.410...what's it good for?

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Not sure if I'd ever get one but what uses do you feel the .410 has going for it? I'm sure it's a good rabbit and squirrel gun but what else? How about home defense? I see Midway is selling 5-pellet S&B 00 buck loads for the .410 with a muzzle velocity of 1230 fps. Does this have the makings of a good home defense load? No, I have no plans of replacing my 12 gauge shotguns with a .410 for home defense but does this sound like a viable option for young shooters, small framed individuals or the elderly?
 
I use my Marlin model 59 for occasional rabbits between the house and the shed.
Its about 40 feet, and I dont want a ricochet going into the shed.

Works like a charm.

I have not tried the 5xOO load.
My shotgun is a single shot, so I wont be using it for HD anytime soon.
 
Works for getting some lunch during dove season.

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I've never thought of a .410 as a sd gun. Mine is a single shot with full choke...so no slugs through mine. If someone is averse to recoil maybe a semi-auto 20ga would fit the bill better than a .410. Even my 120# wife and my 130# 70yo mom handle the 12ga quite well.
 
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What's it good for?

okAY,HERE GOES..410 IS NOT A STARTER GUN,EXCEPT FOR PLINKING AND SQUIRRELS.True it's light recoil ,but so are lt 2o ga loads that have more shot to reward young shooters with more hits-ergo-more confidence-ergo-more time in field and hunting.Have seen parents bring junior to shoot trap 1st time and kids lost interest fast!Most of us would stick our nose in and get him to try a 20.Not to say it can't be done.I've done 25 straight.I also shoot skeet with a fellow who uses a .410 who does damned good!He shot 12's and 20's for years and just got tied of the recoil.Just saying it takes a good shot to to bring down gamebirds with a .410.Quail,dove,etc.Forget pheasants+ducks.As for home defense,would you protect your loved onmes with a .22?If you have to blow an intruder away,get a 12ga.!Save your .410 for your mature years + soft shoulders+practised eye.
 
Only a SLIGHT disagreement with SWAMPUS on the use of a .410 as a starter shotgun. My 9yo girl has the patience of Job and has done well with learning to shoot it (on still targets) I've also had her take shots on butchers paper, both still and swinging the gun across the paper and she is just starting to understand the concept of follow through. I think if you take an active role in teaching your kids, and intervene with introducing an activity where they WILL be successful once you see frustration setting in, I think the .410 can be a fine way to learn shotgunning if the teacher keeps it fun for his student/kid.
 
What's a .410 good for?

1. Teaching young kids that shotgunning is no fun, so they won't want to touch another shotgun until they pass age 30.
2. Spending another few grand on an overembellished double with no real purpose, when you have every other shotgun you can think of.
3. Winning a $20 bet at the Trap range, but only after spending $1000 on tickets and ammo first.
4. Motivation to find out what a Mec looks like when it meets a swinging baseball bat.
 
ArmedBear, do I sense some frustration? lol

I have always associated .410 with fun. My 9yo girl always asks if we can go out back and shoot bluejays (scrubjays actually). She has a good time shooting the .410
 
Not frustration, humor.

I've never owned a .410, one way or another.:)

I've watched #1 happen. Not cool. It's all about choosing the target. Don't take a kid to a regulation Trap range, hand them a .410 that doesn't fit them, and tell them to go to it. Hell, I saw a guy do that with Sporting Clays and a bolt-action single shot .410. I'm sure the kid was happy to spend an afternoon with Dad, but I didn't see him developing a love for wingshooting that day. Sounds like you're picking your daughter's targets a lot better.:)

#2 is for those with more extra money than me.

I've seen #3 happen, except it was $1500 not $1000. But the guys who did it could afford it.:)

I've come close enough to whacking a 650 in 20 Gauge... At least with the .410 you don't have to pick up as much spilled shot from the hardwood floor. That 6% Antimony stuff rolls like ball bearings!:D
 
Shooting a scrubjay off a branch is not as frustrating as trap with a .410.....which would be a cruel thing to do to a kid.
 
As far as HD goes, you're launching 5 - .33" (8.4mm) lead balls at over 1,200 fps with each pull of the trigger. That's pretty substantial firepower, and even though the balls don't expand they do all arrive on target at the same time which is a lot of energy.
 
.410 is great for squirrels and other small critters, especially nuisance birds like starlings.

Doubled with a 22 in an Savage 24 its makes some great small critter medicine.
 
That buck might be interesting in a Saiga 410 as a light semi-auto Home Defense shotgun with little recoil.

That said, my first shotgun was a .410, but only used it on rabbit and squirrels. Never done any bird hunting with it, but I imagine it could be frustrating like others have said.
 
Within its effective range (25-30 yards) a .410 will make reliable kills on just about any small game animal that larger gauges will. The mistake most folks make is assuming you need full choke to extend the range, since that makes the pattern too tight at closer ranges. IMO that's where most of the frustration comes in for beginning .410 shooters.

I actually prefer a .410 for hunting dense cover where shots are quick and close. Most .410's are light and shoulder quickly and the smaller shot charge means the game isn't so full of shot that it becomes inedible. My gun has a fixed modified choke that works well under those conditions, but IC would probably work even better.

Using full choke guns at close range or taking shots beyond the effective range will lead to frustration with any shotgun. The .410 just has less margin for error than larger gauges, but it's effective in the right hands.
 
I grew up in rural Louisiana with a .410 by the kitchen door. They're great for varmits, snakes, and shooting lunch--rabbits, dove, and the like. We'd also shoot armadillos digging up the garden with it.
Any larger varmit, two or four legged, requires a 12 gauge.
 
well i have never used one Deer hunting but i have heard meny stories and i am sure meny white tail have been taken with a .410. with that said i am not about to go out opening day with one and infact round these parts it not legal but thinking about sighting a 12 gauge makes me think about it the old .410 a little more.
 
410 is great fun for skeet. It's a good challenge, I've shot a lot of 23s and a handful of 24s with my Browning BPS, still working on my 25 with 410. I'd never buy a 410 for a kid though, that borders on cruelty.
 
It 's real good for skeet in the 410 category.
That's it as far as I am concerned. I think it is totally a gimmick gun and it's use on game should be severely limited.
 
To put .410 into perspective, it is 67 Gauge.

It was once sometimes called 36, but that is completely incorrect.

Skeet is a whole different question. It doesn't take much shot or energy to break a clay pigeon from close range, and there's still a fair amount of skeet shot (#9 generally) in a .410 shell. Long-time skeet shooters can just walk through the range 4 times and shoot 100 straight with an open-choked 12 or 20. 28 Gauge doesn't seem to make that any more difficulat for someone with enough experience and skill. So .410 makes it more challenging.

A broken clay does not equate to ethical shot on game, though.
 
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Geeze, it seems like this subject comes up every other month around here, and there's always a bunch of folks who think the .410 is useless. If you mostly hunt open spaces where shots are routinely 30-50 yards then DON'T use a .410! The patterns thin out too much and you are going to wound game and be an unethical hunter.

That doesn't mean the .410 doesn't have its place. Some folks (the elderly or handicapped) simply can't handle the recoil of the larger gauges. Others become recoil-sensitive and can't hit anything with the larger gauges, and this has nothing to do with the "manliness" of the shooter., Still others hunt dense cover where shots are always within 20 yards and don't need or want a heavy load of shot blowing the game to pieces. Some just enjoy the challenge of minimalist hunting or clay games shooting.

The .410 is not a "do everything" shotgun. If that's what you're looking for then by all means get a 12 gauge since it's the most versatile gauge by far.

But many, many people have taken a ton of small game and broken a lot of clays with .410's, and as long as you recognize its limitations and stay within them it can get the job done.
 
If self-defense is the main mission, and recoil can't be harsh, firearms in any of the following calibers would be more effective:

.357 Magnum
.41 Magnum
.44 Magnum
.45 Colt

5.45x39mm
.223
.30 Carbine
7.62x39mm

In a pinch, any firearm is better than none, but better options for low-recoiling dedicated self-defense are out there.
 
Others become recoil-sensitive and can't hit anything with the larger gauges, and this has nothing to do with the "manliness" of the shooter.
Click to expand...

Someone who can limit out on doves, quail, etc. with a .410 is the manliest, IMO.

I know someone who shot a few ducks with it. Worked fine, too.

I just don't get to make sub-20-yard shots often, around here.:)
 
Well, the .410 I have is perfect medicine for the late night/early morning shots at skunks in my back yard which happen to like living under my barn, for some strange reason.:confused:

I've lived here about 25 years and I bet I have taken 30 skunks so far. :eek:

At between 4-8 skunks per litter, I must be putting a dent in the population, as if I hadn't shot those 30 skunks, can you imagine the numbers of skunks I would have around my place?:rolleyes:

I could have a skunk coat and matching hat by now.
I wonder if it would stink.


But, they are so cute when they are little!
url


Then they grow up and their scent gland system starts working!:uhoh:
 
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The Sagia looks weird. AK-style guns need the magazien slanting forward, not backward:what:
 
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