.410 cartridge advice

[dougall]

Ok bought godson a .410.he is small lad don't want to scare him.

which cartridges for smallest recoil?can see some 9 gram loads out there?

also for grown ups recreating their youth,what works for a roosting pigeon,when I was a lot smaller in short trousers had fourlong which were pretty rubbish,3 inch chamber so what of the modern stuff kills pigeons/rabbits at say 30 yards max?

[wildfowler.250]

For shooting birds, you won't go far wrong with 19 gram no. 7 in 3". Done pheasant, partridge and even a hare with that,(admittedly I gave the hare both barrels very quickly to play it safe). It works well though. I used express.

 

For shooting tin cans and stuff, you get some tiny shells. Maybe 2" at a guess?

[stubby]

I use 3" magnums, which will do a fox, so pigeons/rabbits no probs

[blackthorn]

the 9 year old Grandaughter was yousing 12 gram 7ns at the week end with no adverse efects

[beeredup]

my Nephew was busting clays sweetly with eley 12 gram 6's today with the Yildiz

[Andy H]

For the youngster try 2" cartridges and for other uses 2 1/2' or 3" 5's or 6's.

[aris]

I was thinking of getting a 410 or 28 bore for my kids to shoot with me. Is there much difference in recoil between those?

[kent]

I use 18grm Eley 3" fibre no6. Works great but range cannot be stretched to 30 yds in all honesty 25 is tops regards patterns with full choke. It kills well up to that range Hares are not a problem as long as they are within that crucial range window, it a good choice if you can get close enough.

I do feel a 28 is more capable and a 20 ga gas op might be better still if the kid can handle the heft, the .410 is just fine in capable and respect full hands but holds limited opportunities for good sport in the hands of a novice

[wildfowler.250]

Agree with the above. When I was wee, I was given a shot at clays with the 28 bore. I could actually hit things,(unlike with the .410).

 

I quickly switched to the 20 as soon as I could swing it properly. Only went back to the .410 at 16 when I wanted to make rough shooting a bit more interesting!

[BooBooEH]

I bought a 28 bore for the kids to use (both have started on clays).

 

However...

 

It's such a lovely cartridge to shoot that I have put both the 12 and 20 to the back and now thoroughly enjoy shooting the above. Made more enjoyable by the fact that I load these in a variety of configurations so I can make up some very pleasant shooting.

 

The kids occasionally get a look in!!!

 

Simon

[aris]

The 28 sounds more and more appealing :-) Are moderators available for 28 bores?

[Dangerous Brian]

The 18g Eley Extra Longs are OK but I can only get 5s or 6s around locally (Both Fourlong and Extralong). The best option is to load your own if you are limited to fibre wads. If not, then Fiocchi or Lyalvale et al may have something with a smaller shot size and I think Eley brought out a 14g shell with plastic wad and 7 1/2 shot for clays too. If you keep the range sensible (20-25yds is about all you will get reliably) then going to 7s or 7 1/2s (or 8s and 9s for clays) makes sense as it gets the pellet count up. I would normally go with 6s for pigeon (just my choice before we go down that debate) but with the .410 I treat it as a special case as the range is kept down. For rabbits I would still use 5s and 6s.

 

Recoil wise, even the magnum loads don't kick very much. The main thing, at the risk of being repetitive is keep the range down with the .410 otherwise it can put people off very quickly, either missing everything or even worse, having to chase wounded birds around to finish them off.

[njc110381]

There's little point pushing the merits of the 28 as the OP has already bought a .410, which I should add is just as good at sensible ranges.

 

I fully support Eley due to them being the only company that offers fibre wads. They do 9, 14 and 18g and to be honest none of them really kick that much. I would start with the 14's as they are good enough to kill but not at all punchy, then step up to 18's fairly quickly as they still don't kick much but perform better. The 9g are really not much use for anything other than plinking at tins or really close stuff like ratting in barns etc.

[wildfowler.250]

Having read the thread I realise how much I miss my .410 :( regret selling it now. Great wee 'caliber'

[dougall]

thanks all for recommendations, have just bought some eley 14 g 7.5s(trap)? & 18g 6s,off to have a play...

[Dangerous Brian]

Have fun with it. It's a great little calibre when used within it's limitations. Just watch out because things can get a bit competitive with it. I used to love a .410 challenge with my Dad. We would do a round with 12 bores then repeat it with the pop gun for a laugh. You had to be a bit quick on doubles with a bolt action Norica.

 

ATB

 

Brian

[dougall]

well, had a play, what a fun little gun it is. the 3inch magnum were noticeable recoil wise(gun weighs 3 lbs)!...the eley 14 g 7.5s throw great patterns and lovely to shoot...I would happily shoot sitters with it!...whilst certainly not a toy it is fun,it will not replace the bigger gauge stuff though for decoying/game etc......but for squirrels perfect!