Open up choke on 410??

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Gillshot

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I've been reading the love or hate the 410 thread with interest. I have a Cooey 410 with a full choke that I'm hoping my daughter can use for squirrel hunting. The only problem is the pattern is absolutely terrible. With # 6 shot its a 10 yard gun at best. I have read in old hunting magazines that most 410's will actually pattern better with a more open choke like modified. I'm thinking of having this one opened up to modified choke and see if it does better. Any of you guys ever tried this?
 
Id try 7.5 or 8 shot first before altering the gun.
I have seen that happen with larger shot however ive recently been playing with a stevens 301 turkey with the extra full and getting great patterns with #5 shot. I cant explain it
 
3" .410 cartridges usually pattern not so well. I shoot 2 1/2" 99% of the time because they pattern well. I use mine for grouse and woodcock, squirrels are tough and the 2 1/2" cartridges may not hold enough of appropriate sized shot for a squirrel. Sometimes just a change in cartridge manufacturer can help patterns. Try a few different brands and see what happens. The .410 is a mystery at times with just the difference of roll crimp vs. fold crimp being better or worse.

Darryl
 
It only takes a few thousands of an inch to make a big difference in .410, and as others have mentioned 3" loads usually pattern terribly.
 
SuperCub said:
I see a 410 as a bunny gun or for head shooting sitting grouse, not for wing shots so a full choke is perfect.
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This. Use 2 1/2 inch #7.5 lead shot. Easily will kill a standing still rabbit up to 30 yards cleanly with a full choke.
When I was a novice hunter in middle class NS, many nieghbourhood father's owned just one shotgun. A 12 gauge Cooey with full choke. For rabbits and grouse just aim one inch in front of nose or beak.
Invariably a piece of the shot pattern will dispatch them just fine without undue damage to the meat.
They passed this knowledge to us younger folk.
 
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Thanks for the replies Gentlemen. I will definitely try a few more shot sizes before i make a decision. As some of you know, grey squirrels are a lot tougher than grouse or bunnies. Looking forward to getting my daughter a 20 gauge when she is a little bigger, that will solve the problem!
 
I did the .410 dance with Thing 2.
Got pizzed awf’nuff to setter up with ah 12 gauge and
trap loads.
Dem feathers did the sqwat there then after.

.410’s. be frustrayt’in fur dem newbeezs.
 
I have been using an open choke 410 this year and it seems to cleanly kill gophers out to 25 yards with #8 or 9 shot. I know with slugs in a 410 I always got great accuracy using modified chokes, but with open or full it was dismal at best.
 
I have had a 410 full choke HR for years. Great grouse gun for the truck or quad. Bet it killed 200+ birds

But I lent it and ammo to I buddy. He loved it. But when he returned it he replaced the ammo with #6 not the 7.5 and 8 I sent with him. 6s were all he could find.
I missed over 50% of the grouse i shot at before I decided to pattern the #6s. They patterned horrible. Vertical stringing with blank spots in the pattern. 7.5 and 8 are nice even patters in that gun

Definitely try different shells
 
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