Home Forums Birds & Dogs Upland Game .410

Anyone use a .410 for grouse hunting? Or any other upland bird hunts?

I've shot a damn lot of forest grouse with an el cheapo single shot .410 and 2.5 inch #7.5 shot. Its good on rabbits and rattlesnakes too.

Used a Spanish double for years on wild Pheasant and Quail. Still use it on preserve birds and doves. 3 inch 7.5 and 6. I think you need to be careful to keep shots close shouldn't be a problem with forest type grouse.

I used to use the Winchester Model 42 for some of my Upland Hunting and wish i still had it. I have never used a 410 that was a killing machine like the Model 42. Rabbit Quail, and Squirrels it was death and Destruction

I take my first gun, a Winchester Model 37 single shot ,410 hunting once every year. When I lived back East it was for ruffed grouse and cottontails. Here in CA it's for quail and cottontails. Must say that I've killed about ten rabbits with it for every bird taken on the wing, tho! Between the light whippy barrel and the tight choke, it is a hard gun to hit fliers with.

I do have a friend here who is a truly world-class wingshot and used almost nothing but .410s for all upland game, even pheasants. He uses 3" 7 1/2s mostly and shoots several custom SxS classic doubles. And he practices with clays constantly and passes on shots beyond about 30 yards. I've never seen him cripple a bird; if he shoots at it, it's DRT.

To paraphrase Lance Armstrong, in wingshooting, as long as the gun fits you, it's not really about the gun. The shooter makes almost all the difference.

I have only made two doubles on grouse in my life, and one of them was with a single-shot .410 (and they were both in the air...the second one kindly waited just long enough for me to reload before flushing). It was what I had at the time. I don't deliberately hunt much with a .410, but I have one around most of the time at camp or in the truck.

Within 25 yards it kills like lightning. All you have to do is hit 'em.

I had a M42 Browning repro it had been sent to Briley and had the full reamed then threaded for Briley choke tubes. A full tube, a mod,and a skeet tube. Shot a lot of inexpensive skeet with it and 1/2oz loads from a 600 Jr. Never did average more than 88% on the 100. The barrel was simply to light for good follow thru and the Japs that made it, pitched the rib to shoot way to high. Slick little gun I took it after sharptails more than a few times when my Llewellen strain setter bitch was in her prime. She was a good retriever as well as her pointing ability which was a good thing as most birds did not come down DOA. After opening couple of weekends 10-25yd shots are the exception not the rule mostly 25+.As a prairie grouse gun, I will tell you to get a 28 or better yet a nice 20. Just the way I see it ,flame away. Magnum Man

the 410 isn't in the same class as the 28 ga, which happens to be my favorite upland bird gauge in my Beretta O&U

No, it's not a 28, but the .410 kills well within 30 yards. And a lot of bird shooting isn't any farther.

I don't know if it is just my particular gun, its fixed full choke or just my absolute badassness in general but my cheapie .410 kills forest grouse and bunnies better than "well" and at ranges past 30 yards, sometimes too well if my pattern is centered on the bird.

My 28 gauge on the other hand has dissappointed me on grouse at closer ranges, to the point where I have considered selling it. I use standard factory loads of #6 and &7.5 shot in both guns, 2.5 inch in .410 and 2 3/4 inch in 28. My 28 has (I believe) mod and imp chokes.

I have a couple of Browning .410's inherited from my dad. In an odd quirk of fate, the Citori has never missed a flying ruffed grouse yet, but it has only killed a dozen or so. I also used the Model 42 for pheasants, 3 for 3 shots. I don't consider either gun ideal bird guns, but they do work OK if you can hit 'em and don't stretch the range.

I came about an almost mint 42 a few years ago. I have used it only on dove, and like you say, it works if I do not try to make it do things it was never intended to do. I intend to take it on a preserve quail shoot one of these days.

My pattern tests and pine board penetration tests both show the 2.5" clay target loads to work better than the 3" high brass field loads with small shot. I suspect that 6s on up will win in penetration. The hard shot in the AA/STS loads work pretty good. jack