Stevens 410 Turkey Gun ???

[Keyfer 55]

When I thought the 410 SG was dead I looked at a New Stevens $180, The ammo
Is not cheep $36 for five tungsten shells.
Is anyone hunting Turkey with 410 ??

 

[jmr40]

It took a long time for me to be comfortable with a 20 ga. And then only with an aftermarket xtra full choke and certain ammo. For me a 410 is just a bridge too far. If I had to pay $7/shot for ammo it'd be too much for me even if it does work.

I had to do some experimenting before I found a 20 ga load that I felt good about up to 30-35 yards. And I thought $1+/shot for those was expensive.

 

[buck460XVR]

Seems to be the new wave in Turkey hunting.......ultra light. 20 years ago the craze was 3 1/2" 12 ga. magnums. I've seen some of the specs on the new .410 ammo and it is impressive. Don't know if I'd ever go there since archery is an option.

 

[Captcurt]

The hype is good, but I have seen how tough turkeys are. I have nearly 50 years of turkey hunts behind me. I'll take a 12ga 1 3/4oz load of Longbeard #5's over a 410 any day.

 

[mcb]

I have hunted everything from dove to deer with my 410. Turkey is one of the few things I have not hunted with it. Given the performance I have seen from tungsten shot I would not be afraid to try it. I just need a 410 with choke tubes, both of mine or cylinder bore slug guns.

 

[FL-NC]

I saw a video where some guy killed a turkey he fanned in at some crazy distance like 10 feet. He was using one of those taurus judge 410 wheel guns. I think it was on you tube. As for me, I'll keep my 12 gauge and just get knocked over every time I knock a turkey over.

 

[dog gone it]

When I thought the 410 SG was dead I looked at a New Stevens $180, The ammo
Is not cheep $36 for five tungsten shells.
Is anyone hunting Turkey with 410 ??

I would like to get back into some turkey hunting. Not sure I would try a 410 myself, but wish you the best if you decide to do so.
As long as I can see the results of the pattern on paper, at different yardages, I would be fine knowing its limitations.

 

[DocRock]

To each, his own.

 

[mcb]

The 410 Shotgun has two places in the hunting world.

First for those experienced hunters looking for a unique challenge. Hunting with a 410 is not for beginner hunters, despite the fact the recoil is new shooter friend. The 410 is also not for serious hunters who are after great trophies or filling the freezer with meat for the coming year. The 410 as hunting cartridge is for the woods-wise hunter looking for a unique challenge. The cartridge will shackle the ethical hunter with sever restrictions due to the gauge's limited capabilities. It leaves little margin for error and thus the hunter is tasked to do all the other things that encompass hunting better to make up for the short comings of using the smallest of common shotguns. The hunter using the 410 will have pass on shots that had they chosen a more capable gun they would have easily made. The 410 will put the hunter's woods-skills to the test, but when successful with the lowly little 410 they will be rewarded with a particular satisfaction that is not easily attained with other larger shotguns.

Second (and with tongue firmly in my cheek) the 410 is so a father can take his son or daughter for their first hunt and survive the experience.

 

[H&Hhunter]

The 410 Shotgun has two places in the hunting world.

First for those experienced hunters looking for a unique challenge. Hunting with a 410 is not for beginner hunters, despite the fact the recoil is new shooter friend. The 410 is also not for serious hunters who are after great trophies or filling the freezer with meat for the coming year. The 410 as hunting cartridge is for the woods-wise hunter looking for a unique challenge. The cartridge will shackle the ethical hunter with sever restrictions due to the gauge's limited capabilities. It leaves little margin for error and thus the hunter is tasked to do all the other things that encompass hunting better to make up for the short comings of using the smallest of common shotguns. The hunter using the 410 will have pass on shots that had they chosen a more capable gun they would have easily made. The 410 will put the hunter's woods-skills to the test, but when successful with the lowly little 410 they will be rewarded with a particular satisfaction that is not easily attained with other larger shotguns.

Second (and with tongue firmly in my cheek) the 410 is so a father can take his son or daughter for their first hunt and survive the experience.

I don’t disagree with what you said here. I will say however, I used to duck hunt with a guy who was somewhat of an artist with a shotgun. High, fast, and far passing shots were almost always a dead duck with this guy. One day in the blind the accusation was made that the reason for his success was his shotgun and his custom screw in chokes and not his skill.

He exited the blind and returned with an old Winchester pump gun in .410 and proceeded to dump ducks at the same range and at the same rate as he had with his 12 Ga. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it but the .410 can do the work of a full sized gun in the hands of an excellent shot gunner.

And just to be clear, I am not that guy!

 

[Double_J]

.410 shotguns cannot make you look good or look foolish very easily. I learned humility at the hands of an old man with a single shot .410. He was busting clays like there was nothing to it while I was getting skunked with a 12 gauge.

 

[buck460XVR]

Growing up as a kid in rural Wisconsin back in the 60s, most all of us had a H&R "Topper" single shot in .410, while a few were lucky enough to have a Savage O/U combo .22/.410. They were inexpensive and tolerant to abuse and ammo was inexpensive. We hunted everything from tweety birds to rabbits with them. Summer days when nuttin was in season, pigeons flushed from silos or from under railroad bridges were a great challenge. When they got too wary, the rats at the dump were fair game. Come hunting season, the little shotguns were great for squirrels, seemed those with the O/Us were better off using the lower barrel as the upper rifle barrel's were never really close to being regulated. During the peak of the woodcock flight and once we found them, the little shotties performed well on the little timber-doodles. When the snow flew, rabbits would succumb to the half ounce of number 4s or 6s. IMHO, Ammo, like the guns back then made for it, was made cheaply and without the concern of ammo for shotguns based on gauge and not bore. That is not true today. Back then we could buy 3 boxes of 25 for what they want for one TSS turkey shell nowadays. Folks that have used those $8 a shell loads swear they do a dang good job on gobblers, even out to standard 12 Ga. range. So, is it a unique challenge? Maybe with the old loads, but with the new loads, it's like using a modern crossbow compared to a recurve.

 

[jmr40]

.410 shotguns cannot make you look good or look foolish very easily. I learned humility at the hands of an old man with a single shot .410. He was busting clays like there was nothing to it while I was getting skunked with a 12 gauge.

To make a 410 that effective it has to be choked down pretty darn tight. A man who can shoot a 410 that well could probably make the hits with a 22 rifle. I'm not that good. I need more pellets in the air and a bigger pattern

 

[3Crows]

I have and will use a Mossberg 500 in .410 using the new TSS ammo for turkey. I cut the range down but the stuff hits hard, the little 500 is easy to carry and functions 100%. The only real downside is the ammo is expensive but the TSS is expensive anyways. I would like to get a turkey barrel for it but the full choke is doing good. All of my other shotguns save for a Winchester 1200 20 guage are broken, busted, worn out or antique (and worn out). The Mossberg 500 .410 is still shiny and smells new and works!

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Some of the readers may want to check with their state if applying the .410 to anything other than small game...,

For example in Maryland the .410 is not legal in Maryland for hunting deer, even with slugs. Which is odd because a .410 slug is often 110 grains, but it IS legal to hunt deer with a .390 round ball from a muzzle loader that weighs 89 grains.

LD