Limitations of the .410 ?

I guess shooting a bear with a .410 and not being successful would be a sure way of
not lying in pain for very long.
I'm pretty much a firm believer that one needs to match the size of toys with the
task at hand.
If a little powder is good, more must be better. This would include the diameter
of the projectiles too.
 
personly i use 12ga or 20g only. i had a .410 pump a while back and i got rid of it within a month. i did not like the lack of power and range unlike 12 and 20's. plus what i like about 12g is i use standard 2 3/4" shot number 4 for birds and rabbits, and if i see a deer or moose all i do is load in a 3" slug. just my 2 cents
on the other hand my grandfathers loves it since hes up in age and cant handle the recoil of a 12g anymore.
 
I had the opportunity to shoot a coyote about 30 years ago. The first slug killed it clean. It was a calf killer on the open range, a pickup load of cowboys chased it right by me (15 yds) Do some penetration tests & see for your self. It is not a cal. to take after bears. It might kill or turn a black bear but it might not. A PO bear is a thing to behold, but not something you want paying you a lot of attention. My 410 sxs is fun but I would carry something bigger if I was worried about bears. I have not used bear spray but all reports say it works.
 
a j cave said:
I had the opportunity to shoot a coyote about 30 years ago. The first slug killed it clean. It was a calf killer on the open range, a pickup load of cowboys chased it right by me (15 yds) Do some penetration tests & see for your self. It is not a cal. to take after bears. It might kill or turn a black bear but it might not. A PO bear is a thing to behold, but not something you want paying you a lot of attention. My 410 sxs is fun but I would carry something bigger if I was worried about bears. I have not used bear spray but all reports say it works.
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i don't trust bear spray and one major problem i see is if the wind is in your face this makes things a little more interesting
 
Thanks guys, I certainly don't plan on looking for a bear with this gun, just needed to know that if in an emergency situation, I should shoot him or hope he trips on it as I throw it in his path...I think trying to shoot a bear with this would only make a bad situation much worse, I also have a 12 gauge for the bush.
 
I use a Cooey .410 break-action as a small game (mostly grouse) gun. Not as many pellets as a 12ga, so shot placement is more important, but if you know your patterns it's not a big deal. I prefer my .410 over 12ga because when I'm chasing birds through thick bush, the shorter, lighter .410 is MUCH easier to maneuver with. The major downside is that .410 shells are like 4 times the price of 12ga if you're buying factory ammo.
 
alter3d said:
I use a Cooey .410 break-action as a small game (mostly grouse) gun. Not as many pellets as a 12ga, so shot placement is more important, but if you know your patterns it's not a big deal. I prefer my .410 over 12ga because when I'm chasing birds through thick bush, the shorter, lighter .410 is MUCH easier to maneuver with. The major downside is that .410 shells are like 4 times the price of 12ga if you're buying factory ammo.
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I have 2 myself a bolt action .410 and one of the little hikers the hiker go with me to clear out the barns home loads with #12 shot do the job
 
3macs1 said:
Sure do :) seperates the shooters from the ones that think they can shoot.
Few run the 100 with the 410 on a regular basis
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I've never run the 100 but was happy with a 95/100 when I had my fs4 set. Now I'm just using tubes in my sxs and have dropped to 20 as an average. Once my wedding is paid for a new sxs 410 shall be mine
 
sk8r said:
Jack O'Connor was never a man to mince words - he always spoke pretty directly, and here's what he said about the .410:

"The .410 is a kid's gun, a woman's gun, a pot gun for the farm and camping trip.....and NOT a man's gun." (his emphasis).

and

"The worthless little .410 slug should never be used on anything larger than rabbits.....It is not accurate enough for small game or powerful enough for deer. Why it is made at all, I'll never know."

(From 'The Shotgun Book', 1965 edition).
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I disagree with Mr. O'Connor. I don't think it's even good 'nuff for rabbits!
 
The .410 for bird shooting is an expert's gun. Far less shot resulting in far smaller patterns. A .410 with 5 pellets of buckshot(3" shells. 3 in a 2.5") is even more useless than buckshot out of anything else.
 
I've taken many birds (grouse, small pest birds and even a few crows) probably close to a hundred treerats and close to that in rabbits with my .410's... Just understand the limits of its range and use good loads. 3" only for hunting for sure. I keep my shots within the 20 yard range. Nice gun for early season treerats when they hold tight till you are right on them. Soon as the leaves drop, rifle only unless you have them treed. Enjoy your gun. Like every guage or caliber of firearm it has its intended use and you must work within it's limits. Good luck.
 
It's nice for coons around old buildings and bins. Doesn't beat you up, they're nice and light, quick to point but not really a novice gun.
 
Have a FULL of MOD choke...IMO 2 1/2" shells shoot better patterns then 3" and #6s are a great all around size. Keep shots with 20 yards..25 max.
 
KRJ said:
Whats that saying;

Bravery is doing something stupid, courage is knowing its stupid and doing any way.
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Courage is going on and doing something even when you are scared. Thinking of doing something that is stupid...and still going ahead and doing it is NOT courage OR bravery. Its stupid.

.410 buckshot vs. a slug...I'd choose a slug...can MAYBE get 2 shots off instead of just one...at hella close range like you'd need to with the buckshot load.
 
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