What good is a .410?

[davek]

When I inherited a bunch of guns a year ago (both hand and long), I couldn't wait to clean and take each and every one of them to the range...with one exception. An old Savage Model 220 single shot .410 shotgun.

I don't know exactly how old it is, but it's pretty old. The stock was cut down so that my mom could use it as a little girl, then glued back on when she got bigger...and the serial number is 1X.

Here's a pic...it's the second from the top.


At any rate, it's not that I had anything against it, but I just wasn't really interested in a shotgun...much less a measly little .410, so the ugly duckling ended up in the corner of my gun safe unloved and neglected while all the other guns got nice regular cleanings and trips to the range.

Well, late last week, I was bored and figured I'd clean a gun or something...only all the guns were pristine...except for the Savage. So I figured what the hell and gave it a good going over. All the crud came out of the action, and a nice shiney bore emerged from years of gunk. This lit a little fire in me and before I knew it, I was at the Wal-Mart picking up some shells, and finally, last weekend I found myself at the range and noticed that it had snuck into the trunk of my car for the trip.

What a fun little gun!

I hadn't bothered to get qualified on the skeet/trap range, but I had a blast peppering paper targets on the action pistol range.

So now I find myself with an irrational need to find out all I can about the .410 shotgun.

What types of shells are there? What are the different types good for game wise? I certainly don't plan on using this gun for HD purposes...I got a pre-70 Colt 1911a1 to fill that nich...but I'd like educate myself about the Savage as much as I can.

Thanks.

 

[davek]

Oops, wrong forum.

Sorry.

 

[kudu]

Here is a link.



http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=46288&highlight=what+good+is+a+.410

 

[Werewolf]

The very first gun that I could call my own I got from my grandfather when I was about 15. It was an old single shot Winchester (I don't remember the model) .410 made sometime around 1912 or so.

It was a great rabbit and squirrel gun. At the time (mid 60's) there was a $2 or there abouts bounty on crows. The .410 was pretty good at shootin' those suckers out of trees. Shoot one, wait about 5 or 10 minutes and the dumb crows come back. Shoot another one. Find another tree with crows - rinse and repeat.

I never could hit a flying crow with the thing though. Except for Cowboy action that was the only time in my life I've ever bothered with a shotgun. Each to his own I guess.

When I joined the army at age 19 my parents kept it. I got it back when I got out of the army. Never shot it again. Ended up selling it soon there after.

 

[Onmilo]

davek, you better be careful or your going to end up lusting for a Winchester model 42 pump gun.
I have always felt young shooters should start with a .410 bore gun even if the only thing they "kill" are coffe cans at 15 yards.
.410s are great starter guns to get young shooters interested in shotgunning without scaring them away in the first three shots.
When one becomes older one begins to appreciate how light and handy most .410 guns are and how effective they are on small game to 30 meters or so.

 

[461]

I was a shooter for close to twenty years and hated shotguns the whole time. Along comes a little .410 as a what the heck purchase because it was up under a.22lr barrel and now I have 4 shotguns and even reload for the .410. Be afraid, be very afraid. :banghead:

 

[Gordon]

Yeah, and then when you get old and able to afford it you buy a high grade Citori .410 and start over! Seriously, a .410 singleshot has always been standing on duty around me (and now my wife) since I was a boy er 50 years ago! It is JUST the thing to have HANDY when a gopher, rat, skunk(ugh) possum or whatever small varmint crosses your path up close and personal!

 

[Norman Dog]

My aunt uses a single-shot .410 to chaase the birds out of her fruit trees.

I once spoke to an old hunter with a .410 double who maintained that he used it to make bird hunting a bit more of a challenge.

 

[SteelyDan]

The .410 really is a great gun for introducing kids to shotguns. As a young kid, I remember being introduced to shotguns with a .410, and it was a great way to start. Just this weekend, I told my son he could shoot a shotgun for the first time, because my brother was bringing out his 20 gauge. My son was nervous about the "kick," but it happened that another guy brought his son and .410 out to the hunting place. So my son got to shoot the .410 first, and lost his fears, and then tried the 20 gauge and thought it was okay. On the long drive home, he said several times that it would be cool if we could get a .410.

I wish he had preferred the 20 gauge, but he didn't. More importantly, I want to encourage him to enjoy the shooting sports, so now I need to go out and surprise him with a .410 when he comes up next weekend, even though my monthly paycheck is completely gone. Not sure how to pay for it, but I'm really looking forward to surprising him next weekend.

 

[Smoke]

A single shot .410 is a great little gun to get a young kid to shooting shotguns.

A single shot .410 is a great little gun to help an expert fine tune his shotgunning.

.410's are light, quick handling field guns that are better suited to experienced shotgunners for wing shooting or clays.

Take up reloading if you plan to shoot it much, commercial .410 shells are not cheap.

Enjoy

Smoke

 

[Red Label]

Winchester M 42, there is no substitute. I just shot mine again this weekend at some skeet. What a blast. Did quite well too! A .410 is definately not for the faint of heart but it is so much fun!

 

[crt360]

My first gun was a single shot Winchester .410 that I got when I was about 8 or so. I got pretty good at shooting doves flying close around a tank with it. I switched to a 12ga autos/OUs after I decided I wanted to try shooting more than one bird at a time. The .410 is a pretty decent little gun and I still have it. I'd still hunt with it on occasion, but $10 a box is a little high for my rusty wingshooting skills and most of the hunting I do now involves a lot of walking and long range shots.

 

[cls12vg30]

I've always wanted to get one of those little .410 Snake Charmers, seems like it would be a handy thing to have around the house, a simple, light, single-shot .410 that's minimum legal length.

 

[goon]

I love the .410.
Largely because of the assistance of another THR member, I am looking at making brass shotshell handloads for my little H&R out of .444 Marlin brass.
Here is the link to the thread about it:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=99238&highlight=Brass+AND+shotshells

I am planning to add a survivor stock and forend to my H&R youth model topper and use it to hunt squirrels after I work up a good load for my gun.
I haven't used it much in the last couple years other than to teach my ex-girlfriend how to shoot. She had never shot a gun before but found the 410 to be much better than the .22LR. It has light recoil and it still easier to hit with than a rifle, so it is a great choice. I still would rather start kids on a 20 gauge if at all possible because it is more common and cheaper and a little more useable as they grow, but the .410 is a good gun too.
I don't do much bird hunting so I don't worry about the bird shooting. I will say that with a load of #4 it is deadly on a squirrel out to about 25 yards.