Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters "Allure" of the .410

I too use the Savage combo gun. This one in a 22/410 o/u. I use it a lot. I take it to the bush on our yearly whitetail hunt which is usually the better part of a week or more. Once the deer tag is filled I carry that little gun around. Many a Ruffy has fallen to this gun. Light, easy to carry and lots of power for it's intended use.

For many years, .410 slugs were not legal here for deer. But that oversight has been corrected. The only issue I have with .410 deer slugs (foster type) is they are harder to find, never seem to go on sale, and cost as much as 12ga. Sabots.

My brother shot a Buck with a 410 slug when he was 12. It was close enough that he saw fur fly on impact but they never had blood and didn't recover it. Claims he had a behind the shoulder hit.

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.

While a few deer have been killed with the .410 slug, it's ft-lb of energy is somewhat of a handicap. Many of the foster type slugs only weigh 85 grains and for a slug of .410 diameter, that's a recipe for low penetration. Further the velocity retention is not what we would like for shots of any kind of extended range. While there are many testimonies of deer killed with it, it simple is a marginal choice for deer hunting.

One would be far better served with a 20 Ga

I acquired a .410 single-shot over 30 years ago and thought I might like it for squirrel hunting. I used it for a few seasons and gave it up. The ammo was too expensive. I let one of my sons hunt with it, but he switched to a 12 GA as soon as he could.

I will say that .410 is a great entree into shotguns for a wee one. However, it causes far too many disappointments as a proper hunting arm for a yute. Mine liked 20 and 12 and still do.

You can make those boys with their 12 gauge cannons feel bad if you shoot well with your 410

On a dare, we spent a morning shooting geese with .410's. Max loads with #2 Bismuth. Stakes in the decoy spread denoting 20 yards distance, expert calling, and the willpower to let them get in really really close before shooting. We found that the .410's killed just fine, and after that incorporated at least one .410 Day into every season just to break the monotony of whacking them with 12's. Mind you, every gunner in our group was/is an accomplished waterfowler not prone to "skybusting", and our venue is my buddy's farm situated smack in the middle of Maryland's best duck/goose country (which is saying a lot) which meant plentiful birds and the opportunity to pick and choose the shots. Moral of the story: the .410 can be an efficient hunting tool, if used within its limitations.

I need to get back on a skeet field with the .410 barrels of my Beretta O/U multi-barrel set.

first deer i ever killed was with a mdl 24 savage and a 410 slug. double lung and just as dead as if i had used a 458 win mag.that started a lifelong affair with the mdl 24.
maybe deer were weaker or the 410 was more powerful in 1958.

Having mentioned it was the tool of my youth, and the H&R Topper is now a lizard killer, there is a tale i between.

Also mentioned that fit is central to success earlier, and my brother and I both had to learn a bit while we were growing. Time passed and the gun was passed to his son who had conveniently already grown a fair bit, being 6'+ in his early teens. We took him quail hunting over a weekend and he hardly missed. Killed near as many quail as the grown ups. His failure at the end of the hunt was espousing that it was too easy and kind of boring.

Kids.....

The price on store bought .410 shells is ridiculous.A friend of mine uses 444 Marlin cartridges and loads his own.He made a tool to crimp the edges of the cartridge over a cardboard end wad he stamps himself with a 444 cartridge with a sharpened edge that he uses as a type of cookie cutter.He uses to plunk squirrels with.

i own around or more dozen 410`s just a fun little shotgun ,i also was born ,raised and still live in the country we have in the past and still do use a 410 to get rid of critters that need to be shot.here`s my collection of 410`s > 22/410 savage made in the 50`s,410 marlin bolt ,2-single shot 410`s,Remington 410 - 870 a new 22/410 Savage , and my favorite critter killer o/u 410 Stevens,Winchester 410 lever, 410 T.C. pistol, 410 derringer,plus i just purchased a couple more cases of 410 ammo too " just in case ?"

Is your O/U Stevens a M240? With tenite stocks? Side by side hammers? Also, what's your experience of shooting the 410 derringer?

Thanks

I use a .410 to shoot pests in and around farm buildings. I'd hesitate to shoot a 12 inside a barn, for instance.

I started my kids on .410s just to get them used to the noise and recoil, and with the understanding they should use one of my large gauge guns when they wanted to do any real wing shooting. They both had no problem graduating to 12s for FFA trap.

Fooling around with a hand trap, I was surprised to find that it was easier than I had anticipated to hit a flying clay bird with a .410.

THE Derringer i just purchased but we plan on doing some testing with it, son fell in luv with this derringer . the Sevens o/u 410 is a newer type and just a great little shotgun and handi.

That's why God gave us MEC.

On the topic of cool vintage 410's, here's a Stevens Model 240. Tenite-stocked (it must be very light to carry) and the double hammers are cool. In my experience, these are rarely encountered:

https://www.gunsinternational.com/g...-model-240--410-o-u.cfm?gun_id=101112032

Anyone have one?

Ah, the 410 Creedmoor.

Well it's sure no .270!

Oops.

Sorry.

Actually I have nothing against the .270. I just lapsed into a moment of group think.

I bought some Brenneke 3" Magnum style.410 slugs because Brenneke slugs have long been advertised as the best option for smooth bore shotguns.