Why have a .410?

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I still have the Ithaca .410 I used to reload for....still looks new!
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Say Tex. Was that one of the "lever action" M-66 "Super Singles?" I had one in 20 ga. My first gun. My son still has it in his gun safe. He said I "gave" it to him and it's his now. :D
 
Because you want one?

I like them because a .410 was my first gun and I enjoy the way they shoot. Best tool for the job? No, but a lot of fun anyway...

A 12 can be loaded for anything, but maybe I like toting a 5lb gun with light recoil. The 3" 000 buck load does nasty things to targets and would be suitable for a defensive load. I wouldn't use the slugs personally, as they are awful light at 85 grains...

My 1.78 cents Canadian.

gp911
 
Why not?

I don't have a .410 but I always wanted a double barrel .410.

I think they look really neat, and if you shoot low brass, you can shoot varmints around your house and not really bother the neighbors.

I shot a skunk last year at 5AM with a 12 Gauge which was on my back lawn and in 20 minutes, the Game Warden was knocking on my door.

It seems that a neighbor might have thought I was poaching or something at that hour.

I took him out back, with the floodlights on, and the entire yard was lit up. Needless to say, there was a dead skunk lying there amongst divets in the lawn where the #4 buckshot hit.

I was having a problem with skunks living under my barn. After shooting about nine of them in two years, no more skunks!

They would dig the lawn all around in these little cone-shaped holes. :uhoh:What concerned me more than that was I didn't want to come out some night, walking around my house and accidentally walk into one and get sprayed.:uhoh:

You shoot them, the place stinks for a day or two, then the odor kind of goes away.

I'd try trapping with a Havahart, but I'm too chicken for fear that I will end up getting sprayed fooling with the trap. Besides, it is illegal to transport wild animals to another location where I live.

Also, the .410 was the first gun I ever shot! A single shot bolt action JC Higgins.
 
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They make excellent "snake charmers". My mom shot a sixty lbs. pig at @ twenty yards with a 3" slug. You are a sharpshooter if you can hit dove with it. They are just absolute fun to shoot ( second to a .22 ).
 
Neal, seeing that you were the original poster, I'll try to give you my take on the question. 40+ years ago I too was young and a little naive and I had the notion of what good is a .410 shotgun, it's such a puny load. Give me a 12 Ga with max loads, it's the only way to go. Several years ago, a friend had a NEF pardner single barrel 410 that he wanted to cut the full choke from to use inside his son-in-law's hay barn so he wouldn't shoot through the roof using #9's. The barn is always loaded with pigeons & starlings and they crap all over the hay. I modified his barrel and added a neon front sight. We shot clay targets with that single shot and I was amazed how much fun the 410 provided. So I went out and bought one too, modified it's barrel, put Choate stocks on and added some Remington rifle sights. That's my bedside protector. I handload 3 .380 cast balls in 2.5" shells at around 1100fps. Don't tell me that they won't do the job. My single barrel keeps all three balls inside of 12" at 50 yards. I had also invested in a Mec 410 loader. You really have to reload to be able to shoot a lot due to high factory shell costs. A year ago or so, I purchased A Stoeger O/U in 410 and the fun continues with clay targets. Rest assured, you have to bring your game with a 410. The 12 ga & 20 ga now sits silent.

NCsmitty
 
The .410 is a great hunting, teaching, and training tool! Most people that i know have had their first shooting and hunting experiences with a .410. I remember the amount of pride that I had when I was given my remmington single shot .410 when I was 11 years old. If that gun hadn't been stolen along with the rest of my father's guncollection several years ago, I'd be presenting that same gun to my son when he was ready. 410's are cool! That's why we like 'em so much!
 
I enjoy my .410 at the skeet range. There are few finer things than busting 20+, with the the little round, when some mall ninja wanabe is bragging about his 12 and scores under 18 in front of all his friends.





For a great snake gun, I love my 9mm rimfire. Killed two snakes with it after Ike. About like shooting a .22 short in noise level, neighbors did not even know I shot it.
 
I have a .410 my dad gave me as my first gun when I was 8 years old (besides BB guns). Just used it to shoot skeet yesterday with a buddy of mine and it's still in brand new shape after ten years.
 
Mrs. Mainebear uses a 410 because she has shoulder and back problems that preclude her shooting anything with more recoil. Anything more powerful and she's in bed for a couple of days. She's a good shot with the thing too!!
 
OK, so what is the UPPER limit for hunting? BIG squirrels, ground hogs?
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Whitetail deer out to 50 yards.

I use mine for clay pigeon games. Its almost impossible to miss the clay with a 12 gauge and a load of #8. But a .410 bore, and a load of #6? Thats more challenging. :evil:
 
Matt-J2, let me set you straight:)
These guys usually have a tactical shotgun, pump of course (mossy or 870), shell holder and sometimes some sort of camo. (You must trust you life on some thing that reliable, plus O/U's and Autos are for uppity city folk with too much money.) Usually their dog, that is tied up in the back of the truck, has better teeth than their girlfriend, who they are trying to teach how to shoot. If you posses their kind of skillz, you must show them off. Impressing your lady and kid brothers short bus riding friend is considered to be a community service. You also note that the shells are either in a hunting vest acquired at a 70's garage sale, or secured in the original box, box top tightly held in place by the waistband of their tighty whities.

One day you will have to venture to the glorious south and indulge in some of the local flavor on a Saturday morning.
 
My first shotgun was a single shot .410 and now I have 4 shotguns in .410. I also have a MEC reloader in .410 and have been reloading for 12+ years. I have a single shot, bolt action, pump, and over/under and use them all for hunting and skeet. Reasons for owning a .410 are lighter guns, less recoil, and more of a challenge. I used to out shoot all of my buddies with my little .410 pump while quail hunting and they were using 12's and 20's. Want a fun and challenging day in the field, use a .410 for dove hunting. I might not get as many doves as guys using 12's but I have a lot more fun at it.
 
Ahh, so they wish they were cool enough to be mall ninjas, I see now.

Oh, and I've lived in North Carolina and Texas. Twice. Each. I'll be moving on from here in a few years too, looks like. Where I am now is never where I'm from. So yeah, I know the type. Might be I almost dated a few of those 'ladies' myself, lucky I knew a good joke or two so I could see if they passed the tooth test. :p
 
The .410 is usually promoted as a kid's or starter shotgun, I've always looked at it as an expert's gun.

The .28 has the same shot load, but because of the shorter shot stack fewer pellets are in contact with the barrel after firing, resulting in fewer misshaped pellets.
 
Why have a .410?

It is without a doubt the most fun gun to shoot on a skeet or five stand field.



Oscar Unicorn Tango

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