I have a little .410 for my house gun. I'm a small person, about the size of the average 12 yr old (though admittedly a bit wider). I can shoot the 20g just fine, but it's length is unwieldy in the house. .410s don't have great distance to their shots, but this is for inside the house. The longest straight shot there is 27 ft. Plenty close enough to get decent penetration. Main concern is shell size. You don't get many pellets with the bigger ones so it's a trade off between size and number.

Overall I'd not suggest one for a grown man or big boy. Just get the 20g with shorter barrels and stock for an inside defense.

 

I love the .410, but it's kind of a niche cartridge.
I use it for goofing off at the range and occasional small game at reasonably close ranges - 25 yards max. It's also useful for times when you need more than a .22, but you don't need to break out the 12 gauge or 30-30. I've shot some buck shot from mine, and it actually might be surprisingly effective at indoor distances. Five pellet 000 Federal 3" loads look like a group from a .380, so that's something.

But like babyblue says, might as well stick with a 20 or 12 gauge if you can.
Ammo is cheaper and way more versatile. Either shell obviously packs more payload, and bigger shells are easier to get in the shotgun for a quick reload than those skinny little .410's. I've got no plan to ever be without a .410, but just because I like them. You probably don't really "need" one.

 

We had a guy with a 410 outshoot all of by buddies and I dove hunting once but he was a VERY good wing shot. That will almost never happen. They would make a pretty good rabbit gun with almost no recoil, if you want to shoot rabbits with a shotgun.

But, there is a BIG difference in the price of field ammo these days. You aren't ever going to come close to the $20/100 price for 20 and 12ga sold at Wal-Mart

 

IMHHO -- good training gun for a small child - nice gauge for a Taurus Judge -- that's it --

 

About right, Rice! :thumb:

I think, the Governor is a better gun, 410, 45lc AND 45acp but the judge ain't bad. ( Bit chunky for a five shooter, LOL )

The 410 is a good training gun like Ricekilla said. Its limited in power, both for hunting and defense but.....you center punch someone with a 3 inch load of 00 buck/4 buck or even #4 shot, they're probably gonna stay shot. A 12/20 is better though.

 

One of my "Want" handguns is a Judge ---- :thumb:

 

I liked my little single shot .410. It was a Rossi combo gun, and stayed in my car. They make good small game loads, and I remember reading an article that said a slug from a .410 has the same power as a .45 acp. To be honest, it's been a few years since I checked that for myself, so I'd look into that claim again. My favorite use for the single shot .410 has to be snake killing though.

 

I inherited a lot of 410 ammo when my dad passed away. I bought a Saiga 410 sporter and did the conversation on it myself. It is now my go-to long gun for walking my property or the surrounding woods. I carry it loaded with a 10 magazine of #4 birdshot and I keep a 4 round magazine of slugs in my back pocket.

I love the way it shoots and I'm very confident with it.

Mark

 

I like the .410. Great little shotgun for snakes, small game and garden pests. I think it is an ideal gauge for grouse and quail...YMMV

The Mossberg 500E with a 24" VR barrel for birdshot with a second 18" cyl. barrel for slugs and buckshot is a decent set up in .410.

 

One of my favorite guns ever is my Savage .22LR/.410 over under double. Best rabbit gun ever.

 

I spent 22 years in Alaska. The first two was in a little cabin north of Healy. I was working for the railroad in the summer but was laid off in the winter.

There was no work to be had, so I fed my family by hunting and fishing. Contrary to what many believe Alaska isn’t the hunters paradise one thinks, even back in the early 70s, it’s a lot worse now. Big game is limited and hard to find in the dead of winter. Small game is a bit better.

I had (still have) a Savage Model 24-D, 22/410 which was my number one gun for feeding my family. Taking Ptarmigan, rabbits and squires. Also carried it on my trap line to dispatch captured animals.

I have a lot of guns now, all sorts, but I’ll keep that little gun forever. I doubt I’ll ever have to be in the position to have to have it to feed me. But I’ll hang on to it anyway.

 

I too like the fact that they came out with .410 revolvers because it ups the kinds of ammo available for the shotgun. Ammo selection for .410 shotguns use to be (and in some ways still is) limited.

 

Anyone had any experience with this new revolving 410 rifle ?

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

 

I'm not ashamed to say that I love my 410. It's one of my favorite guns.

Mine is an 870. I'd love to have a CZ double in 410, but for some reason known only to CZ they choke them mod/mod. I want one choked mod/full. Or possibly better yet, full/full. The other problem is that have a 14.5 inch LOP...and I have T-Rex arms.

I've killed everything from chipmunks to turkey with it. It's not a long range gun, but it is also easy on meat. It's light enough to carry all day, and the ammo won't weigh your pockets down the way other shotgun shells will.

You guys can say what you want, but if I ever fall on hard times the 410 will be one of the last to go.

 

I have a little Mosberg 410 pump and it's a sweet gun. I use it mostly for varmints, but it's actually pretty bad ass with buckshot. I only use 3" shells.

If 410's were more widely used, the stinking ammo would be cheaper..

 

My first long gun was a Mossberg .410 bolt action. Learned to take pheasants, rabits and squirrels with it. Even winged a pheasant with it once and racked the bolt fast enough to finish it right on the second shot.
That shotgun now is in my son's safe and so is a Rossi .410 / 22lr youth gun. I new have a Mossberg .410 Silver Reserve II O/U.
Since typing in this threan, now I want to take it out and shoot it this week.
My real favorite guage is a 28 guage, SxS and yup there are some 12 guages in there.

 

I own a Taurus Judge and a New England single shot break open 410
Both are good guns
Judge is a good field gun and close quarter PD pistol
New England 410 break open.... is a good small game gun. Accurate and doesn't tear up he game so badly

 

On a side note, I once looked at a 410 semi-auto called the Home Defender. It looked a lot like an AR and had a 30 round magazine. I didn't buy it, but loaded with buckshot I'd say it would probably do a pretty good job in a self defense situation.

I don't recall who the manufacturer was.

 

My dad got me a bolt-action .410 as a kid.

I think it set back my development as a shooter and hunter because that was "my gun" and we didn't normally keep around a lot of ammunition for it like we did for other people's guns.

I shot some skeet and some rabbits. But I didn't use it a fifth as much as I would have if it had been any other caliber.

 

Was that because it was harder to find shells for

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

 

It was much harder to find shells for and the gun was less versatile so my dad didn't want to spend our limited funds on it.

But it was quite a few decades ago so availability might not be the same problem today.

If you are determined to do whatever it takes to keep the kid's gun in shells, it shouldn't be a problem. If you are the lazy type or don't have funds to buy exotic rounds which are useless for any other guns, stay away.

 

I made the Taurus Judge my vehicle gun several years ago. Mine are stainless steel with 3" chambers. The rifling is an advantage because it opens the pattern more for close shots. I consider a steel gun to be a must because of the recoil. It's a small frame gun so if you have .45 Colt in it (something I can't comprehend), you should only used standard loads. I use shells that hold five 000 Buck. That's an advantage of the Taurus over the S&W. For some reason, S&W only makes their .410 with 2 1/2" chambers.

I have a T/C Contender and a .45/.410 barrel. It throws much tighter patterns so it's suitable for clay pigeons. I would only consider it a last resort for self-defense.

I have a few long guns in .410 as well, They're fun, but nearly so much as some others. I never carry any long gun without a specific reason. They're nothing but a nuisance for rambling. They're an idiotic choice for use in the home. The only reasonable shotguns for home defense, apart from .410 handguns, are Class 3.

There's an outstanding website addressing .410 guns and ammo. It's a British website, but they discuss many that are not allowed in that once great country. There's a link to a book on the homepage. The title is Because It's There: Climbing the North Face of the .410. It's an absolute winner.

http://www.fourten.org.uk/

 

A 20 gauge just makes more sense. A .410 has no advantage an any way.

The Judge basically is the only firearm that make the .410 stay in the argument.

 

I've found buck shot patterning with 20 gauges to be pretty sad, but Federal 5 pellet 000 buck patterns surprisingly well at HD ranges. In a Mossberg .410 or similar, I think it'd do alright. I'd rather use a 12 gauge, but still...

 

I'm thinking of something for me to plink with. And something the recoil sensitive wife can feel comfortable with

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

 

She doesn't like me buying her guns. But on the up side she likes it when i do.. if i get a good deal on one

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

 

Semi auto 20 or pump. It's a great starter shotgun and can kill bout anything walkn with a slug. The buckshot statements are BS. The shot shells and buckshot both have excellent selections for the 20 gauge.The lil 20 rocks.

A tool not a hope an pray it works. A defensive firearm must stop the treat.

 

I do have one 20 gauge now. Wouldn't mind getting a SxS 20 gauge.


Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

 

I've got a SxS 20 with 21 1/2" barrels. It kicks like a mule. Even my 20 gauge 870 with buckshot or slugs isn't as bad as the Larona with high brass dove loads. That said, the Larona is still the farm gun.

As to .410 price and availability, it's usually $15 for a box of #8, whereas 20 gauge is $5-6 a box for the same. I love .410, it's handy, the shells are smaller, but I won't be getting another for quite a while; simply because of ammo cost.