great .410 and a great wingshoot

[ScatterGunner]

just got back from florida from a bobwhite wingshoot. i used a brand new .410 barrel on my synthetic handi, what a great little field gun for quail ! i limited out in about an hour will all clean kills using 1/2 oz and 11/16 oz #8's.

the season down there just ended, with a week extension for preserve birds, if you're in the sarasota area check out:

Burnt Bridge Guide Service
Fort Ogden, Florida
863-494-3968

great pointers and really slick buggy you ride on. this was my second shoot there this year, i already booked a hunt for fall when birds open up again.

sg

[Brett]

Sounds like a ball Scattergunner... congratulations on a good shoot.  Have you made any modifications to your .410 such as fiber optic bead or anything?  What brand shells were you using?  I have not tried bird hunting with my .410 (yet).  Squirrels are one thing, but I think I will need a lot more practice with it before I am ready to hunt anything that flys :wink:  

Brett

[ScatterGunner]

hi brett -

the .410 barrel was fresh from the NEF barrel program, it arrived last friday, so i gave it a good scrubbing and went hunting. i used the standard bead site, no mods or anything fancy. it shoots as good as anything else i've hunted with, usually a parker 20 ga SxS or a browning O/U. i just plain old like it ! the guide razzed me a bit when i pulled the handi out of the gun case, "haha - who's shooting the single shot ?!?", but he tried it out after i limited out and ended up liking the thing. over pointers, it's a great scattergun, even with the full choke. i can't wait to try it out on grouse and chukar this fall.

the shells were remington field loads in 2 1/2" and 3" with #8 shot, i wanted to use reloads but time was short last week and so i ordered the shells from gamamiels and had them shipped to the hotel.

what a blast it was, we got into four coveys in the first hour, the dogs flushed 6 - 8 at a crack. next fall, i'm bringing two handi's AND a loader.

sg

[Brett]

Scattergunner you have me itching to try my .410 on quail now!  I recall reading an article in one of the gun rags a few years back where the author and a his buddy used .410's (don't recall if they were S/S's or singles) to hunt quail in thick brush where the birds were holding very tight.   They had cut down the barrels to remove the choke constriction and to make the guns lighter and quicker to point.  That's the one thing that I have noticed about my .410 Topper,   There is a lot of metal in that barrel and it's not very lite..  I think you could use it as a pry bar.

Brett

[VarmintController]

 let me tell you the story of a nice little H&R tamer i picked up a little while back. its got a 20 inch full choke barrel, and a neat little stock that holds 4 rounds of ammo. this little gun has dropped everything i have pointed it at :-D  :-D  :-D  :-D  :-D  yep squills, a crow, a few rabbits, and some pepsi cans :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  i would say at close range it does the job very well. i use remington express 3" #7.5 with good luck. now the crow was shot at only 15yrds, and it took 2 shots to kill it. the 410 is too light for crows, but it was what i had with me when i saw him in my trash cans. but hind sight being what it is, i did have some slugs with me, and if i had it to do again, i would throw a brenneke at him :twisted:  :twisted:  :twisted:  :twisted:  but yes a 410 is some fun

[ScatterGunner]

with crow and pheasant, you need a good head shot with #6's to drop them with a .410. i never shot anything with fur yet, just flying objects, and the occasional clay pidgeon on a skeet field.

the receiver end of the barrel on the handi 410 seems a bit heavy compared to most SxS 410's but still it is a really light and lightening fast field gun. i guess that in order to maintain compatibility with other barrels you need that fat end on the barrel, but with most 410's the barrels are heavier than the 28 gauge counterparts because the just drill the bore smaller and you end up with a thicker wall, my 410 citori is heavier than the exact same model in 28 gauge by a few ounces !

NEF does have that 22" 410 which would be good for thickets and that really thick palmetto grass down south, maybe after the postal match is over i'll send it back for the shorter barrel, i only have one receiver but have a lot of barrels. more toys !

i'll be out on the west coast in few weeks and my buddy is setting up a wingshoot for pheasant somewhere between san fran and sacramento, 5 guns and 3 dogs, two flushers and a pointer, i'll follow the pointer, i can't wait. i'll bring a parker and my handi and pit them against each other. high honors goes to the scattergun that drops the most birds. both will be fed 3" #6 max load green box remintons.

you could use the barrel for a lug wrench extender for those really tight lug nuts.......