Thread: 410 / effective or not ?

Anyone using a 410 on rabbits ? if so what kind of range are they good for and how effective do you find them. ?
I use a lovely Fabarm 12g semi but really hardy use it and wondered about getting something else with less $ invovled.

Ive got a single shot rossi, its ok on magpies to about 45 metres and excellent on rats at the dump but its much more expensive to feed than a 12 gauge so is going into the to sell at some stage pile.

While I don't own one myself I have used them on rabbits and found them a great wee weapon. They're a good starting point for young or light-framed people as they don't kick like a 12g, but as Marty said they're expensive to feed. Admittedly they don't reach out as far as the 12g but despite that you might be surprised just how effective they are.

Every gun has its purpose in life. If a .410 suits your purpose then it's going to be perfect.

ok having used one for best part of 30 years......
they are great to around the 25 yard mark.....YES they will stretch further but its up close that they excel.
you NEED to try out different loads and shot sizes to see what your gun likes as the .410s are fussy wee tarts.
a good starting point is Winchester 2 1/2" #4 and also the 3" version
whats the difference???? about 50% more shot in the 3" eg 1/2oz Vs 3/4 oz
the cheap loads are sometimes 3/16th oz so plurry useless that's not many pellets at all.
great gun for possums up trees.
between my son and myself we have taken just about every gamebird in the country with one over the years including black swan and Canada goose which isn't to say that's normal use for wee gun it isn't,just we had opportunity up close and took it.
they really shine when you reload for yourself, price is then very little as you aren't using much components per shot.
just about every book will tell you that you should be using #6 shot and every single gun we have used HATES it with a passion and produces horrible patchy patterns but makes great patterns with #4. yet the smaller sizes like #7/8/9 it again goes great and they work at the sub 25 yard range....perfect for headshooting woundie birds on the water (my son got so good at this I didn't even bother trying with .12ga as he could do job so much better)
loaded with mixture of shot works good but time consuming.
full choke is best in my opinion you either hit and kill or miss completely.
guys in stated are loading with heavy shot which brings it up to if not better than .12ga steel.....bugger its too expensive to bring in components.
perfect for rabbits in areas where ranges will be under 30 yards and it teaches you to get in as close as you can then 5 steps closer,perfect for young people .
feel free to PM me if anything else you need opinion on, the wee guns are great once you know whats what.

I find a suppressed .410 with subsonic 3" handloads a very handy tool. Full choke and tend to treat aiming it more like a rifle than a shotgun.

Don't think I would replace 12g with one but as a extra tool it's fantastic

I've been using a .410 I cut down for the kids to use. Today a magpie n plover, Friday a rat n mynah. I cut a bit of the end and made it more handier but now it's just a open cylinder so you have to choose your shots.


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tiroatedson if that's your usual sized quarry grab a box of clay type shells..... #8-9 will be ideal and fill out a pattern nicely.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

tiroatedson if that's your usual sized quarry grab a box of clay type shells..... #8-9 will be ideal and fill out a pattern nicely.

I'll try it on your recommendation Micky Duck....I tend to go for heavier ...just because. I'll let you know how I get on.


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If any one wants a reloader set up for a 410 I have one that you can have cheap.

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haha was waiting for @Micky Duck to chime in, pretty much nailed it gave me some great info on the wee .410 as well.

Used to have a single shot CBC many years ago, Would take it out night shooting from time to time using it on Rabbits, Possums and Wallabies. Worked well out to about 25 yards. My son used it in his younger days for Rabbits with great effect. I found the #4 shot 3 inch killed better on animals like wallabies and Possums, and #4and 6 worked ok on Rabbits.
From memory the 410 is travelling at around 1100 fps (3 inch) the only thing that limits it is the low pellet count compared to the bigger gauges. They are expensive to run though.