I learned to hunt with the same Essex 410 single shot belonged to my grandfather, then my father. My 3 younger brothers also learned to hunt with it as well. The little gun has to be at least a 100 years old, and when my father died and we were dividing up his guns between us boys, it was one that I choose. It was then the gun that my son learned to hunt with. So, four generations of our family cut their hunting teeth on it. My son has 3 girls, and the oldest 2 deer hunt, but so far have not expressed an interest in shunting with a shotgun.
I still shoot it today, as it is one of my varmint guns that I use around the farm. I have problems with rabbits getting in the crops that I grow in the high tunnel in the cold months, and I often have to shoot several, and the little 410 works perfect for that. I've even been kicking around the idea of getting one in a double or pump, but I'm not ready to retire the original one just yet.
