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.410 shotgun, lets annoy the "experts"

11K views 75 replies 32 participants last post by  HVance 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
OK, let me explain. Im an avid hunter and have been using a .410 shotgun almost exclusively for hunting since I got my firearms safety certificate when I was 12 back in 1983. I've been reading alot of posts lately on facebook hunting pages and in general on forums as Im looking up stuff. All of which seem to refer to the 410 as a useless shotgun only good for squirrels, doves, and rabbits at less then 20 yards. expect to lose and cripple at least 50% of your quarry. so on and so forth. Ive hunted ducks, pheasant, squirrels grey and fox, rabbits, and ruffed grouse. a great majority of my earlier hunting was with my Grampas reloads and his Winchester model 42 410 pump. i walked many a tote road and fence line with that gun, and have never crippled or lost an animal. At how many yards were these animals taken? hell if I know I was to busy aiming, leading and shooting rarely more then 1 round, many times I jumped a covey of grouse and took 3 in 3 shots.
I here it referred to as the "experts gun" or the "beginners gun" either your expert or a beginner you cant be both. So which is it ? Its in my personal opinion that most these "experts" are just crappy shots. QOUTE: I think its more along the lines your just a BAD shot, you couldn't hit the barn if you were standing in it, its a simple thing, bring the gun up, take a deep breath to steady your nerves, put your finger on the trigger". I think they just need the max amount of lead in the air to hit their target. you know the same guys 1 goose flying over 20 1.5oz 3.5 shells later and the goose is still flying away. So what's your thoughts on this "weak" "useless" gun?
 
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#36 ·
I haven't really done any extensive research on this, but I had the impression that in the U.K. and most of its former possessions, the 16 gauge was the "heavy" shotgun and the 28 gauge was for the ladies & youth shooters. Here, "in the colonies" the 12 & 20 gauges fill analogous roles.
I'M certainly not "expert" enough to hit much with a .410 (perhaps the ground, as I toss it away in frustration), but I have a great deal of respect for the 28 gauge. It is a far better game-getter than a .410 (in MY hands, anyway), provides low recoil, easy carrying, and fast handling. I enjoyed my time shooting one, and felt like it made me a better wing-shooter than I actually was.
In the days when I had more money than good sense (and it's STILL a close call), I had notions of finding a (relatively) inexpensive 28 gauge double, fitting it with dual front sights & ghost ring, finding some brass cases & working up a slug load for it. I thought of christening it the ".550 Vorlon Nitro Express". What the HECK I would EVER hunt with it, I do not know. But 270 grains at 1450 f/s isn't to be taken lightly, especially at typical upland game ranges.
 
#46 ·
I haven't really done any extensive research on this, but I had the impression that in the U.K. and most of its former possessions, the 16 gauge was the "heavy" shotgun and the 28 gauge was for the ladies & youth shooters.
Our company had its annual summer picnic at a place with some clay pigeon shooting. Plenty of novice shooters there, out for curiosity to be brave enough to actually pick up a shotgun and shoot it. Some had some shooting experience behind them.

The first year we went they were using 28 gauge shotguns. The last year I went they were using 12 gauge shotguns.

I just checked Angler's Choice in Dundee, Scotland and they have plenty of varieties of 12 gauge cartridges, some 12 g. slugs. I didn't notice buckshot. They also have some 16, 20, and a few 28 gauge and some .410's in stock. Henry Krank only seems to have a limited range of 12 gauge. I even saw an entry for 10 gauge. My LGS doesn't have much of a web presence so I can't look up what he has.
 
#38 ·
because i dont squeeze the trigger unless im confident of my shot, and have recovered all game i have shot at. with the exception of the deer we stopped tracking in a tamarack swamp in the dark, coyotes found him before we did. that was a 30-30 though.
That is truly impressive to have hunted 37 years with a .410 on a variety of fur and feathered game without missing one single animal!
 
#41 ·
Note: i said i never squeeze the trigger unless im confident of my shot, i said Almost exclusively with a 410, ive used 20 and 12 gauges many times, but always seem to come back to the 410. And i didnt hunt all of the 37 years. You see me refer to my Grampa alot, he taught me to hunt and instilled a strong hunting ethic in me. ( this is where someone will bring up the ducks) as kids we honed our shooting skills shooting bumble bees off the lilac bush and wasps out of the air with our Daisy model 155 "1000 shot" BB guns this ability to hit small moving targets carried over into hunting. have i missed a squirrel or two with a .22 absolutely , but ive never lost game i shot at with a shotgun. and i never said i didnt miss sometimes you need a follow up, to much lead, not enough a little high or low game changed direction just as you shot.
 
#40 ·
ive personally only shot a 28ga a few times and didnt really notice the difference but that just may be me.
And the improvement in MY shooting performance could easily be "just me", also.
I just know that I was a miserable hand with a really nicely made .410 double, but shot much better with some European style upland 28 Gauge (also a double). Maybe I just DECIDED that IT would shoot better than the .410 (I could not have done worse, I assure you), so I did, too. But more shot and an equally user-friendly platform almost certainly contributed to my performance.
If you can make hits with a .410 bore shotgun, my hat is off to you. But I fear that it is a skill I shall never master.
Cheers, Sir.
 
#43 · (Edited by Moderator)
And the improvement in MY shooting performance could easily be "just me", also.
I just know that I was a miserable hand with a really nicely made .410 double, but shot much better with some European style upland 28 Gauge (also a double). Maybe I just DECIDED that IT would shoot better than the .410 (I could not have done worse, I assure you), so I did, too. But more shot and an equally user-friendly platform almost certainly contributed to my performance.
If you can make hits with a .410 bore shotgun, my hat is off to you. But I fear that it is a skill I shall never master.
Cheers, Sir.
Last year I got the chance to shoot a 410 Browning...Citori? I think it was called, I dunno it was a 725. very nice looking gun it was an over/under. but honestly i like my cheap wallyworld Hatsan single shot. shot a few clays only hit 3 outa 5 but the gun wasnt comfortable to me. Im 6'3 and it just didnt shoulder right for me. but if i had based my opinion or buying decision strictly on that particular gun, i probably wouldnt have ever hunted with a 410.

Last year I got the chance to shoot a 410 Browning...Citori? I think it was called, I dunno it was a 725. very nice looking gun it was an over/under. but honestly i like my cheap wallyworld Hatsan single shot. shot a few clays only hit 3 outa 5 but the gun wasnt comfortable to me. Im 6'3 and it just didnt shoulder right for me. but if i had based my opinion or buying decision strictly on that particular gun, i probably wouldnt have ever hunted with a 410.
i might add here that ive wanted a 28 gauge for many years, but they are just way out of my price range. to me a $500 gun is really exspensive. so im not ney saying against it or any gauge of shotgun i love all guns.

I may have to get me that S/W Governor, that would make a fine snake gun.
only snakes we got around here are about as dangerous as a salamander, though i dont see any practical use for the judge or governor, id still like one just to play with.
 
#42 ·
Used to hunt with a 410 back when I had to put the stock between my legs and use both thumbs to pull the hammer back (Crescent Firearms). It taught me to conserve ammo because I had to buy it at 4 cents a shell at the gas station(back then you could but ammo one at a time) and only shoot at something I knew I could hit.
Still have that gun
 
#45 ·
After shooting an Ithaca .410 SxS I had to have a nice one. Unfortunately, my champagne tastes don't match my beer budget.
Happened on a mis-titled SxS auction for a Stefano Fausti DEA .410. Because the seller had listed it with the importers name, no one else even bid on it, and I got it for a third of the value!
After the first half a box, and all I could hit was blue sky, I checked the pattern, and my aim. Both barrels have fixed, "Extra Full" chokes, and I have never seen a shotgun throw the tight pattern this thing does. Figured it out, back to the trap range and busted 24/25 with bulk Remington 2.5". One shot kills on pheasant now.:)

 
#47 ·
I’ve got 50 + years hunting with a 410. It’s still my favorite all round shotgun for varmints and hunting most things. Did it make me a more accurate shooter ? Since I started out with a single shot, I would say the combination did. It did make me a better hunter. I learned patience and shot placement quick. We never had a lot of money back then so every shot counted.

My 410 now, is another single shot. It’s light and I can carry it all day. I don’t think I would use it for dove or duck hunting anymore, but one never knows. But I have been tempted to throw a slug in it and take a deer with it.

I’ve found Bass Pro and Wal-Mart to have the best prices for 410 shells.

Last time I was at Wal-Mart they had a Hatfield 28 gauge semi auto for around $200. If it had been a single shot or a pump, I might have went for it.
 
#53 ·
I've got 50 + years hunting with a 410. It's still my favorite all round shotgun for varmints and hunting most things. Did it make me a more accurate shooter ? Since I started out with a single shot, I would say the combination did. It did make me a better hunter. I learned patience and shot placement quick. We never had a lot of money back then so every shot counted.

My 410 now, is another single shot. It's light and I can carry it all day. I don't think I would use it for dove or duck hunting anymore, but one never knows. But I have been tempted to throw a slug in it and take a deer with it.

I've found Bass Pro and Wal-Mart to have the best prices for 410 shells.

Last time I was at Wal-Mart they had a Hatfield 28 gauge semi auto for around $200. If it had been a single shot or a pump, I might have went for it.
I think I referred to my 410 as a Hatsan thats one of my air rifles...lol. I meant Hatfield. senior moment i think.
 
#48 ·
I have two. A pump and a single-shot break-action. None of my firearms get much use these days - weather in Iowa is almost never decent for target shooting and I no longer hunt. But, I just had to have one of each!!
 
#49 ·
I was 15 when I got my first 410. I put it on layaway at the local hardware. Cost me almost $20. Three weeks of work. That was 58 years ago. I hunted rabbit and squirrels with that 410 till I was 28 and started deer hunting. I never knew you could hunt small game with anything other than a 410 or 22. I've always kept at least one 410 in my gun cabinet and if I was to go squirrel or rabbit hunting tomorrow that's what I would reach for. Range shooting is about all I do these days. When I go I usually take a 22 and 410.
 
#51 ·
I hunted with a .410 shot gun from age 9 until I was 18 and my parents gave me a Remington 1100 in 16 gauge. I never had any problems or complaints with mine, I still occasionally picked it up on my way out the door for a squirrel hunt because I loved that old gun...a Savage Mod24 with a .22 on top! The two barrels were one piece back then. I seldom missed a squirrel or rabbit when I learned how it shot and became proficient with it.

The thing about the .410, as rcairflr already pointed out, that gun does not spread as quickly as the other gauges and the shooter must know his/her aim must be a little tighter or closer
 
#52 ·
I have seen young ladies at the skeet and trap ranges blow the 12 guage $5,000.00 O/U pundits away with their itty bitty 410 bore. It is still a matter of shot selection and shot placement. I carry a .410/22 as a backup in my truck because I know from experience that the .410 slug is accurate and deadly to hogs and deer at a decent range. I am not going to hunt with it when I have options of other guns, however, I am going to use it as a primary go to if I need something to bring home the bacon.
 
#61 ·
The 410 I have now came with a modified choke tube. It’s the first 410 I’ve owned that came with a changeable choke. I think my old Springfield bolt action, might have had a full choke, but I can’t say for sure.

This new one seems to open up a little more than that old Springfield. But I have no way to prove that. I will pick up a full choke tube and see if it makes that much difference on a 410.

My 410 weighs 4 ½ pounds, my 20g about 5 ½ and my 12g pump comes in a little over 7 pounds. It’s one reason I love the 410.
 
#63 ·
I have seen folks at my club shoot trap with a 410. None good. Most trap hits are at 30 or 40 yards from the 16. A friend who is 94 years old uses a 28 gauge as it is all he can hold up. He can hit 15 out of 25 on a good day.

On the other hand, some of the women shoot 20 gauges and do pretty good. I consider 20 gauge the minimum for trap.
 
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#64 ·
Like many of you, I started hunting some 60 years ago. Started with a Daisy BB gun on snakes and small birds walking the swamp leveys around New Orleans where I spent my youth. After moving to Oklahoma. I was taken under the wing of my Jr High School football coach and taught the art of Quail hunting using his H&R Topper 410 single shot. He drilled into me the concept of shot placement. One Shot, One Kill, that I have never forgotten. Over the years I have owned many 410s most single shots, and have never had any problem bringing down anything I pulled the trigger on. From a squirrel, or a bird to a whitetail deer. You put the right load in a 410, with careful shot placement at an appropriate distance and you have meat on the table. Not to mention their ability for home defense at the close range of a normal living room, I would hate to be on the receiving end of even a 1/2 ounce of #8's much less the 4... 32 caliber black powder round balls that I have loaded in mine that spread 5 inches at 10 feet.
 
#66 ·
The 410 I have now came with a modified choke tube. It's the first 410 I've owned that came with a changeable choke. I think my old Springfield bolt action, might have had a full choke, but I can't say for sure.

This new one seems to open up a little more than that old Springfield. But I have no way to prove that. I will pick up a full choke tube and see if it makes that much difference on a 410.

My 410 weighs 4 ½ pounds, my 20g about 5 ½ and my 12g pump comes in a little over 7 pounds. It's one reason I love the 410.
My Hatfield single shot has a modified choke, I had to contact Hatfield to figure that out as there was no indication on the firearm or any of the paper work. It weighs the same as your 20g. I really should pattern it at some point , I mean a proper patterning not just shooting a couple paper plates at 50 feet. Ive only taken a couple grouse with this particular gun so I still have 23 rounds left.
 
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