I know, I know, I should just kick myself in the azz for considering a shotgun conversion double vs. just buying one, but....

It seems a svelte little 410 sized frame rebarelled to make essentially a double rook rifle would be great fun, albeit very impracticle for hunting. That said, what centerfire rounds might be feasible? I could see a 357 magnum being a reasonble round for up to medium sized game, but I don't know how the backthrust from the smaller dia but higher pressure mag would compare to the 410. Perhaps a 32 H&R mag dropping down to a 30 cal, but then it would be more of a plinker and small game gun.

You could have it back-bored and rifled to take the .45 long Colt cowboy round. Same principle as "The Judge" .410/.45 LC revolver from Taurus. Like the Judge, you could still fire .410 ammo in it. Both rounds operate in the same pressure envelope.

I've got one just like you are talking about that John Maples built for me in .32-20. It looks great and is a hoot to shoot.

Paul, I recently had a set of 25-20 barrels made for my son's 410 as his first centerfire. I looked at it as a step up fron a 22WRM rather than a step down from a 30-30 class gun. 25 cal also let the barrels be reasonable thick while maintaining the same external contour as the shot tubes. It should be perfect for fox and rabbit, not to mention plinking, and still with zero recoil (75gn at +_2000fps).



Bob

TC loaded the 32-20 hot

and i would SERIOUSLY consider having brieley make you some rifled chokes and shoot 45/lc ..

you know me paul, it would be 45/LC, and wouldn't change the weight of the gun ...

if i was considering something else, 30/30, 7x57r, 30-40, 32-20...

most likely 32-20

Bob, who made the barrels for your son's rifle? Very nice!

Lee, Ellis Brown in CO made them. He's posted on this page recently about his services. They're a well made pair!

Bob

I had a little Manton & Co. double rifle made by Webley & Scott. It was chambered in .25-35 Win. It had been altered from .22 Winchester Center Fire (22WCF), a black powder cartridge that was a low pressure predecessor of the .22 Hornet. The rifle was a petite .410 size and very light. It recoiled considerably more than you would guess by looking at it and handling it. Sometimes the firing pins would fail to retract because the primers would flow into the firing pin holes making it difficult to open. I had it worked on, and it did improve opening somewhat, but the .25-35 simply produced more pressure than the gun was made to handle.

The .410 is a 13,500psi cartridge. Based on what I learned from the little Manton I suggest you stay with a very low pressure cartridge. Omnivorous_Bob had his barrels made up in .25-20, a very reasonable choice and a cartridge that most ammo makers load to approximate the original 20,000psi black powder load. I think the .32-20 would be better suited for your project than the .32 H&R Mag. The .357 Mag is loaded to 35,000psi but the .38 Special is a 17,000psi cartridge. Of the low pressure cartridges mentioned, I would not be surprised to learn the .38 Special produces the best accuracy in a rifle.

the little 25-20 was once a superb small game round, in fact an old man who lived with us had one and he used to slay deer with it in the hill country in the 30's and 40's. My Marlin 1894 is very accurate in 38 spec, and I've knocked off a few turkeys with it here on the river.
My .02
Eterry

I have a S&W "K" frame chambered in 25/20 WCF,



It's been a great small game getter...