What is a .410 good for
- Thread starter Lethal Farce
- Start date
IMO, .410 is the shotgun equivalent of the 22mag in rifle calibers...good enough for small game, light and doesn't kick. Ammo cost is relatively high.
Most .410s I've shot were fully choked and yet quite accurate with slugs. Even a 1/2oz load would be much more effective than .22 (or just about any rifle) on running varmints up close. I don't have a 410 but have a soft spot in my heart for them.
That said: cylinder bore 20ga turned out to be almost useless for hunting mammals past close range. At 20m, the pattern with #3 buck (20 pellets) was very sparse...and smaller shot wouldn't put down something like a muskrat (esp. if it was in the water, requiring steel shot and hits on just the head). 410 would be worse.
Most .410s I've shot were fully choked and yet quite accurate with slugs. Even a 1/2oz load would be much more effective than .22 (or just about any rifle) on running varmints up close. I don't have a 410 but have a soft spot in my heart for them.
That said: cylinder bore 20ga turned out to be almost useless for hunting mammals past close range. At 20m, the pattern with #3 buck (20 pellets) was very sparse...and smaller shot wouldn't put down something like a muskrat (esp. if it was in the water, requiring steel shot and hits on just the head). 410 would be worse.
justice4all
New member
My brother and I, and I don't know how many older cousins, started hunting small game with a bolt action .410. It did the job, and was not too much to shoot and/or carry all day. I also killed several woodchucks with it. My cousin got his first deer with the same shotgun, loaded with pumpkin balls.
It might not be ideal, and maybe there are better 28 or 20 gauge shotguns available, but if it's already in the family, why not use it.
It might not be ideal, and maybe there are better 28 or 20 gauge shotguns available, but if it's already in the family, why not use it.
the 410 does have its uses, even though I have not been very succesfull with it.
It is usefull for:
small birds at close range
Economy of shot
has lower recoil that some ill people will appreciate
does not scare away the rest of the birds.
does not scare the neighbours
also note that in some countries at certain times of the year only .410 is allowed to protect larger game
I have only found it usefull for sitting small game, where higher amounts of shot would have been unnecessary.
It is usefull for:
small birds at close range
Economy of shot
has lower recoil that some ill people will appreciate
does not scare away the rest of the birds.
does not scare the neighbours
also note that in some countries at certain times of the year only .410 is allowed to protect larger game
I have only found it usefull for sitting small game, where higher amounts of shot would have been unnecessary.