My first .410 skeet trip...

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OkieCruffler

New member
I showed up to the range with 2 boxes of shells (man I gotta get a reloader for this one). First round I shot a 12. Wasn't sure what to think about that. Normally I'd be upset, but I'm used to shooting a 9 pound muzzle heavy SXS with double triggers. Now I'm trying to swing a 7 pound gun with a single trigger, doubles were killing me. Not to mention I'm used to running 1 1/8oz of shot. That 1/2 oz load don't leave much room for error. But the big thing I noticed was that the recoil is just nonexsistant, I didn't even notice it.
Second round I was getting used to the whole "release and repull" trigger and I managed a 17. Not world class by any means, but I'll take it.
Just a few weeks ago I thought I would never shoot clays again, I think I can manage with this one. Still gonna put a recoil pad on it just to be safe, it's about an inch short of pull anyway. Maybe add some weight to the butt. But man am I a happy boy today.:D
 
Take it to the pattern board / and see if its hitting where you are looking ...would be my first suggestion..

But get the length of pull, etc set up for yourself too ...

I was shooting my .410 today too .... 2 rounds of skeet / and I missed my first low 8 for a 24 ... and on 2nd round I missed a high 5 for another 24 ....( I don't think I've ever run 25 with my .410 ) ..........so I switched to my 12ga ....and ran another pair of 24's ....( it was too hot ..) ...( and I choked..):D

But as long as you're having fun - who cares ....( but missing the low 8 is still frustrating ...) .... "There are No Easy Targets on a Skeet Field" ...somebody wrote, somewhere .... and they're right !
 
OC,
Happy to hear that you're shooting again. Do you have a shooting shirt with some built-in padding? Something as simple as quilting a few layers of terry cloth on the inside of a golf shirt can't hurt.

Shooting Skeet with a .410-bore it a totally different world. I remember the first time I shot with the little gun, I thought there must be something wrong with it 'cause it wasn't breaking all the targets. I'm sure Big Jim will concur, with the .410-bore it's more important that you see the correct lead, keep your head down and follow through than with the bigger guns. Love those .410s, they're great training and cheap to reload.

Big Jim, not to worry about that L8... I recall watching world champion Al Clark drop a Low-8 Option in the last round for a 99x100 -- it happens to the best of them; but, I've seen him shoot a 400x400, too.
 
shoot it like you're shooting a 12 ga. it patterns the same, it just has a few bigger holes in it,:rolleyes: people tend to get psyched out by the little gun.
I was shooting in Mass. a few years back, missed 3 my first round, went 50, came around station 5 on my last round shooting a possible 97, looked over at the puller at the next range, she had a really nice T-shirt on, missed the next 2, Best score with a 95. It is all about the mental game.
 
I only shoot 20-22 with my 12 most of the time so I ain't to ashamed of a 17. Just need to get the basics down with a lighter gun, it definately swings different. Probably wouldn't hurt to have that full choke opened up abit. Would have liked to have been shooting a load of 9's, heck I would have been giddy for a load of 8's but 7.5 was all I could find. On the hunt for some 410 dies now so I can shoot whatever I want.
I gave some thought to a sissy pad, but I think I'll be good with a recoil pad, just have to keep an eye out for any bruising/swelling. Got a Hem/Oc doc looking for clues now, maybe we can figure the whole thing out.

Almost forgot, I hit both my low 8's today.:D Couldn't hit a High 4 to save my butt and it don't get much easier than that.
 
Shot skeet with a .410 870 for the first time today.... I shot a 16 and was very pleased to have done that well... .410 is hard enough, then add a full choke to the equation.. Now if I could only find a skeet or ic barrel for it...
 
I agree Zippy ....and I will shoot a 25 with the .410 someday ....

but I choke my .410 with Skeet / Skeet ....I'm not shooting a full choke guys !! ... the .410 is hard enough ( and I know you should shoot it as if its a 12ga ) ....but my feeble brain knows better ...:(
 
"There are No Easy Targets on a Skeet Field"

ALL skeet targets are very easy to hit........


Some skeet targets are very easy to miss.....


Shootin' pencils will either bring out the best of your ability, or the worst of your personality..... your choice.....
 
BigJimP said:
....and I will shoot a 25 with the .410 someday...
Click to expand...
Shooting my pretty little W-M101 .410 Skeet O/U for years and years I never got a 25-straight. Lots of 24s, but there was always something, like your low 8 the other day, that would bite me in the butt. I'd almost given up thinking it was impossible for mere mortals.

One of the club's elite shooters said .410 straights were shoot all the time, but not with guns like mine. It wasn't until I got a tubed U/O, then the straights soon followed. It made me a believer. Ya gotta go with works for you.
 
Trust me ....it wasn't the gun that missed that low 8 the other day .....

( it was me gagging, and coughing up a fir ball ...the size of a softball ...) and my buddy Dave shaking his head ..because he'd seen me perform the same act before ....:(
 
Choke Tubes

For a while, I had an 870 Express in .410, full choke.

For $80 I had choke tubes installed (used a gunsmith who had an auction at AuctionArms) and ended up with a few more tubes (Colonial). Prices are probably higher now.

It really made for versatile .410 - as you know the 870 was not a kid-sized shotgun.

That was a few years ago (before ammo was so expensive) and the gun got traded (for a "good deal" which, I think, also got traded for another "good deal"). :(
 
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