.410?

[Masterdebater]

found this nice little break 410 shotgun at the gun shop and was wondering how does a 410 compare with the 20g or even 12g if ur just shooting the ***** with buddies? (clays, targets, boxes)

[CSACANNONEER]

I like .410s but, they tend to "steam" shot instead of patterning it like other shotguns. Many less informed shooters tend to think of it as a beginner's gun when, in reality, it is more of an expert's gun.

[golfrj]

Experts Gun, leave it to the Expert, you will have a Lot More FUN with a 20 or 12 gauge, hit more stuff.... Targets, Birds, Frogs,etc....

[mjsweims]

A .410 is great for dog training when you don't want to kill a bird.
A .410 is great on the pheasant preserve where the birds are slow and you won't put many pellets in the meat.
A .410 is bad for your ego if you are shooting trap. Very few pellets.
A .410 is one of the worst possible guns to teach a youngster trap and gun handling because their chance of hitting something is so small - bad for confidence.
The cost of shells for a .410 is higher than 12 or 20 ga.
As CSACannoneer posted a .410 is an expert's gun.

[bohoki]

i think it is a useless gun

but still i have one

[tpuig]

I love the .410. But there are less pellets, so you have to be a better shot. The shells are among the most expensive, too. Whereas you can buy a whole case of 12ga at Wallyworld for around $20, a single box of .410 will run you about $10 or more in most places, if they carry it.

But you can shoot it all day and there are some nice classic break opens out there. You probably won't regret the purchase if you get a decent deal...

[sideshowhr]

first time i hunted dove was with a .410. got my limit in an hour

shameless bragging aside, it really is a difficult gun to shoot as i've seen a lot of people get severely discouraged from using one. not to mention the price of ammo.

if ur just shooting the ***** with buddies? (clays, targets, boxes)

stick to 12, 16, 20.

[westcoast362]

A top quality .410 pump is a very classy gun. The cost of ammo is a drawback.

[Sionadi]

When i was a kid my dad gave me a old break open single shot .410 and 10 shells, 15 if he was in a REALLY good mood to go dove hunting. I can tell you i got really good with that gun and I learned to make my shots count.

I almost always got my limit while my dad spent 2 or 3 boxes of 12 gauge and MAYBE get his limit, mostly not.

[Masterdebater]

wow... never would have thought of the things yall have posted... i think it was an old parner and was only like 180 bucks

[Saym14]

fun to have but get a 20.

[CSACANNONEER]

wow... never would have thought of the things yall have posted... i think it was an old parner and was only like 180 bucks

Too much! You can get a C&R single shot .410 for under $100 if you look around. The thing you need to watch for is the chambering. Try to get one that is chambered for 3" shells. My gramdpa's old Stevens is chambered for 2 1/2" shell only. So, I've simplified my life by only reloading (it's a lot cheaper to reload .410 than 12g) 2 1/2"s for all 5 of my .410s. Lucky for me that my 11-48 cycles 2 1/2"s without any problems. Don't be scared away from them. Just understand that they are what they are.

[bjl333]

Little break action 410s are cool if the choke isn't overly tight. Most single shot 410s are Mod or Full choked. The O/Us & SxSs are IC/Mod or Mod/Full. If is benificial to have choke tubes for obvious reasons.
If your confident level is good with a 12/20 ga shooting clays then a 410 will be a walk in the park. If otherwise then stay away from a 410, you'll loose confidence faster the a girl saying "Aww, That lil thing is soooo cute" when you get her in bed !!!

Good Luck !!