Bear Cat , some years back there was a gun show at Hunter Mountain . There was a fine 4 barrel .410 with a weight and balance of a 12 Gage ! Italian made ! That would be panache ! Once in a while something of interest happens here in the Catskills !
Sadly it was very poorly advertised.

I started out hunting bunnies, in my case snowshoe hare, with a 12ga Remington 870. I eventually transitioned to a 16ga 870, followed by an 870 in .410ga. Then I inherited a Fox SXS .410 from an uncle and never looked back. #5 or # 6 high brass 3" shells of my own make. Choked full and modified, with double triggers, the Fox fits like a glove.

I gave up the 12 and 16 because it was too easy to harvest bunnies, even in thick cover. The. 410 adds an extra measure of difficulty and the little Fox is a joy to shoot.

While comparatively light, like others, I wouldn't recommend it to new or youth shooters. A semi-auto 20 gauge with recoil dampening system or quality butt pad would be my only choice.

Awesome thread - would love to see more photos of the .410s.

James - what about your Beretta ?

Hellerwithagun - the Fox ?

I haven't shot a .410 in many years, and I never could shoot one very well of blue quail and dove at the ranch so used a 20 or 12 mostly..

I did however do very well with the .410 on cotton tails, as they squatted and the shots were always close.

I love a .410s feel and the way it points, just never have shot a shotgun enough to get that good..but as I age and the mountains get higher and the big game animals get smarter I may practice up and get me a cute little sexy .410.

But maybe a 28 sounds better..

Always had good luck with 3" #6 for rabbits and squirrel. I didn't like how #4 would drag hair into the meat. That. 410 was a great gun to hunt with as a kid. So,we're all big kids right?

One thing for sure you can make book on is that 99% of Texas kids who lived out of town, grew up shooting a single shot cheap 410, and a mod. 94 Win. 30-30 along with a Win. or Rem. 22 LR of some model.

I was born a gun nut, so I had a Win. 63 22 auto, still have it, a Win. 94 in 25-35, still have it, and a 20 ga Diamond Arms single shot and still have it, but have not shot it in 50 years.

I just acquired a matched set of Remington 1100's. There is a sporting .410, a sporting 28 and a sporting 20. They were basically new. I brought all 3 for $1,500.

I shot a box of shells through the .410 at quail. Works very well.

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:
I just acquired a matched set of Remington 1100's. There is a sporting .410, a sporting 28 and a sporting 20. They were basically new. I brought all 3 for $1,500.

I shot a box of shells through the .410 at quail. Works very well.

You stepped in chit there -- nice set !!

Im still a 28 ga. fan for quail in central and east texas..I like a 20 I West Texas..

Today I shoot my 12 ga simson double for pheasant and everything else in Idaho. I have an 870 Wingmaster with a rib and its like new and its for sale as I never shoot it, and Im not much into shotguns. so one shotgun is enough for me..Mostly I shoot Flickers eating my house..

Back when I had one, it was #6 Lead for everything including ducks.
Rabbits were easy to take down so the higher shot count is what I went for.

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:
I just acquired a matched set of Remington 1100's. There is a sporting .410, a sporting 28 and a sporting 20. They were basically new. I brought all 3 for $1,500.

I shot a box of shells through the .410 at quail. Works very well.

That's quite find Larry,,have fun!

Just today added he holy grail of 410s to my accumulation, a 1950 Winchester 42 field grade 28" full in 99.9% condition. It will reside in a sock in my safe. I have others to do the heavy lifting, a Remington 870 express, a CZ upland SXS, a couple of Savage 24s and some single shots, a Mossberg bolt with screw on choke. Picked up a MEC 600 loader in 410 to feed this hungry bunch.

I started my hunting career using a bolt action .410 on rabbits.

I was 14 and swore by 3" number 6 shot.

BH63

I have Savage 24s and a Mossberg, all 20s. Life will be incomplete if I don't sometime get a 410 and a 25-20.
I wonder whether there's a 410-gauge Model 24 with a thick enough rifle barrel to rebore to 25-20...

quote:

Originally posted by Bill/Oregon:
Anyone hunt rabbits and hares with a .410? What is your favorite shell?

Snowshoe Hares & stupid chickens(spruce grouse)
get 7&1/2's or 8's of what ever brand/length is cheapest (like there are cheap .410 shells any more)

quote:

Originally posted by Safari James:
My daughter with a few rabbits and squirrels she took with her .410 side-by-side.

Absolutely lovely photo. I wish more kids had the outdoor experience. Congratulations on raising you daughter right!
When I was a kid I had a bolt action Savage .410 for the same critters.

Cal

Les, a Model 42 is the holy grail indeed. Congratulations.

The only place's I ever got serious about rabbit's was Western Montana and Alaska. Lot's of rabbits in those place's, at least that I knew how to find. In those days all I used was an Anchutz 22 mag. These days if I got going again, I've got a nice little AyA Matador in 410 I'd use. Have quite a bit of ammo I got when I got the gun, both 2 1'2" and 3" stuff in both 7 1/2 and 6's. I have used it now and then fooling with my bird dogs and shooting pigeons, super little gun! Gonna get a press one of these days and start shooting it morThinking about it, I'd probably use the #6 shot, 1'2 oz load. I have this thing about shotguns. I like target loads loaded with larger shot. Not that a 410 recoils that much but with 1/2 load it barely recoils at all!

Bill/Oregon, thanks. haven't shot It yet. Ran a couple shells thru the mag to check for function only. Seems to be ready to go. Meanwhile a JC Higgens 101.7 311A in 410 showed up on my doorstep, a delightful little SXS double with bright unworn case color frame. Seeing a few ruffed grouse on the back roads now.

We had a triefalon (SP?) last year, trap shoot, team roping, and golf..I had not shot a shotgun for a number of years, but I won the trap shoot with two perfect scores with my Browning 12, got a fast time in the roping but missed my 3rd steer, and screwed up my golf game like you cannot imagine, it went to hell in a basket!! I was surprised with my shotgunning..I wish Idaho still had the great pheasant hunting it used to have..

When we first did this thread I had a different shotgun, an older double, but about a year age I ran into a superposed Browning 12 ga. and now its my only shotgun, it seems to work on every thing quite well so Ill go with that, but I still think about a nice clean double in 28 ga. guess it looks and feels like a double rifle and brings back a lot of memories..