Shooting .45 Long Colt in a .410 shotgun

[<SLV>]

I need an expert opinion before I experiment with my M6. I have read in some places that you can fire the .45 Long Colt bullet in a .410 shotgun. Mine is a break action single shot survival gun, and it seems to me that having a few .45 caliber bullets along with the gun might come in handy.

1. Can I shoot .45 Long Colt without damaging my M6?
2. What are the balistics of the .45 Long Colt?
3. If not the .45 Long Colt, then which .410 shot shell would you want packed away with a survival gun?

 

[Titan6]

Unless it has a rifled barrel and the weapon is designed to shoot 45 LC I would not do it. Without a rifled barrel the ballisitics are meaningless since the round will not be stabilized it could go literally anywhere at range.

There are other weapons out there that will shoot .45 LC and .410. I think this is a great combo in a pack gun. If you go to Remington's ammo site there is a table there that will give you ballisitics

 

[rantingredneck]

SLV, I know nothing about .45LC's in a .410. I would think it would possibly damage the gun depending on choke, but I have no basis for this other than a guess. If you're looking for survival shells for a .410 you can get S&B 3" buckshot loads that have 5 00 pellets per shell. Also can get foster style rifled slugs. Past about 20-30 yds, neither perform well from my H&R Topper but your results may vary. Within that distance, though they should do the job on two legged threats and small to medium edible critters.

 

[wdlsguy]

.410 slugs run 1/5 oz (88 gr) to 1/4 oz (109 gr).

You can get buckshot loads with 3 to 5 OOO buckshot (70 grains each).

http://www.winchester.com/products/catalog/shotlist.aspx?gauge=410

 

[44AMP]

Get a set of calipers...

And measure the bore of your .410 at the muzzle. If it comes out less than .452, you are asking for trouble. If it alot less than that, don't even think about it. I don't have a .410, so I can't do the measurement for you.

I do have a T/C Contender with a .45Colt/.410 barrel, and it, naturally, is .45 caliber. Firing the .410 in a .45cal barrel does no more harm to the pattern than the rifling does (rather less, I suspect).

However, best to check the actual bore diameter of the .410 shotgun, to see if it is capable of taking the .45 caliber bullet, BEFORE firing! I suspect the shotgun bore is too small, after all, they do call it a .410, don't they.

And, IF it is feasable, be aware your accuracy will suck. Both because of the smooth bore, and because of the long .410 chamber. .45 Colt accuracy in the rifled .45/.410 barrels is not very good, because of the long jump the bullet has to make to get to the rifling.

As to which .410 shells, get a small selection. Some 7 1/2, some 6, some 4 (if you can find them), and some buckshot and slugs. Shot for small game, and slugs/buckshot for bigger animals. The .410 is usually not a legal caliber for deer hunting, but having a few shells capable of taking deer might be important in a survival situation. Personally I would not like to have to see off a wolf/feral dog, or God forbid a bear with just birdshot.

 

[Dustinthewind]

.45 in a .410

I just tried to stick a .45 into my New Haven .410 and it binds about 3/4 of the way in. Try .410 slugs.

 

[DWARREN123]

Unless the company that made it says you can don't.

 

[rangerruck]

no, you can shoot, 410's out of something designed to handle the 45lc, but unless your shotty is rated to take it, I would not shoot45lc out of a straight to order 410.

 

[45crittergitter]

Might wanna check the pressure first.

 

[VA27]

Don't do it! The .410 is a lot smaller than .452 and you won't like what could happen.

If you really want to do this, do what I did. I found a gunsmith who would ream the barrel out and rifle it. Mine came out OK, but I only shoot FACTORY STANDARD PRESSURE loads, or my own round-ball handloads. No +P stuff!

I had it done 7 or 8 years ago and it cost me $135. Was it worth it? It was to me. It didn't mess up the shot patterns much, that I could tell. The guy I used has since passed away, so you'll have to look around to find someone to do it.

Hope this helps.

 

[scrat]

too dangerous. i read somewhere on where someone did this and the front of the gun blew up.

most .410 shot guns are just that. .410 at then end of the barrel. the bullet will travel 1/2 way down the barrel then boom.

you ever see what happens when a gun blows up.

 

[scrat]

this will be you and your .410

good luck

 

[gazpacho]

Springfield Armory says no.

Try sticking a 45 Colt bullet down the front of the barrel and see how far it goes.

However, if you do decide to try, please get a friend to videotape the event and post it on YouTube.

FWIW I keep Winchester 2.5" OOOBuck, Winchester 3" Slug, and Winchester 2.5" #4 Birdshot with my M6. These were the highest velocity per pellet loads available (per manufacturers specifications). Also, I keep CCI Minimag HP with it. For spare parts, I carry 3 sets of 0.25" bolts with wingnuts to replace the hinge pin if lost. The rear sight is the only weak part of the design. I had the area milled off and a short weaver rail mounted there. On it, I have an adjustible peep sight. Both barrels hit the same spot at 25 yards with any of my chosen ammo.

 

[Reginhild]

Most shotgun barrels are low pressure affairs - but, as mentioned earlier the reverse is often possible (loading .410 shotshells in a gun designed for .45 LC).