Many shooters shot squirrels or rabbits with a .410 when they were a kid. Some view the .410 as a gun for kids, an inconsistent crippler, and difficult to use on flying game.
Pictured left to right; a 3 inch Federal game load, 2.5 inch AA Winchester Skeet reload, (2) Remington slug loads, and a Federal slug load.
Hunting for more than fifty years I have owned a fair number of shotguns: two 12s, five 20s, one 28, and eight .410s if memory serves me correctly. I've used many more shotguns, some extensively. From this list you can probably guess that I like small bores, and especially .410s.
I reloaded a lot of .410 and 20 gauge shells when I was shooting skeet regularly. I could shoot Skeet all day with the easy shooting light recoiling .410.
When I had a perfect or near perfect round at skeet some shooters seemed to think it a big accomplishment since I was using the little gun. I always felt the little gun was an asset not a handicap.
When I shot a 12 gauge my average might go up very slightly, but at the end of the day I felt a little beat-up and more important I enjoyed the shooting less.
I've mostly hunted quail, dove, and a few woodcock. I've only hunted ducks, or geese occasionally, no not with a .410. I've used every common gauge except the 10 gauge.
For close, short range shotgunning, water-hole incoming doves, quail over dogs, woodcock in thick timber, the .410 is my first choice. For small birds up to at least 20 yards an open choked .410 with #8 or #9 shot is hard to beat.
I'm very comfortable shooting the little gun. I don't try long shots, or to stretch the range like I sometimes do with a 20 gauge. My number of shots to kills average is usually slightly better with the .410 because I do pass on more marginal shots.
Many shooters seem ignorant of what these little guns can and cannot do. Some think that the the smaller guns throw smaller or tighter patterns; which seems logical. Most .410s come with a full choke which aids this thinking. Truth is an open choked .410's pattern opens up quickly and is said to throw the widest pattern of any gauge.
I believe the biggest single problem with the .410 is the full choke. Most .410's have a full choke for making the longest shots possible. But any person who understands wing shooting and shotguns would never buy a full choke for short range use.
The smaller diameter shot pattern of a full choke is harder to hit with. An open choked .410 is good to 20 yards on birds and comparatively easy to shoot well. A full choke is only reliable for a few more yards when the smaller pattern is centered on a bird. This makes it difficult to shoot well. ".410 shotguns are always short range guns!"
The .410 has a tendency to throw patterns with dense centers and thin uneven fringes. The longer shot column of the three inch shells and the full choke seem to magnify this problem. Plastic shot collars help but some shot is still deformed as it travels down the barrel. Deformed shot doesn't fly as straight.
A second and related problem is shot size. Some shooters brag of making long shots using larger #6 shot or even #4 or #5 shot in the .410. These are lucky shots where a few pellets hit the animal's vitals. I don't believe shot larger than #6 should be used in .410s. The #6 shot only for those who like to hunt squirrels or rabbits with the little guns.
Larger shot sizes are for longer range shooting, and again ".410 shotguns are short range guns." The little shells don't hold enough shot to effectively use larger shot sizes. BTW most all shotgun loads .410 to 10 gauge have very similar velocities; from about 1100 to 1300 fps. Larger heavier shot does hold more energy per pellet and maintains the energy a little better.
But! Let's say that it takes 5 shot of a certain size to kill some bird at 30 yards. At thirty yards a .410's smaller shot load may be too thin and only deliver 3 or 4 of those same pellets on the bird. At twenty yards the .410 will kill most any bird you hit.
The best shot sizes for birds are the smaller #8 and #9 shot. With the larger sizes of shot the pattern thins out very quickly. If you need to use larger shot sizes, use a 20 gauge, or even a 12.
The small gauges are not as versatile as the larger 12 or 20 gauges. The .410 does offer three inch loads which hold about 40% more shot. In my experience the three inch shells pattern less evenly, and their advantage is not as great as expected.
There are slug loads for use in .410 shotguns. I've only used the slugs for pest, and not enough to comment on them. They are not legal for deer in Oklahoma, and I wouldn't use them anyway.
Another uphill battle for the .410 and 28 is ammunition cost. The ammunition makers offer low cost promotional shells in 12 and 20 gauge. Remington has made a lower cost load, but it has limited use because it comes only with #6 shot and a 20 round box.
We must pay a premium or reload the little .410 and 28 gauge shells. Some say the shells cost more because there are less shells sold, but I wonder are less shells sold because they cost more? We appear to get less for more money, but as for me, in this case I have more fun with less gun.
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