what's a .410 good for (new hunter)?

I have a .410 Snake Charmer I take with me just about every time I go into the bush for a hike, camping, fishing etc. I've used it quite successfully on rabbits, grouse, squirrels and skunks (slugs).

I remember reading a story a while back about an amputee who got around on a lawn tractor and hunted deer one handed with a .410.
The slugs pack a pretty good punch but lack the ballistic performance of bullets and larger guage slugs.
I wouldn't hesitate to wack a coyote with one tho. The biggest thing I've shot with a .410 hp slug was a raccoon (a fat sucker) at about 20 yards and half of him just blew up.:eek:

SnakeCharmerScale.jpg
 
My first shot gun wasd a 410

The first shotgun I ever fired back in 1974 was an old Cooey 410 single shot and I can not even tell you how many rabbits and hares bit the dust and ended up in my parents oven thanks to that gun.

It is a great shotgun for a beginner who is just learning the nuances of small game hunting. Keep in mind that it's range and spread are limited and a precise shot is necessary.

A few years later (1981) I bought a second one at a garage sale with a shorter barrel and so light that you could practically turn and shoot using one hand instead of two. This one did not get as much use as the first because by then I had a 16 and 22 gauge shotgun and was using those a lot more, but it still was very enjoyable to shoot.

I have recently sold one of my 410s. The person I sold it to was giving it to his 16-year-old son as a Christmas present so that the boy can start hunting. I told the father that I learnt to hunt with a 410 and that he was doing a great thing getting his child started.

Robert
 
DUCKS with a .410???? Ya sure....back i nthe day when we could use lead, and I think that's a stretch!

I've got this old .410 side by side, and I shot at a grouse with it a couple years ago. 10 yards....on the ground, a tuft of feathers blew off it and he made a run for it! (Didn't even fly!)

So, I chased the bugger down the road and got another 10 yard shot at it with the same result....a tuft of feathers and this time he flew off.

Moral of the story....If you're hungry, use a 12 gauge!

If you're going to use the .410 for grouse, I may suggest hitting them with the butt in a "croquet-like" fashion. (This way you won't have to worry about any pellets in the breasts!)

Good luck!
 
rlg said:
That is cute 44FORDY, and to a certain extent, correct as well. That is why I use to hunt almost exclusively rabbit with this shotgun. They would die of fright before the pellets actually entered their body.

Robert
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I'd hoped I'd get a rise out of that one! ;)
Honestly, I need to probably give that little .410 a fair shake before I right it off as a wall piece. I've only used it a couple times. I'm not sure what size the chalmbers are and have to have them measured by a gunsmith. In saying that, using a longer shell may make some difference.
I have an old rem 870 wm 30" barrel full choke, and game just looks at it and dies! Honestly, the thing is posessed or something, I don't think I've actually ever missed with it! (Long barrel, full choke and it patterns like a champ.)
I'll probably use that .410 a little more when I feel up to the challenge. Right now, I like getting supper on the table! :D
 
JohnC said:
Third what others have said -- ground grouse & rabbits. Make sure you pattern . Expect more misses but when you do score you'll get a lot less pellet damage than with a 12.
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B'ah!

On the ground, if you're a good shooter, you can take grouse with a 12ga without any breast damage.

Tight pattern at a good distance, you'll knock their heads right off and the breasts will be picture perfect!;)
 
410

Hey All,deep fried gopher and battered magpie,use old cooking
oil,then they taste like deep fried won ton.Merry Christmas
375rum
 
44fordy said:
B'ah!

On the ground, if you're a good shooter, you can take grouse with a 12ga without any breast damage.

Tight pattern at a good distance, you'll knock their heads right off and the breasts will be picture perfect!;)
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gee & here I thought I was an OK shooter:(

if they stand still while you're adjusting your tripod -turn their little heads just so...:p I can see a head shot

unfotunately the ones up in Dryden where I hunt have been very skittish lther last few years - you have maybe 1 second before they head for the weeds- and when it's the only bird you've seen all day...


Cheers :)
 
Don't know if you've got these in "the Wastelands" El Guapo but, in central Alberta, I've seen guys hunting snipe with .410's. Small load, tight pattern, & small, fast flying target. I've never tried it myself (can't imagine there's much meat on a snipe), but it's got to be fun - and challenging!!

SS
 
Monty said:
Yeah, I guess a .410 might be useful on one...
15.jpg

I didn't know these buggers got that friggin' big! :eek: Is that possibly a bullet hole just above the "2"...?

I just bought a little .410 backpacker off of Huntinstuff - should be fun to play with. Now, I wonder how wildly inaccurate this thing will be? :p
Hey, as long as it works on halibut...
Okay, enough about the fishhhh... preciousssss... :D
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When I was fishing with the folks of vancouver island some years ago, There was a guy who was new to fishing. He managed to hook a 180lb or so halibut and decided to pull it into the boat alive:eek: . It was a 18ft hourston glass craft and he ended up with the seat pedastals broken off the deck and a cracked hull before this thing gave up.
 
Haggisbasher,

I'm shooting a vintage Savage/Fox SXS .410 choked full and mod that was given to me by my uncle. Its still in great shape and is my "goto" bunny gun! If I can find the time I'll post a couple of pics.
 
410 shotgun

El Guapo Keep your 410 and get a rifle like other members mentioned for bigger game. You didn't mention what type of action but if can shoot more than one shot. practice with clay targets, go to skeet clud and shoot it will be tough against everyone with 12 gauges etc but you will get good.
I use a Rem pump 3" chambered 410 and that all I use for partridge and smaller game rabbits and it is way better than the big gauges I have killed partidge over my springer at 50 yards with # 6 &4 shot and I don,t have breast full of small pellets and when I go moose hunting you can take heads off partidge on the roads easyer than with the big guns.
 
X-man said:
Haggisbasher,

I'm shooting a vintage Savage/Fox SXS .410 choked full and mod that was given to me by my uncle. Its still in great shape and is my "goto" bunny gun! If I can find the time I'll post a couple of pics.
Click to expand...

OK, I'M still waiting:rolleyes:
I would really like to see some photos of a gun that i would love to own.

A SxS 410 grouse/bunny gun would be a beautifull little gun that every serious 'gunnut' should have in the safe:cool:

SSSOOOO, Let us see the photos:)
 
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