is a .410 shotgun worth getting

RescueRiley

RescueRiley

Joined
Mar 22, 2006
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I feel realy drawn to the small sub gauge shotgun..It's got a nice slender little shell, alot of them fit into a pocket, and seems like it'd be right dandy with a full choke for rabbits and the like..I've been thinking about picking up a cheapy h&r (the mora of guns) single shot to try out.. but I keep reading on line about how much people hate them. I already have a 20 g... but theres Something nice about a lite handling gun for small game. My brother has a .410 that he likes alot, but he doesn't really hunt or shoot clays so he cna't really judge how it would fair in that arena. A single shot beater h&r would probably make a nice campgun as well. Just gathering thoughts.
 
I would think the reason the .410 might be lite handling is because it's a single shot not really because it's a small gauge. You would just have to be that much better of a shot with something that small, but it would work.
 
shells are expensive for 410...just saying. 20 gauge would be better.

savage made a 410/.22 overunder that was nice to shoot. Good rabbit and squirel gun.
 
I like the 410 and have a pump and a single shot as well as one single shot and one double barrel 20 gauge but even though I like these and prefer them, if you want to know the truth you can buy 12 and 16 gauge shells usually for less money. Sometimes they are the same price as the 20 but 410 shells are the most expensive of all of them.

STR
 
I really wanted a .22/.410 over under.. remington slapped thier names on some russian made ones I was looking at..
 
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I think the .22/.410 would be the slickest setup :D

I generally squirrel rabbit hunt with a .22. If I decide to use a shotgun, it is usually a .410 bolt. Mainly because if you go any bigger (w/ a shotgun) I just cringe at putting that much lead into a small little squirrel.

While it is true that they are the most expensive shells, does it really matter? You don't generally trap/skeet shoot with a single shot, or over/under, and how many boxes of shells will you go through in a single season shooting rabbits and squirrels?

You will probably spend more in gas getting to your hunting spot :D
 
Check your ballistic tables, the .410 has the same muzze energy as a .44 mag. I wouldn't be without a .410 in an urban enviroment. I have a single shot, and my father has the old bolt action from mossberg. Shells are somewhat higher....
 
The .22/.410 set up has had a hold on me for a while.. but I hear the .410 (being the lower barrel) shoots about 10 inches low..I guess if I played around I could compensate..maybe adjust the site for the shotgun put a high mounted scope on the .22 (i hate scopes though)
 
IMO,NO It's either a 20 gauge & up for me..unless of course you're shooting squirrels or rabbits.In all honestly I do enjoy shooting 16 gauge from time,but I wouldn't stake my life on one.
 
You could also look into a .410 that can shoot a .45LC.

Here's my cheapy version. I haven't shot it yet but plan on doing that this Sunday.

IMAG0046.jpg


I've always thought the combo rifles would be sweet but have never found one that could be had for a decent price.
 
IMO it's a great choice. Especially, like orrey said, if it shoot .45LC as well. It isn't something to stake your life on for protection, but would do just fine for taking small game. Also, look around at different combos. Rossi makes a decent set-up that I posted before called the Trifecta. I have heard that it is decent. Comes in a few caliber/ga configurations.
 
The .410 is an expert's gun.
Unless you're real good with a shotgun, you're going to need to practice a lot to use it well.
Also, don't look at ballistics tables and think it'll act like a .44 Mag with slugs. The slugs are only like 93 grains.

If you want a light gun, IMO a single shot 20 ga would be better.
 
I say grab one great lil' gun....I had a single shot rossi when I was younger and a 5 shot bolt action that was pretty decent,I looked at a mossberg 410 pump for my son and the 410 snake charmerfor myself last week
 
.410's, and .22's as well, are great fun to hunt squirrels and rabbits with. Also they are perfect guns to introduce young folks to the shooting sports.
 
410's are easy to shoot and just as effective if you cut the distance down. The velocities are the same as a 12 or 20 gauge. The pattern just gets thin at longer ranges.

Geoff
 
I'm a huge .410 fan. I was influenced by my father, for most of his life that's all he ever used to hunt quail with. Later on he did use a 28ga. As long as you're a decent shot it works just fine for small game.
 
If price is your thing, you might also look at a New England ? shotgun from the White Trash Heaven a.k.a. Wal-Mart. They run about $100...
 
The .410 is a great little shell, but it does have obvious limitations. What is so nice about it is the variety of really handy small shotguns and combo guns availiable for the cartridge. I own several; an H&R single, a CZ double, an M-6 Scout .22/.410 and they are all great. I use them around the ranch more than any other shotgun for general pest control - rattlesnakes, squirrels and starlings. While many use it for hunting, I grab my 12 gauge if I really want food for the table.
 
I do most of my squirrel hunting with a .410 shotgun. In many regards, it is the perfect gun for it. With practice, 35-40 yard shots are doable. I use a full choke (tight pattern=important for small target) and 3" shells loaded with #6 shot. You want the larger shot to carry a little more knockdown to your quarry than say the #9 skeet loads that are common. I started with the H&R pardner when I was a kid. It actually worked pretty well, but follow up shots are a pain- reloading is always faster when you have a magazine. I know use a 870 Express .410. Mossberg makes a 500 varient (or two) in .410 too.

The .410 is an expert's gun.
Unless you're real good with a shotgun, you're going to need to practice a lot to use it well.
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The thing to remember, is that you don't need to pepper the crap out of a squirrel to take it. You only need to hit it with a few pellets to kill it. The .410 helps avoid devestation, but makes the shot a lot easier than with a .22 since you have a pattern. Squirrels often are moving targets. When you use a shotgun for small game, you are effectively aiming, NOT pointing. For birds and clay games, what CPL punishment said is true. The .410 is more than appropriate for even a beginner for small game hunting.
 
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