Occasional slugs in a little Charles Daly .410 Scorpio?

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boomer49

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Hi Guys,

After finally "scoring" a box of .410 # 7½ birdshot (the last/only one in southern Alberta) and two five-packs of rifled slugs (total cost $65) I finally ordered that cute little shotty.

Two quick questions ... the choke that it is supplied with is basically set-up for basic shotshells full of little lead pellets, but I like the idea of having a few slugs in my pocket ... just as an option if things got ornery. Would there be any concerns or worries about firing the slugs occasionally through the stock choke set-up? The current choke is described as a Beretta/Benelli® Mobil Choke Thread MC-1 (M).

These guns seem to sometimes have issues with FTF because of gunked-up/ faulty firing pins. Several years ago some friends and I unpacked a brand new unfired fully-cosmolined Norinco (sealed in plastic wrapping) SKS ... and used brake-cleaner spray everywhere possible after we dis-assembled it. Then we wiped it down and properly/lightly lubed it. I don't wanna disassemble this brand-new one right away. Would there be any downside to simply squirting some brake-cleaner into the obvious places before firing it?

(I never did understand how the fluid and the gunk just ... like ... disappeared into thin air!)

Thanks in advance.
 
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Brake cleaner strips away the oils, so metal must be re-oiled to prevent corrosion. I'd want to have it apart myself to ensure it's relubricated fully. Slugs will work fine in a modified choke.
Well done scoring some birdshot 410 ammo, it's hard to come by currently.
 
time4t said:
I have the same inexpensive little gun as a truck/ camp/ ditch chicken gun with about 100 rounds fired to date and it runs fine, although the trigger is gross. Last season, it took a decent selection of small upland birds/ game out to about 25 yards. As slugs are / were not available - I handload five OOO buck pellets and at 15- 20 yards all 5 pellets are inside a 12 inch circle- ok if things get "ornery".
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As they say. "Necessity is the Mother of Invention". And ... about "ornery" ... I was gonna say "gnarly" ... but I associate that word with the dawn of The Age of Mountain Biking ... probably on Mt. Tamalpais.

Thanks for the reassuring words. Did you just give the shotgun a few cursory squirts (and wipes) of G96 before firing it?
 
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Slugs are still in a plastic wad. Even with the wad, they're still under diameter for even a full choke. The issue isn't using them, it's more finding and affording.

A buddy did a you tube video. Using 2.5" 410 slugs, penetrated two 2x4's. Bear defense at 20yds, sure, definitely beats a sharp stick.
 
Raton57 said:
Spray the brake cleaner or carb cleaner in places like the firing pin hole and then use a air compressor and blow it out .
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Yes, thank you ... I think that I now remember that I'd heard about that process before ...

Incidentally, in my first post I incorrectly called it (at one point) brake fluid (not brake cleaner) ... and have since corrected that mistake.
 
farmer47 said:
the slugs will be fine in your gun . as for using brake fluid it sounds extreme to me and is something i would not use on my gun.
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in my first post I incorrectly called it (at one point) brake fluid (not brake cleaner) ... and have since corrected that mistake. Sorry for the confusion!
 
nowarningshot said:
Slugs are still in a plastic wad. Even with the wad, they're still under diameter for even a full choke. The issue isn't using them, it's more finding and affording.

A buddy did a you tube video. Using 2.5" 410 slugs, penetrated two 2x4's. Bear defense at 20yds, sure, definitely beats a sharp stick.
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I worked for nine years (mostly alone) on a 4000-acre wilderness ranch at the very base of the Livingstone Range in south-west Alberta ... starting in 2007. I started-out with 15 Brenneke Black Magic slugs (for my "Don't Leave Home Without It" Marine Magnum) that I'd purchased in North Dakota before Nine-11... and had legally transported back to Manitoba.

I foolishly gave 5 to my landlord (He treasured/trusted/preferred his Marlin 45-70 with boo-teek Montana loads.) and I still had nine left when I left the ranch in 2016.

Back in Canada ... north of The Medicine Line ... I treated them exactly like Elaine treated her "sponges".
 
So what kind of 410 slugs did you manage to get a hold of?

If it is 410 Foster slugs .... I hope you realize that they are nearly useless against a bear or any other large animal.
They have no penetration at all .... and will disintegrate in only a few inches of a gel block ...

Standard 410 #000 buckshot has much more penetration than a 410 Foster slug.

The only 410 slug that I am aware of and that might have a chance to reach the vitals of bear is a 410 Brenneke ... but they are not sold in Canada!

 
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nowarningshot said:
Slugs are still in a plastic wad. Even with the wad, they're still under diameter for even a full choke. The issue isn't using them, it's more finding and affording.

A buddy did a you tube video. Using 2.5" 410 slugs, penetrated two 2x4's. Bear defense at 20yds, sure, definitely beats a sharp stick.
Click to expand...

Most commercial slugs that have been designed for a smoothbore ... like Foster slugs or Brennekes ... are NOT in a plastic wad and they are NOT under diameter! However, they are designed to be able to squeeze through a full choke.

Sabot slugs are a very different animal ... designed for rifled barrels ... and which don't have a choke ...
 
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0faustus0 said:
So what kind of 410 slugs did you manage to get a hold of?

If it is 410 Foster slugs .... I hope you realize that they are nearly useless against a bear or any other large animal.
They have no penetration at all .... and will disintegrate in only a few inches of a gel block ...

Standard 410 #000 buckshot has much more penetration than a 410 Foster slug.

The only 410 slug that I am aware of and that might have a chance to reach the vitals of bear is a 410 Brenneke ... but they are not sold in Canada!

Click to expand...

I watched the video ... thank you. They're basic ¼ oz. Federal 2½-inch "Maximum Rifled Slug HP" ... and definitely not for bears or any big game. Penetration sucks, but on the upside, the little slug obviously dumps all of its energy into the (soft) target. As mentioned elsewhere here, I have about 10 Brenneke 12-gauge Black Magic™ Magnum "Dangerous Game" slugs exactly for that purpose.

For something handier than even the little Charles Daly, I have a tuned-up Rossi Ranch Hand loaded with several souped-up .44 Magnum cartridges from HSM (Hunting Shack Munitions) in Montana ... "HSM 44 Magnum Bear Load 305 Grain Lead WFN Gas Check" ... with an advertised muzzle velocity of 1260 fps and muzzle energy of 1075 ft/pounds. A standard .44 Magnum has a muzzle energy of 742 ft/pounds.

Plus always a big handy can of bear spray ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rd8WI66ZTZM

https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/hsm...-magnum-305-grain-wide-flat-nose-handgun-ammo
 
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