My wife is a fairly small 5'1" and light weight. I am not allowed to tell her age, let us just say we are both senior citizens. The other night we were talking with my daughter about home defense firearms and the subject of shotguns came up. I have a Mossberg 590 12 gauge. My wife fired it twice and will not go near it again! However I am wondering about a .410. I think a 410 with 00 would work nicely, though if I am correct a .410 in 00 caries only 4 pellets. Correct me if I am wrong. If loaded with #4 buck, how many pellets does that carry in the .410? I have tried to find the answer but can not seem to find it, so I decided to come to where some knowledgeable people are.
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410 question
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Gas operated 20 gauge with lead #4s and skeet barrel makes an instant marksman out of a woman in a hallway. If she push bottom feed lever just before encounter every bad guy in the world recognizes the sound ofa round being chambered. I bet even a deaf thug can sense that. -
I run these through a 26” Mossberg 500e, and a light little 18” Rossi single shot. Recoil is not bad in either gun.
1A - 2A = -1A
Conservatives think liberals are people with bad ideas. Liberals think conservatives are bad people.Originally posted by WherryjIf I had a nickel for every gender that exists...
...I'd have $0.10.
--- Dan Bongino
Originally posted by EM2Some liberals are evil people out to control others. (Hillary, Pelosi, et.al.)
Many liberals are lemmings and will follow whomever espouses what they 'feel'.Comment
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Regarding my post above, I’m no expert, but I would think that nine pellets of # 4 buck coming at you in a straight line out of such a small bored barrel at a short distance would create a devastating wound channel. The box says 1100 FPS, but I’m guessing they might run a bit faster out of a longer barrel, because that data is based on a handgun length barrel.
Just my two cents....1A - 2A = -1A
Conservatives think liberals are people with bad ideas. Liberals think conservatives are bad people.Originally posted by WherryjIf I had a nickel for every gender that exists...
...I'd have $0.10.
--- Dan Bongino
Originally posted by EM2Some liberals are evil people out to control others. (Hillary, Pelosi, et.al.)
Many liberals are lemmings and will follow whomever espouses what they 'feel'.Comment
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Shotgun recoil and damage comparison in a fun to watch video.
Seriously, the .410 in today's defense loads should be more than sufficient in a home defense situation.Benefactor Life Member, National Rifle Association
Life Member, California Rifle and Pistol AssociationComment
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I love .410s but, in her case, I would advise against one and look at a 28g or even a 20g instead.NRA Certified Pistol, Rifle, Shotgun and Metallic Cartridge Reloading Instructor
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KM6WLVComment
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Out of a 12 gauge almost any shot size works well at short yardage (say 5-7 yards) against man size targets. As long as the column doesn't spread much even relatively small shot has impressive performance.
Given the same yardage, being able to deliver 9 potential hits of .13 caliber 20gr projectiles accurately in a 410 would be enough to make me relatively confident in a self defense situation. ultimately it's a personal choice.Comment
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Me too. 12 gauge is overkill, which is why I like it

But if she can't handle 12 gauge, a 410 is a helluva lot better than a baseball,and I think would be enough.
Pooty Poot, you sure screwed the pooch this time! - Ghost of Roza Shanina, WWII Soviet SniperComment
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I think there is a serious lack of penetration with any buck shot smaller than #1.
I would choose .410 with OO or OOO buck over a 20 gauge with #2 or #3 buck or smaller. I’m not sure why 20 gauge buckshot is always #2-3 size.
.410 has less pellets for sure, but you want as much penetration as possible.
Birdshot will cause a serious wound, but it will likely no be incapacitating to the criminal and that means bad guy will have time to cause further harm.
Nice video @fivefeezy, Paul Harrell’s meat and fruit target is always interesting and good for a chuckle.Last edited by Elgatodeacero; 04-26-2020, 8:17 AM.Comment
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Yup +1 on that vid it should answer most of your questions.Here is the perfect video for you to watch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQD77feU-rYComment
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OP
If you want her to shoot well and safely handle a firearm to repel boarders at home you need to have her choose her weapon after trying out as many as possible. Don't fixate on the one caliber. Stay open minded on this.
Maybe think 9mm carbine/rifle? Lever action 38/357? M1 carbine? Something that's shootable.
Once that's done then buy your ammo. Great defense ammo can be had these days.Comment
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Poor advice all around.Gas operated 20 gauge with lead #4s and skeet barrel makes an instant marksman out of a woman in a hallway. If she push bottom feed lever just before encounter every bad guy in the world recognizes the sound ofa round being chambered. I bet even a deaf thug can sense that.Palestine is a fake country
No Mas Hamas
#BlackolivesmatterComment
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.410 likely wouldn't be my choice, but if it was, that looks like a great choice of ammo for SD. #4 buck would be the smallest shot I'd run for SD.
Must be a rather new development? I have the #00 version and it patterns much better than any other #00 in my Circuit Judge.Palestine is a fake country
No Mas Hamas
#BlackolivesmatterComment
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