Working gun

[wjh2657]

I live in a developing yet still rural area. Our main problem is critters, both the slithering kind and the four legged kind. The woods and hollers are close enough that we get a steady influx of little folks we don't really want in our yards, much less sneaking into house or garage. That said, our houses ar too close together to use even a .22 without endangering somebody. We are out of city limits so we can discharge firearms in our yards.

All that given we have found that the pest control weapon of choice is the "Plain Jane" single shot .410 bore H&R/NEF Pardner shotgun. With the smaller shot the .410 is deadly at "critter range" (<15 yards) but relatively harmless out at neighbor range (> 100 yards.)

You will find almost every garage out here has one these little top break .410 bores in a rack over the door. Somebody has to stay in business making these little guns, they are a essential tools.

 

[357fan]

I've got the 410 Tamer from H&R, and it goes with me camping and hiking every time. The great thing about the 410 is that you can carry several different types of ammo, and all together it still weighs nearly nothing.

In short, they are great guns.

 

[VARifleman]

This use of .410 is what people that say negative things about the Taurus judge ignore. I haven't had a use for a .410 as I don't go to the woods too much and I don't use a shotgun for more than clay games at the moment, might get into 3-gun, but that's another 12 gauge game.

 

[MCgunner]

Rather have the 20, but H&Rs are neat. I've been trying to get a 10 gauge H&R "Waterfowler" ordered, guy has been having hell finding one at a supplier. Seems the 10 is rather rare. Guess it'd be a bit much for a general purpose garage gun, eh? LOL

I have a 10" .410 barrel for my contender and it's pretty cool, choked full, will take game out to 25 yards, even taken a few cow birds and starlings on the wing and have taken rabbit on the run with it. Do THAT with your "versatile" .357 magnum or even your Taurus Judge! Da Judge is good to maybe 10 feet. I don't shoot slugs in it. I just take the choke off and fire 300 grain Hornady XTPs from .45 colt brass out the barrel at 1200 fps. Much more effective on a hog or something.

 

[wjh2657]

"Rather have the 20, but H&Rs are neat. I've been trying to get a 10 gauge H&R "Waterfowler" ordered, guy has been having hell finding one at a supplier. Seems the 10 is rather rare. Guess it'd be a bit much for a general purpose garage gun, eh? LOL"

Not if your conception of a "garage gun" is to take out garages! The 10 guage isn't a gun, it is a cannon. They are nice guns though. had a good friend in Ohio who had on in the 60's that he used up in Michigan for waterfowl.


These days we have a tendency to regard any weapon with less than 15 shots as Antique. the H&Rs were and are really solid working guns. Reliable and forgiving, they are perfect knock about guns and truck guns. I'll probably always have an H&R around, I currently own 3 of them.

 

[evbutler462]

The Snake Charmer is a very good choice for you. It is similar to the Tamer but a bit more refined.

 

[Milkmaster]

Your initial thoughts on a .410 for a working gun reminds me of my Savage model 24. One is 22lr over .410. The other is 22wmr over 20 ga. Both are good for just about anything you come upon in the woods on a daily basis. Sad to see they don't make them anymore. A few manufacturers have simlar things, but they don't seem to have the same quality. I agree that the H&R/NEF is about as close to that as is around nowadays.

 

[dagger dog]

I'm on the look out for a four hundred and ten, to complement my 20 and 16 single shot.

They are as previously stated, working guns.

Kinda reminds you of your younger days hanging around the burger, malt shop and the plain old gal that worked there, might not be the prettiest, but all the right parts were there and she worked just fine!

 

[wjh2657]

I had a Savage 24 .22/.410 when I was teenager and running traps. I alternated it with a H&R 128 Topper 20 guage for "walkin gun". I think one of my cousins got it when I left to go in service. it was really great gun, reliable and rugged. I don't really know why Savage dropped it other than there was no viable market for it. Everybody today wants something that either can reach out and touch at 500 yards or something that can rip off 500 rounds in two minutes! I believe that the realistic needs in a working gun are at face to face distances and you probably are only going to get one shot! Shame, they were nice guns.

 

[swampshooter]

years ago, probably about 45 or so, i had 3 of the savage o/u .22 and shotgun, the problem i had with them was that they couldn't be regulated so that both barrels would hit the same point of aim. at least not well enough for squirrel hunting. the current .44 hotshot cartridges compare very favorably to the 21/2" .410's. not as good, but close. i also had a .410 contender, this was one of the most fun guns i ever owned. sorry i let go of it. the .410 is one gun i will never be without, but for snakes I'm much more likely to have hotshots in my pocket and they work very well. the hotshot capsules from speer work very well when reloaded.

 

[HB]

steady influx of little folks we don't really want in our yards

Children or Elves, a paintball gun should take care of either

HB