Not trying to start a bunfight, but am curious and would appreciate some feedback from somebody more knowledgeable about shotguns that myself.
The .410 seems to be such a miserable choice for most purposes – why do people still buy it?
The ammo is not particularly cheap.
A load of ½ - ¾ oz of shot makes for a very sparse shot pattern at anything beyond nurf-ball range. More shot only results in a very long, strung-out shot column, hardly a good solution.
True, one can hit sitting squirrels or pigeons inside a barn, but a pellet gun offers the same ability at lower cost.
Recoil is light, but a light-recoiling ineffective round is still ineffective. Just about every book I've read about teaching kids to shoot confirms my own childhood experience by saying that the .410 is not an ideal load for teaching due to it being very hard to hit anything with it, thus making it frustrating for the novice.
The slug load is about as anemic as they come and sheds both velocity and KE like crazy. Yes, it's adequate for taking a side-on deer at 25 yards. So's a .32-20 and that's hardly considered worthwhile.
I can see it for use on a range for somebody really good and wanting an additional challenge. That's not 99% of those buying .410s, though.
So, it's not cheap, it's not recommended for teaching and only an expert can use it for practical hunting. Why not a 20 ga or 28 ga? The expense is about the same and both are far more effective under most conditions.
What gives?
The .410 seems to be such a miserable choice for most purposes – why do people still buy it?
The ammo is not particularly cheap.
A load of ½ - ¾ oz of shot makes for a very sparse shot pattern at anything beyond nurf-ball range. More shot only results in a very long, strung-out shot column, hardly a good solution.
True, one can hit sitting squirrels or pigeons inside a barn, but a pellet gun offers the same ability at lower cost.
Recoil is light, but a light-recoiling ineffective round is still ineffective. Just about every book I've read about teaching kids to shoot confirms my own childhood experience by saying that the .410 is not an ideal load for teaching due to it being very hard to hit anything with it, thus making it frustrating for the novice.
The slug load is about as anemic as they come and sheds both velocity and KE like crazy. Yes, it's adequate for taking a side-on deer at 25 yards. So's a .32-20 and that's hardly considered worthwhile.
I can see it for use on a range for somebody really good and wanting an additional challenge. That's not 99% of those buying .410s, though.
So, it's not cheap, it's not recommended for teaching and only an expert can use it for practical hunting. Why not a 20 ga or 28 ga? The expense is about the same and both are far more effective under most conditions.
What gives?
