurgence.

The 28 gauge society is worth checking out:
http://28gasociety.46.forumer.com/index.php

Good folks with lots of knowledge
 
Last edited:
Dove season opens tomorrow here in SC, and while there are better choices than the 410 for dove shooting, a ton of kids will be heading afield and killing doves with them. Get him some 6's, 7.5's, or 8's and enjoy you day afield together. If he gets a few birds it will be a bonus. Most kids Ive been around enjoy going and getting to shoot the gun, killing doves is secondary. If he likes it, move him up to a bigger bore when he can handle it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top