.410 for HD. Yes, I'm ducking

It has to beat a sharp stick.

If thats what she can comfortably use a .410 slug is still a good chunk of lead moving fast.

Sure would beat a sharp stick in the eye, or a purse up side the head I betcha!!

A .410 at close range will kill you just as dead as a 10 ga Magnum.

A hole in your chest is a hole in your chest.

And a .410 will certainly make a hole in your chest at close range.

Some of the new personal defense .410 ammo coming out recently for the .410 revolvers is pretty impressive to say the least.

I would not want to be on the receiving end of it out of a shotgun!!

http://www.winchester.com/Products/New-Products/Pages/pdx1-410.aspx

rc

Yup. .410 is definitely not the most powerful of loads, and many here will tell you to just get her a 20ga. But the .410 really does have a lot less recoil and quite frankly, out of a shotgun like that little pumper that Mossberg makes, it would be a darned effective HD tool.
It does lose a lot of its power when people these days stick it in a revolver with 2-3"bbl. But out of a proper shotgun I would feel well armed with one if it were all I had in a close range gun fight.

A .410 bore long gun loaded with either these or these would certainly work just fine for home defense. I'm still unconvinced about the threat stopping abilities of these loads out of a three inch barrel, however.

Some tend to talk about a .410 as if it's a Daisy Red Rider, but that's not the case at all. A close-quarters, typical HD distance blast from a .410 shotgun, especially with buckshot or a slug, is plenty brutal. Plenty.

A friends teenage son was killed by a .410 loaded with #6 bird shot while hunting rabbits years ago.

They believe he was poking around in a brush pile with the butt of the gun trying to flush a rabbit out of it.

Apparently, the hammer snagged on the brush and cocked it far enough back to fire when it slipped off.

Anyway, he was found DRT with a rat hole in his chest..

rc

Rather than the pistol grip persuader, have a look at the bantam and the hds. The bantam has a short youth stock and a 6-shot mag. The hds has a 9-shot mag, but the stock is longer. If you put the short stock on the hds, you'd have a slick little rig for home defense. 9 rounds of 410 across the room is nothing to sneeze at.

Or perhaps buy the PGO version since you have some modifications options with it because it is a "firearm" and not a shotgun. Then, buy an accessory stock, as it is more effective with a real stock. This will turn it into a shotgun, but you'll be able to put it back to a "firearm" by putting the factory pistol grip back in place.

Not a fan of PGOs.
Yes, the humble .410 will be plenty lethal at HD range, but so is a 9mm. Since you say she is accurate with the 9mm pistol, keep with it.

There are other factors dependent on the situation like house layout, neighbor proximity, whether or not she is going to be hunkered down in a safe room on the phone with 911, etc.

With 000 buck will this be a better HD solution than her 9mm that she can shoot like a laser?

Click to expand...

In PGO configuration, no. A PGO, even in .410, is just a big handgun with heavy recoil. In standard stocked shotgun configuration, probably so. The advantage to a long gun is that you get three points on contact for added stability, and the stock helps to mitigate recoil. If she's smaller framed then the shorter bantam and youth stocks are great options, as already mentioned. If she needs the recoil tamed further then getting a Sims limbsaver or Pachmayr decelerator recoil pad fitted is well worth the small expense. As far as ammo goes, those Winchester disk and pellet loads tend to pattern very poorly. Standard slugs or 000 buck from any reputable manufacturer will be just fine.

The greater stability and recoil control of a long gun will always make me choose one over a handgun, provided that the long gun is at least 9x19 or .410 bore shotgun.

I think you're on the right track.

Go for it. At across the room distance, it will be every bit as lethal as any other rifle. Just stick to the slugs or buckshot for peace of mind, but I do think birdshot at close range will suffice.

The self defense ammo that RC pointed out is supposed to be effective. I'd buy some, test it, build up confidence with it, and go from there.

Pulling the trigger in a life or death situation is not the time to find out about poor patterning.

You can draw your own conclusions but I wouldn't want to get hit by any of it. Moms "cache" includes a H&R .410 with the Winchester 000 in it with a butt cuff. Simple to operate for her.

http://www.brassfetcher.com/index_files/410BoreShotgunSlowMotionVideo.htm

410 slugs kill deer and yotes so I would not feel under gunned with one.

Hey, if she want's a .410 go for it. I sure wouldn't want to stand down range. My mom used a .410 pump gun toward the end, and my wife likes a twenty semi auto. Whatever works, and whatever they are comfortable with.

I agree with going with a stocked shotgun.
The 000 pellets from a .410 load are going as fast as they'd be going from a 12 gauge. A pattern of them hitting center mass stands a very high chance of stopping an attacker. I'd prefer a 12 gauge, but if a .410 is all I had, it would work.

If anybody at all should duck, it should be the person you point the .410 at, not you.

The .410 would make a perfectly suitable home self-defense weapon.

I seriously doubt any bad guy unfortunate enough to have the business end pointed at him will laugh and say "Don't worry! It's only a .410!"

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=586306&highlight=.410
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=570776&highlight=.410 post #5

I like it as an option.

And why not a .410 long gun?
When manufacturers are touting Walker Colt size revolvers chambered for .410 as a viable defense gun, a long gun should be just as viable.

I have shot some of the Defense .410 ammo designed for the revolvers out of my .410s and the stuff, if anything, hits way harder from a long gun than from my buddies must have Taurus Judge

If you can find the right length of pull for her, and find one that fits right, it'll do the job. I've fired Defense loads out of a judge, 3 00 bucks right next to each other will do the job.

the federal handgun #000 buck is the best patterning buck out of a long gun I have tried . The last year I lived out where I could have chickens, I kept a rossi 410 and a handful of those shells in the feed bin. Most of the time all 4 pellets hit a coon or possom at 25 yards with enough power to get to the vitals from the north end of a southbound critter

I killed tons of things with a 410 growing up on the Farm.

I've tested 3- and 5-pellet 000 buck from a.410, and I'm a believer. Great patterns and good penetration. You may find that some pellets get flattened partially when fired, so I see the .410 as a 10-15 yard gun. Not much of a problem in home defense, though.

All my best,
Dirty Bob

JShirley said:

You could also consider a Marlin .357 rifle, if she's comfortable with that action style. A .357 from a rifle barrel is much better defensively than any .410 offering.

Click to expand...

Yep any of the pistol rounded lever actions will do the job.