410

[bookman]

I picked up a 410 this weekend an H&R1871 Tamer and boy is it fun to shoot,I was just wondering what the 410 is good for?

 

[Dave McCracken]

Not much, regrettably....

There's a long list of what a 410 is BAD for, but I'll spare you. Here's the list for what it's good for.

Skeet.

Squirrels.

In expert hands, for short range shots at our smallest, most delicate gamebirds.

Rats at the county landfill.

And fun. The 410's a nice plinker.

HD, the dinky little 1/2 oz load at close range has more moxie than most handgun cartridges.

That's about it, enjoy...

 

[Marshall]

Small upland game
Snakes
Turtle plunkin
Self defense (slugs mainly)
First shotgun for yoot's (as they would say in the Bronks)

and......FUN.

Same catagory as a .22 in rifles, so to speak.

 

[Backwoods]

The usefullness of the .410 is measured mostly by the shooters ability to refrain from shooting at targets beyond it's effective range.
A lot of people think that a .410 is a good kids gun but most kids would be much better off with a 20 ga. Most beginners will not be able to score often enough with a .410
I happen to like using the .410, mostly for rabbits. A good Beagle will chase a bunny around (possibly) close enough for a clean shot. I've also taken several close range pheasants with a .410, mostly birds that flushed from under my feet. Most of them hit the ground dead and the ones that didn't instantly got another dose of shot.
It's all my Dads fault, he had a Winchester M42, and he could shoot straight and fast like I wish I could. He hunted with 2 buddies that used 12 gauge shotguns and he usually outshot either one of them.

Don in Ohio

 

[Okiecruffler]

My dad's never used anything but a .410 for as long as I can remember, even for duck. He seldom misses, and never cripples, but he has a secret. He never takes a shot that he's not sure about. I've been out with him on days when he only shoots 3 times and I shoot a whole box. Funny thing is, we both would leave with 3 duck. But my father (trying not to brag too much here) is not your typical shotgunner, he's scary good. I have a nasty old single shot and I have a horrid time trying to hit anything with it, but when you powder a clay with a .410 it's hard to pry the smile off your face.

 

[Backwoods]

Okiecruffler, Exactly! My Dad was like that. I swear he knew to the inch whether the shot was in range or not and his reflexes were extremely fast. Plus he could really spot game. We'd be walking thru a picked bean field and he'd say "There's a rabbit" and then step 20-30 feet out of his way, kick a clump of bean chaff and out one would come. I still miss him after almost 40(!) years, we only had 3 years to hunt together and I remember them with happiness. I'm not as good with my .410s as he was, but I do all right and think of him every time I hunt.

Don in Ohio