410's...Useful or Useless?

[myarmor]

I personally like the little 410 and believe it to have it's own applications.
But I always hear of guys with complaints of not enough or too little too late, limited distances and energy.
What do you guys think and why?
Slugs/Shot/Buckshot
-Aaron

[MSP Ret]

It's little, and it does have less distance and energy than a 12, 16, or 20 gauge. I sure like mine!!!....<><.... :grin:

[gp911]

I like 'em. They require more effort but the payoff is sweet.

I still need to get a 28 guage barrel for mine though...


gp911

[Brett]

Useful? You bet, ask most any farmer.  .410s have probably been used to deal with more rodents, opossums, snakes and other pests around barns and livestock than any other shot gun.  Low recoil, less noise than the others.  They can be fine small game guns too, but you can't be as 'sloppy' with them as you can with larger gauges and need to aim and squeeze rather than point and slap.  By the way a .410 delivers approximately the same energy as a .357 Magnum from a six inch handgun.   And though I would not choose to do so it is legal in some states to hunt deer with .410 slugs and some folks do.

[myarmor]

If a ran up on a copperhead, I would much rather be carring a 410 than a 12ga. I don't want that going off near my feet :x  :shock:

[gp911]

...and what better medicine for doves?

If you want anything left to cook, that is...


Granted, I've dropped many a dove with an air rifle too, but
in the aforementioned snake scenario the BBs ain't cutting it.


gp911

[Victor3]

I'm going to get a youth model 410 for my son. I started out with a 12 ga Topper at an early age, but it was a bit much for a kid, even with light loads.

Even for an adult, I think it would be fun. My Dad and I used to sit by a pond for hours and shoot dragonflies with the 12 ga. I'm almost certain that a 410 is enough gun for that .

Heck, they're cheap enough. Why not?

[MSP Ret]

Victor3, just a thought but when Dragonflies are in season ( :-D ) I believe there is quite a large daily bag limit, you may find that 20 gauge shells on sale are quite a bit less expensive that .410's, which I don't seem to find on sale to often. I would think a nice light load of #9's out of a 20 gauge would do fine on DF's. If you load for a 20 you could even load up some #12's with a light powder charge. Of course this is only looking at the cost of shells aspect, otherwise a .410 is perfectly capable a taking down just about any DF out there....<><....   :grin:

[hunman55]

Victor3, don't shoot those dragonflies! Down here in the deep South, they eat those pesky skeeters. If I had a million dragonflies I would turn them loose in my yard this summer. And bats will eat their weight in skeeters, too. I love bats and dragonflies. :lol: Hunman55

[Victor3]

I'll be sure to only shoot them in season and not go over the legal limit. If I'm down South, I'll be sure to leave them alone.

They are fun targets though. Pops and I went to the same pond for many, many weekends in a row, shot tons of them and they didn't seem to diminish - A new swarm every time! Sometimes we would just shoot below them as they hovered low over the water and the splash would swamp them.

I hear ya on the price of 20 vs 410. Still, 410 aint too expensive compared to some ammo, and it sure is pleasant to shoot. My son isn't too big on shooting anything that kicks (7 years old).

 I think it would be kinda neat to make or buy some all brass shells and get into reloading for it.

http://www.chuckhawks.com/410bore.htm

[Couger]

sorry

[Couger]

oops!

[Couger]

I second what MSP Ret said.

Plus as a youngster starting out with a .410, I can tell you I was grossly handicapped as a beggining wingshooter till I went to a larger gauge.  I was constantly bugging my mother to use her larger [12 ga] gun when I started hunting in the 6th grade.  Killed two ducks on my first duck hunting trip with that gun!

Start your youngun off with a 20 gauge.  Even a Topper Deluxe Classic in 20 gauge with the multi-chokes and ventilated rib with 3-inch chamber.  Shoot light loads to start with, but leave room to increase the power of more effective hunting shells!    :wink:

You'll be more plased with your decision and your boy will be more pleased with you!

Also besides 20 gauge shells being cheaper, they're more plentiful and easier to find than .410's and its far faaaaaaaar easier to buy reduced recoil 20 gauge rounds than it is to buy .410's powerful enough to kill past 25-30 yards.

A .410 is an excellent tool for someone who knows how to use it, but not a beginner!

[stimpylu32]

I got to go with Couger on this one , for many years the .410 has been thought of as an expert's shotgun for the simple fact the shot load is so low that you have to aim more like a rifle than a shotgun .

All my kids started with a 20 ga. for the fact that a young shooter will soon loose intrest in shooting when they have a hard time hitting the target with the smaller loads that the .410 provide , were as the 20 ga. will provide a more than adaquite shot pattern with very low recoil and they can grow into higher power shells as their skill levels inprove .

[one$$shot]

When I was a kid (early 60's) my Father was an absolute ace with his bolt action J.C. Higgins 410.  He shot pheasant after pheasant from the hip.  I rarely saw him shoulder the weapon.  He always used the cardboard 3" 7 1/2's.  He passed away in the mid 60's.

I still have his gun standing in the corner less than 4 feet from me.  I haven't fired it since the late 60's.  I'm certain it still works perfect.  I'm going to shoot it again someday.

[mrlizzzard]

I think the .410 shoots harder,goes farther than other gauges with common loads.The 20gauge in my opinion is much more useful when loads differ..410 is harder to handload.It's a cute classic cal. but that's about it.Now if someone has a mod.42 they don't care for send it over.