Who has a .410 Bore Shotgun... and why?

I have a single shot .410 (shorty) I take with me in the gopher patch. All my .22s are scoped, which makes (oddly) makes it hard to get the quick close in (under 10 yards) shots on the little boogers. A .410 is just the thing.

Also, I went with .410 because I'd read somewhere that you can fireform spent .303 brass into brass .410 shotshells, which can then be reloaded indefinitely, and I tend to accumulate spent .303 brass (among my gun "issues" is an Enfield "issue"). Been messing around with that off and on all summer, and long story short, it does actually work quite well, once you get the swing of it. Now I can reload my "custom" .410 brass for around 15 cents a shell by harvesting powder and shot from cheap 12gauge target shells. I could go even cheaper than that if I bought powder and shot in bulk. (one 12 gauge shell is enough powder and shot for two .410 shells, for about about a dime per .410, plus roughly a nickle for a primer).
 
Has your girlfriend actually tried a 20g?

My wife would slap me if I told her to get a "small gun". She owns a 20g and a 12g. Shes all of 5'5" and 115 lbs.

Ive introduced several woman (and a couple teenage girls) to shotguns, most of which I started with a 20g and and light shells. Its not hard recoil. At all.
 
As a family, we have a .410; single shot bolt action. It was my kids' great-grandfather's and my son did his first trap shoot on it. I can see where .410 is a great platform to get kids in on it, albeit his GGF's gun is a tad barrel-heavy for him.
 
There always seems to be a .410 around here and I started my youngest daughter with one for grouse.
Either the hinge was too tight or the hammer too hard to pull or the barrel was too long for a poor sight picture.
Getting grouse leaded was getting challenging.
Bought her a Winchester 12 pump. Never looked back.
I'm using a 20 gauge for grouse now.
Less issues and better chance getting them on the wing.
Bonus...........shells are far cheaper to practice on.

I'd offer up the suggestion of a 20 gauge with trap loads.
 
I have a uplander SXS with mod/full. It is a truck gun to get grouse coming and going from where i am hunting. I shoot the Captain Morgan grouse w the full, and reserve the mod for any/unseen that might fly. Pretty deadly little bird gun. I think having low expectations helps.

If one looks, ammo can be found cheaper at gun shows and one particular store i will not mention....so there.
 
Thought I might as well add a few pics...

The .410 shorty was a key part of my anti-gopher jihad this year:

410_gopher.jpg


And now that I've got some fireformed brass for it, I can reload for about 12 cents a shell, and the brass .410 shells have the added bonus of looking pretty swank:

410_brass_small.JPG
 
I got a cheap .410 single shot Hatsan from Reliable Gun and used it to get grouse. It is as light as a stick and I don't care about carrying it along with my hunting rifle on a hike.
 
grelmar said:
Thought I might as well add a few pics...

The .410 shorty was a key part of my anti-gopher jihad this year:

410_gopher.jpg


And now that I've got some fireformed brass for it, I can reload for about 12 cents a shell, and the brass .410 shells have the added bonus of looking pretty swank:

410_brass_small.JPG
Click to expand...

So much cool!
 
Started hunting with my Uncle a avid grouse hunter and skeet shooter had his own skeet field,had some fine springers,hunted in west Quebec farm land with lots of haw trees and lots of birds.was nothing to see 50 birds in a evening hunt. Used a Win model 12, 12 gauge for quite some time, now use a 410 rem pump could not stand seeing 30 or more pellets in birds, with 410 I often get what I call A birds no pellets in breast, I use one in chamber # 6 and two # 4s in mag and for me I have shot birds farther than I ever did with 12g trap loads lots in the 40 to 60y + and do head shots on birds on ground by holding a little high
I would think many would think here is a internet story with BS but its not, my uncle trained me how to shoot skeet and was quite proud that I shot my first 25 strait at 9 years of age.
so don't be underestimating the 410

manitou
 
st1264 said:
mossberg-50455-shotgun.jpg


Mossberg%20500%20HS410%2050359%20Right-1000x800.jpg


Was thinking about getting the GF a .410 shotgun to learn on, just wondering who has one and what do you think of it? I'm sure this is the shotgun version of a 22lr in the rifle category. How much smaller is the receiver on the 410 Mossy 500 compared to the 20 or 12g? Being much quieter and having very little recoil would be a plus for her.

I've read that the caliber is great for rabbits, snakes and small game. Maybe it's just fun at the range? I see youtube videos of guys punching 00Buck 410 through steel cabinets and doors, don't think the caliber is that useless at close range.
Click to expand...

Anything make the list yet?
 
st1264 said:
mossberg-50455-shotgun.jpg


Mossberg%20500%20HS410%2050359%20Right-1000x800.jpg


Was thinking about getting the GF a .410 shotgun to learn on, just wondering who has one and what do you think of it? I'm sure this is the shotgun version of a 22lr in the rifle category. How much smaller is the receiver on the 410 Mossy 500 compared to the 20 or 12g? Being much quieter and having very little recoil would be a plus for her.

I've read that the caliber is great for rabbits, snakes and small game. Maybe it's just fun at the range? I see youtube videos of guys punching 00Buck 410 through steel cabinets and doors, don't think the caliber is that useless at close range.
Click to expand...






I have 3 .410`s. 2 singles and a mossy pump. Love them all and they are great for rabbits squirrels, grouse and snakes. A couple of problems though. Limited range unless you get a full choke version then your good to 25 or so yards with some experience and practice. Heavy brush tends to stop or slow down the shot and causes misses or animal injury so the pump was purchased. I used a Baikal single shot with beagles for rabbit hunting for years with great success. .410 rounds are expensive so getting in practice with it will be costly. I did purchase a mossy 20 ga. for thicker bush but always take the .410. Depending on the type of terrain I hunt I use either or. Now with that being said your girlfriend being in the 95/105 pound range a .410 would be perfect depending on what she wants to do with it. If she decides to get involved in turkey/pheasant hunting in a years time then you might want to look at the mossy youth 20 gauge. Not much more kick/recoil than the .410 but will do the same job as the 12 ga. She may be happier. Get out to your local club and ask around with her and see if someone has one of each for her to try out. If I was closer she could try mine out. Granted my 20 isn`t a youth model. I`m 6 foot 210 pounds. Youth 20 would be a bit short. LOL Good luck with the search.
 
I really need an O/U .22/.410. The .22 did a fantastic job all day bagging grouse. Unfortunately the last one of the day was an offhand shot and only wounded it. The little guy managed to get away before I could snap a second shot.
 
I have a Mossberg 500 .410, second one Ive had. Sold the first one and regretted it. I must have had a dozen .410 shotguns over the years. It is a useful cartridge if you understand that you won't get 12 guage performance from it. I have a Mec junior press in .410 as the shells are insanely expensive for all that's in them.
They are harder to shoot game or skeet with than a 12 gauge, so be careful introducing new shooters to the .410. They are very light and almost recoiless, so they are good for women and kids to start on. I like the 12 guage/.410 adaptors too, a useful thing to have for a double or single 12 gauge.
I hate to hear people say the .410 is useless, it's usually underestimated and just wrongly used.
 
I have two .410 single shots and have owned a few others. I'll be adding a pump sooner or later. I'm really quite fond of the cartridge. It does great on small critters at reasonable distances without being "too much" like a 12 or 20 often would be. Slugs are quite impressive at shorter ranges as well.
 
I have a 13" barrel folding .410 which I carry in a holster which fits under my arm pit use it to hunt birds etc... and provide kill shot with slug also good protection with slug ammo.
 
I have my Grandmothers old Iver Johnson 410 single. Killed my first grouse with it when I was 10. At one time 410 ammo was not much more than 12 gauge as the guns were very popular in the northern rural areas amongst grouse hunters. I take mine out now and then for sentimental reasons. I cannot imagine how many grouse that gun has accounted for. My Grandmother and her sister were the two oldest kids of 13 and used to each carry a 410 to school every day during hunting season and kill grouse for the family. Then when she later married my Grandfather they used to camp, hunt and fish together for a lot of years bringing that gun with them. My Grandfather carried it his entire adult life. It's all he used to shoot grouse with. They are a great lightweight little grouse gun for those who hunted grouse the northern way, potting them out of tree branches, on bush trails and logging roads. I think though they are a wing shooters challenge.
 
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