Why a 410 shotgun.

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ms6852

ms6852

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I already have a 12 gauge shotgun, but have always being intrigued by the 410.
Are there truly times where a 410 is best suited for certain applications. I have an itch to buy another shotgun like a Saiga 12K or the Mossberg 500 for home protection and than I started thinking 410. Are the 410 used for skeet shooting as well as hunting? Or are they plain fun to shoot like a 22 long rifle? Some insight from more experience people is greatly appreciated.
 
Whatever the 410 will do the 20 ga and /or 12 ga will do better when it comes to performance.

That said, the 410 is low recoil , fun to shoot, and all that some folks can handle. It also will get the job done in a lot of cases regarding small game, and has enough power to be a reasonable choice for SD in some cases.

My 2 cents
 
A small gauge shotgun is used to handicap skeet shooters, by those who are recoil sensitive, when a light gun is desired for carrying in the field, where a small caliber rifle has too much range and when noise needs to be limited. If you want to shoot bunnies and other varmints eating your vegetables from your garden then the .410 is great. To select it as a defensive gun makes as much sense as choosing a .22lr rather than a larger more effective caliber. There may be good reasons to do so but its potentially your life and health so do what makes you feel comfortable.
 
I'm not a fan of the .410 (very humbling to the average skeet shooter), but for HD I wouldn't compare it to a .22lr.

A 1/4 oz. (~110 gr.) hollow point slug moving at 1200-1300 fps is some serious HD medicine combined with the low recoil if you're using it in a shotgun. I don't know how the recoil would play out in a revolver like the Judge.
 
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So, are they good for dove hunting?
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In the right hands - yes, but there are very few of those "hands" around.

One of those "hands" was NSSA 20 Gauge Champ in the 70s, Chip Youngblood. In a .410 bore competition shoot-off I observed him go 237 "birds" (clay pidgeons) straight. This man was very exceptional, but it shows that it can be done.

Don't forget that .410 ammo is more expensive than 12 or 20 gauge - $2.50 more per box on the average.
 
If you want to shoot bunnies and other varmints eating your vegetables from your garden then the .410 is great.
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Agree 100%

Don't forget that .410 ammo is more expensive than 12 or 20 gauge - $2.50 more per box on the average.
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Um, it's a bit more than that around here.

12ga. game loads run $5.00 a box, while .410 game loads are easily $12.99 a box!
 
Are the 410 used for skeet shooting as well as hunting?
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410 is one of the 4 bore currently used in American Skeet (There used to be 5). Yes, folks hunt with 410 - I know several who hunt doves and preserve quail with their Model 42's.

If you reload, 410 becomes very cheap to shoot, taking 1/2 oz of shot. For better hunting success, while still keeping recoil down, a 28 gauge, especially in a Remington 1100, will work very well.

410 ammo is currently carried locally at my Walmarts - the Winchester AA target loads are running about $8-9/box.
 
The 410 shotguns are lighter and kick less. Also, when hunting something like a squirrel, I'd rather blast him with a no 4 410 load than a 7 1/2 12 and pick pellets out of him at the dinner table. Same goes for small birds.
 
Steve C said:
To select it as a defensive gun makes as much sense as choosing a .22lr rather than a larger more effective caliber. There may be good reasons to do so but its potentially your life and health so do what makes you feel comfortable.
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I've been looking at listed loads for 12g, 20g and .410 and the main difference I see is pellet count. While I admit that can be important, it seems there's quite a few .410 loads firing the same size buckshot at the same speed as some 12g loads(not the heavy ones, of course). It's just that the .410 has 5 pellets instead of 9, etc.
I wish I knew someone with a .410 so I could check patterns and recoil to see what other differences there are.
 
There's certainly nothing a .410 can do that the larger gauges can't, since they can always be loaded down to match its performance. That said, there's a niche in hunting that the .410 fills very nicely and IMO it's why it survives.

Within a given platform, .410 models are generally lighter than the larger gauges. That makes it easier to carry on long treks through the woods. That lightness also is useful when hunting small game in thick brush since quickness to shoulder trumps power in that terrain. At close range a heavy load of pellets just destroys the game and makes it nearly inedible.

There's also some satisfaction in minimalist hunting. It's akin to the folks who prefer to hunt with a muzzle loader or bow when they could choose a high-powered rifle instead.

As long as a hunter recognizes the limitations of a .410 and doesn't try to make shots much beyond 25 yards or so, a .410 is very effective against all small game animals and birds.
 
My grandfather found a .410 very useful for pest control.

He kept the skunks down with a .410.

He shot them. After they were caught in the Havahart trap. The .410 was perfect because it didn't ruin the traps.

I am not making this up.

Other than that...mostly just for fun, IMO, or for special situations like the M6 combo gun.
 
I never was a good enough shot to use a .410 for dove hunting. But, I must have killed a zillion squirrels with one when I was a kid. Fried squirrel, biscuits, and gravy. Good memories.
 
Good for rabbit huntin and maybe a squirrel of two. lol

Have friends who shoot trap with a .410 to better serve them when they shoot 12 ga for doves.
 
JNewell said:
My grandfather found a .410 very useful for pest control.

He kept the skunks down with a .410.

He shot them. After they were caught in the Havahart trap. The .410 was perfect because it didn't ruin the traps.

I am not making this up.

Other than that...mostly just for fun, IMO, or for special situations like the M6 combo gun.
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Similar for my significant other. When she was growing up on a farm, her father gave her either the 22 or the 410 for pest control.
 
I shoot lotsa .410s around my property but VERY few larger guages.
I have a very expensive high grade Citori .410 with full and skeet barrels. It sets in the case in a safe. I use my folding Investarms O/U alot as the pest gun. It hits to the sights.My wife likes her old H&R single when she works in the garden.
I have to use steel shot now for doves, that means a 12ga IMHO . I used to use a 20 ga. Mag A-5 for such sport.
When I go to an upland game hunts like roosters or Grouse I still take a 20 or better.
So the .410s stay at home or go to the Skeet range, and the bigger guages go afield.
 
Its fantastic for pest control, as well as squirrel and rabbit hunting.

The biggest downside I see to it is just expensive shells. I need to get into shotshell reloading...
 
I pass on the .410, the 28 gauge is much better for doving, upland, or any type of game that the .410 is good for. The 28 also is better for beginners, as the shot cone is closer to a .20 gauge, making hits more likely.
 
.410 is good for teaching kids how to use a shotgun since it has low recoil and noise but the ammo is so expensive you might as well buy a 20 gauge
 
Had no Idea the 410 was more expensive. Seems like it is challenging to hit claybirds with this gauge. Does the 410 shoot the same distance for skeet as the 12 or 20 gauge?
 
If you shoot a snake with a .410, it won't fly up into the air and land on you or your dog like a 12 guage is apt to do.
I know this because I have shot water moccasins with both and 1 1/4 ounces of #4 shot sends the snake flying.

If you don't blow the head off and it lands on you or even near you, prepare for a nasty suprise.

I also like a .410 for hunting squirrels and rabbits in the late fall/early winter when the leaves are off the trees.
Quiet compared to a 12 or 20 guage, more of a pop than a bang and no recoil to speak of.
If you sit still, squirrels will start moving again much sooner than if you would have touched off a large guage gun.

3" #5 Super X Winchesters will reliably kill squirrels and rabbits out to 35 yards.

Mid winter near the end of the season I switch to a .22 rifle or handgun.
The shots get longer and the animals get fewer.
Plans are for saturday right after work as a matter of fact.
Squirrels only right now and I will be using a 12 guage since the trees are still heavy with foliage.
 
i picked up a 311 SXS 410 , crazy thing is i shoot trap better with it then my O/U 20

DOWN SIDE IS IF YOU DON'T RELOAD FOR THE 410

it is costly to shoot much, reload they are cheep as it only uses 1/2 oz shot and around 13 gr powder,

just loaded up another few hundred last night, you can get a lot out of a pound of powder and a bag of shot, pulse even if i only make a 18-22 on trap im still doing it with 1/2 oz of shot were i think the the 20 is 7/8oz and a 12 is up to 1oz and up.

maybe i just cant shoot a o/u and need to find a good SXS 20
 
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