The lowly .410 bore

[Dave Workman]

I just did a piece on the .410 for Gun Week, where I'm senior editor, and now have an assignment to write about a new S/S double in .410-bore from Stoeger for a piece in GUN WORLD which I am going to relish. the gun should be in my greasy little palms in time for the 9/1 opener. Double triggers, fixed full chokes both sides; and I just "might" end up buying the damn thing...

Gawd knows I need another shotgun like I need another nose, but the little .410 has always fascinated me.

Test ammo is enroute so now I ask all of you fellow gun nuts, wildlife killers, and assorted polecats.. if you were hunting for grouse with a .410, what shot size would you use, and what shell, 2 1/2- or 3-inch?

[runamuk]

I love my 410 its a tiny little kid model and still I love it.....as for the type of shot who knows I buy what I can find which is not much locally 

I am officially jealous that sounds like a sweet sweet little gun have fun....researching

[Bofire]

 :)3inch #5, killed many many pheasants, some ducks, one goose and dozens of grouse with it in my #37 winchester Grandpa gave me.
Carl

You gotta be quick and dead on!!

[Rgrady35]

In 2 1/2 inch I would use #6.

In 3 inch I would use #7 1/2.

My brother and me had single shot Savage .410 when we were about 8 years old. We hunted and killed mostly Bobwhite and Morning Dove in North Central Texas. They were full choke guns. We used the #6 for quail and 7 1/2 for the dove. It worked well for us.

[MackPrince]

I used to carry 3" #6 for grouse with my single shot.  If you want a slightly faster load the 2.5" gets about 100fps over the 3" but loses some of the already low load weight.

[JackOfAllTrades]

What Rgrady said..

It also depends on if you're wing shootin or willing to shoot on the ground/tree branch as a head shot doesn't take much better than #7 1/2 at all.  Be sure to pattern that shottie before you hunt in the field.

-Steve

[CP]

I’d use a 12g.  I started my hunting career with a single shot .410 and couldn’t move on to a 12g fast enough.  Anything a .410 can do a 12 can do better, except wound game. 

[Dave Workman]

I’d use a 12g.  I started my hunting career with a single shot .410 and couldn’t move on to a 12g fast enough.  Anything a .410 can do a 12 can do better, except wound game. 

Well, of course, that's not the point of the project, CP.  

I'm trying to show that the .410 still has some spunk.  I've got a 12-gauge, and a 20-. But the .410 just might be a keeper.  It'll certainly be fund to blast fool hens with if the opportunity arises.

[uplandhunter870]

for the really dumb ones that will sit on the side of the road and let me get within 15yds of them 2 1/2s with 7.5s work great, for the more wiley ones i find that the 3in with 6s work better, i try to avoid longer distanced flying shots as it usually ends up in a wounded bird.

[woodswalker]

I have several .410s, both the 2-1/2" and 3" are stoked with #5s or #6s.  Also have some factory multi-ball loads 3 or 4 000 buck....and I make a slug load that uses a swaged pistol bullet.

[carpsniperg2]

3" 6 shot is what i would use myself and what we ran a lot of when we were kids.

[CP]

I’d use a 12g.  I started my hunting career with a single shot .410 and couldn’t move on to a 12g fast enough.  Anything a .410 can do a 12 can do better, except wound game. 

Well, of course, that's not the point of the project, CP.  

I'm trying to show that the .410 still has some spunk.  I've got a 12-gauge, and a 20-. But the .410 just might be a keeper.  It'll certainly be fund to blast fool hens with if the opportunity arises.

Then get close and hit them in the head.  Might as well use #8 shot because the pattern is going to hell before the velocity drops off.  

[JackOfAllTrades]

I miss that you can't use a 410 with slug on deer any more in Washington.  Had an old Stevens 22 over .410 that was a sweet shooter.

-Steve

[AWS]

I 've hunted quite a bit with a SxS double trigger 410, given to me in 1959.  I always used 3" #6 for hunting, it was my favorite rabbit gun, worked good on grouse and pheasant if you kept the shots close.  2 1/2" #9's for skeet shooting.  Still have the old gun but haven't taken it out for a few years.

AWS

[CMG]

What Rgrady said..

+1

410 was my first gun, took my hunters ed class with it. still have it today, and my son will use it shortly. Single break Sears & Roebuck