What good is the .410?

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Death from Afar

New member
Hang on, this isnt a troll ( like the legendary .22 is the best caliber for self defence)...I am thinking about a .410. I was discussing this with my local gunsmith- who knows a thing or two about guns- and he said basically forget it, its a total waste of time...not enough pellets. What do you reckon?
 
Re:deathfromafar

I admire folks that bird hunt with the .410, espically those that succeed. In fact, the best wing shots I know use the smaller guages. I use a 12 due to my poor ability with a scattergun. I need to throw up as many projectiles as possilbe.

What is the .410 good for? Accomplished shooters I guess.
 
The .410 is the best suburban ranch around house ,barn and garden pest gun ever made! It is much quieter than the other guages and racoons on down in in size die very well with #6 0r #7.5 1/2oz or bigger loads. I shoot ground squirrels and gophers at up to 25 yards with # 7.5 with wonderful success.30 pound Raccons up to 50 feet or so with #6 .All with an old full choke single barrel.I also shoot quail up to 100 feet and bunnies a little closer with my Citori O/U Skeet gun. And yes , the occasional round of small bore skeet! My M-6 Scout rifle (and my son's) gets a lot f various .410 use too. In a SURVIVAL mode the slug load would do a deer sized animal up to 25 yards or so. The buck loads would hurt somebody with in that range too, if necessary!;)
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A Few Facts

Many do not understand that a load of six shot will go just as far, just as fast, from a .410 as from a 12 gauge. And the main determinate of pattern size is the shotgun's choke. A modified .410 bore and a 12 gauge modified bore will make an equal size pattern at any given distance.

Just look at recipe manuals for shotshell reloading. A friend of mine reloads for all the common gauges. The velocities listed for each gauge is the same. Of course, the size of the payload is different.

Using fewer pellets requires greater skill on the shooters part. But that is the beauty of the smaller ones.
 
When young I hunted rabbits, dove, and jumped ducks on ponds in the fall with a .410 bore. I don't remember ever being disappointed by the .410. It is a very effective gun for small game. Anymore though, .410 shells are more expensive than 20 gauge. Economically the .410 bore probably isn't your best choice anymore.

You can buy a box of 25 3" mag 20 gauge #4 birdshot for about the same price (or a little less) than a box of 25 .410 bore 3" #4 birdshot. The 20 gauge is better for the same price.
 
I would love to get a .410 lever gun. Saw a couple stainless models at the PDX gun show last weekend that were very nice. My dad told me many of the Indian (Inuit?) guides in Alaska and Canada have been packing these.
 
what good is the .22 imo there both about the same on the fun scale (10) the only down fall of the 410 is the cost of ammo. i dont own one my freinds do though i always enjoy shooting it every chance i get. i wanted to buy a 94/410 to match my 94/22 but the way things look i dont think ill be getting one anytime soon. (also i HAVE to buy a 10mm first)
 
410's are a lot of fun to shoot. Like others have said if you are a fair shot they will do the job. As far as ammo price it is expensive, however if you reload they are really cheap once you get the hulls.
 
I bought a 410 bore three years ago a bps and it is my main small game gun it took lots of grouse in the the U.P. this year and is great on rabbits. I also took it out for a day of pheasants and had two one shot kills. You just have to learn to be more disipline and take only shots with in range no farther than 25 yards.
 
A .410 is fun ( I still have the ooold single shot that my Dad got from his father in the 19th Century.) I have taken squirrels, rabbits and grouse with this fine old shooter, but, (and it's a BIG but) I prefer a 28 gauge.

A 28 gauge is good for upland game and a lot of fun to shoot, besides having very low recoil. The only problems I have found concerning 28 gauge shotguns is the poor availiability from current manufacturers and the prices for the few that are offered. (That doesn't address the cost of the ammunition!)
 
man 28ga you just dont here too much about those anymore. i dont think ive even shot one. do you reload it. i know they still make ammo but i hardly see it (then again im not looking for it either, one of those things out of mind out of site)
 
So it seems the answer is :

Less noise +More challenge = Hours of fun for one and all.

Hmm, I wonder how it would do on the rabbit plague down here, I figure 150 rds of .410 will be a bit easier to carry than 150 rds of 12 gauge ( which, belive it or not , is what you need to take on a rabbit shooting walk)
 
For small animals and birds the .410 is great. My neighbor had a double barrel .410 that was sweet. I wish I had bought it when he sold it.
 
I love quail hunting with my o/u 410. i used to use (and still do on occasion) my 12 guage citori but i must confess that the 410 is a lot more fun and not to mention a lot lighter. i still take birds. you just make sure of the shot. also i have started reloading to compensate for the cost of ammo. i shoot trap with the 410 as well and you can run up a hefty bill for ammo without reloading. try the 410. you will like it!!
 
Still have my 940A Stevens 410. Got it for Christmas 1962. Very sweet shooter great for doves, quail and small game. Simple and easy to clean. Great for a trainer also. I trained my son on it. I could never get rid of it. Everyone that shoots it loves it. I recently ebayed a pair of barrels for it (20 & 16 GA). They were both from a model 94. After fitting the latch mechanisms they work just as sweet. This makes it very easy to switch gauges when needed right in the field. Looking for a 12 and maybe a 28 GA just to round out the set. What other type of long gun could boast such versatility? Even with the other barrels I'll always shoot the 410 when given the chance. To me the price of the shells is worth the pleasure.
 
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