Hushpower - .410 or 20 bore

[jimcorbett]

I'm thinking about getting a Hushpower for controlling vermin where noise is an issue. I would be interested to hear other's experiences of the Hushpower shotguns and whether .410 or 20 bore is the way to go in terms of noise levels etc. 

[moondoggy]

I have a Baikal .410 and it’s very quiet, especially with the Eley Fourlong cartridges. It’s not that much noisier with the longer, heavier cartridges.

I may be selling mine soon as I don’t shoot much any more

[bunny_blaster]

I’ve had 12, 20 and 410. The 12 and the 410 were pump action and the 20 a O/U. The pumps are horrible things to use although some people have great success with them. My preference is the 20g o/u. It shoots like a normal o/u and the cartridge choice is far better than the 410 and hardly much difference in noise

[oowee]

I have a 20g o/u as my go to gun when hide shooting with my spaniel. It's simply brilliant. It takes some getting used to and is far from a nice gun, but when you get used to it its superb. Almost airgun quiet you can hear the pellets hit the target and use it without ear protection. 

[jimcorbett]

Thanks for all replies which have given me useful information to consider 👍 

[Ultrastu]

The are  some things to consider .

How quiet you want to be .what your effective range is going to be,  how long and  muzzle heavy the gun is going to feel .  How well it will handle different cartridges. 

First off .the .410 has the potential  to MUCH quieter than a 20 b . Simple physics  generally  your going to firing much less lead needing less powder through a smaller muzzle hole ,so that's going to be easier to quieten down the crack .obviously  cartridge choice makes a diffence .going  for a big load will usually be noiser than a smaller load .

When you put a heavy  mod on a gun it gets longer  and heavier at the muzzle .throwing off the guns balance .making it slower to move in the shoulder .this can be an advantage  sometimes but not usually .a .410 hushpower  is definitely  better handling than a 20 b .

If your hushpower has ported barrels  .mossberg 500 and baikal .

These Rob the power from your cartridge reducing the effective range of the gun compared to a non ported barrel .so you then have to step up to larger loads to get the effective  range up which increases cost recoil and noise .

A non ported hushpower  will have the same effective  range as a regular non hushpower gun in that caliber .though you will sacrifice some quietness of course  .

Hushpower mods coke up with plenty of use  its very hard to remove the coke and  nigh on impossible with an integrated mod as opposed  to a removable  one  .as they coke up they get significantly  heavier  and less effective  at reducing noise  .

I've had 4 hushpowers

a baikal. 410 Not great  under powered 

A mossberg 500 20 b -  good but heavy and clunky 

I still own -

Mossberg 500 .410 with add on mod 

Love it almost perfect my most used shot gun by miles 

Sa. Armsan 20b with add on mod 

Very effective  on pige and crows .not as quiet as the 410 .but don't need ears  and reduces sound enough so as not to disturb locals .

 

 

 

To add .I barely use my non modded shotguns in the field .the hushpowers are just nicer to use .

[sam triple]

Just picked a 20 bore Mossberg zHushpower pump up hopefully try it out today, feels heavy and clanks about like a 5 bar gate closing , few places I shoot are noise sensitive so it’s a must , check out you tube channel , Field sports with speed , in the latest one he gives a run down on his 410 pump 

[jimcorbett]

Thanks to all - very interesting to hear your views and experiences 

[steve_b_wales]

I've got a Baikal Hushpower in .410. I started by using Eley subsonic cartridges and was impressed. I also tried magnum cartridges and found that there was very little difference in sound output. 

[jimcorbett]

Thanks for the information 👍 

[sam triple]

Well was out with mine when you remember it’s not a semi auto you’ll be fine , 

[Spower]

I really like shooting my .410 mossberg hushpower. Takes some getting use to but once you do it's a very capable gun, definitely plenty more capable past my skill level. I shoot my 14g subsonic homeloads through it and it's great not having to wear ear protection, although there isn't too much noticeable noise difference between my subsonic and 3inch homeloads 👍

Father in law has the 20b version, whilst I've never shot it, it feels a fair bit chunkier than the .410 to swing around. Like Sam says they aren't exactly refined but it's part of the charm. 

Try get both in your hands and see which you prefer 👍

[sam triple]

One just come up in for sale section

[jimcorbett]

Thanks for all the info.