Thread: Quality "everlasting" .410 shells

I shoot full choke in both barrels and run the Yanky custom tungsten stretch wads that hold a full 3/4oz within the wad, the trade off is the lack of wad cushioning so the lead pellets probably squash up and dont patern as well as what steel or toungsten would in the same wad.
I really only shoot #4 and #5 lead shot now as I like to shoot max range with the little .410 magnum.
My latest experiment with 1oz #5 shot loads and a felt wad in this brass are cranking out at 1100fps and patterning as good as the 3/4oz in the plastic wads. Noticeably more recoil but a lot more lead in the patern.

I was very impressed with the 11/16oz and 3/4oz hot loads I used this duck season and pulled out some really long shots on birds bugging out of the back side of the pond. The longest shots were easy 75 yds and it dropped them clean. I got a nice double when I took my boy out and jumped the pond one evening, one nice head and neck shot and the other in the rear as it was quartering away.. I was supprised to see how many pellets were on the bird at 75yds and how they all penetrated to the vitals.
Picked up a few bonus hares on the walk home too

Originally Posted by MSL

A pet stoat?


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OK so I can't tell the difference between a Stoat and a Ferret, Weasels etc. If a Ferret is stinky and bites, a stoat can only be worse.

I cleared my trap line before school one morning, and there was the biggest nastiest blonde ferret I had ever seen, in an old lanes ace trap. I dare not club him like I would a possum, as I feared his foot would break off and he’d have me by the throat. So I ran back home and grabbed the Brno mod 5, and ran back to dispatch it. My older sister came along, as she was excited about the prospect of tanning a lovely ferret skin. After about 20 mins of dry retching while trying to skin it, she gave up and had to have a bath to get the stink off. My father thought it was hilarious, as he had suggested it wasn’t such a good idea. The stink was something else, and was hard to get rid of.

Originally Posted by Wingman

Ive been testing some 1 oz loads in the .410 3" brass, so happened to have the little shotty handy when this little guy appeared this morning. I have chickens and ducks sitting on eggs so it was double satisfying to flatten the little shit.

Attachment 204196

Attachment 204197

If you could got more stoats, and make a soft tippet, I can help you to sell it for at least 1k dollars.

Originally Posted by Wingman

All steel. This one may be for sale in a couple of weeks if I manage to land the vintage s/s I'm chasing

@Wingman If you decide to sell it I may be interested depending on price, really looking for a sxs in 28ga but I dont have a 410 either

@Micky Duck
maaaaate ive just found this thread. What a following these guns have wow !

I've recently restored a 100+ year old .410 folding poachers gun. It is the lightweight model with the skeleton buttstock and half octagonal barrel. Ive been on the hunt for the side by side model of this gun for some time but still havent found one.




The bore is good but the firing pin was missing so I made a new one and repared/refinished the stock.



These guns were designed to fit under a trench coat and were availablein 2", 2.5", and 3" chambers. Unfortunatly this one is chambered in the now obsolete 2" which left me a couple of options. Rechamber it or make custom shells for it.

I carefully measured the chamber length and cut one of my 3" brass cases down to 2" to fit.
I also had a handfull of .444 marlin brass which fits perfect!



I spent days researching historic 2" .410 loads on the net and in old books but drew a blank on even starter loads. All I found was info from 1917 stating they used very light payloads with black powder. No mention of velocity but my guess is they were subsonic.
Historically the 2-inch .410-bore carried 3/10 ounce of shot, but later commercial cartridge makers such as Elley made 3/8 ounce in a 2" paper case.
That 3/8 ounce was also the original 2 1/2 inch paper case load.

I saw no reason not to try a 3/8oz load in my brass with H110 and a plastic wad with the petals cut back to suit.
Unfortunatly even after trying 3gr more than my 3" brass loads and a tight rammed nitro card I couldnt get them to propperly ignite. Just a small pop and the lead rolled out the bore with a lot of unburnt powder. Such a small amount of shot couldnt build enough pressure in the brass case loads with H110.
I decided to ditch the plastic wad for a couple of felt wads and up the lead load to a 1/2oz.

These worked a treat once I found the right load of H110 that gave me 1200fps and a nice tight patern with #5 shot.



There is actually room for more pellets so I might just fill the case to capacity and change the charge to suit.
It doesnt quite have the reach and payload of my other 3" through the full chokes but it's a fun little lightweight gun. I have some #9 lead shot to try in it that will be great on the stoats and rats.

are you glueing in the over shot wad...... that will help add a bit of pressure.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

are you glueing in the over shot wad...... that will help add a bit of pressure.

No I'm not, the clear vinyl I'm using as the over shot card is about 2mm thick and slightly rubbery so is very tight to get in place and once seated is much more robust than glued in cardboard.
A faster powder would have probably worked but it just made no sense to develop such a light load and then use up my precious pistol powders which are not replaceable at the moment.
The 2" case with felt wads can actually almost fit a 11/16 load so I'll likely just go that direction and forget about trying to use plastic wads in this one.

the win296 charge was/is the same for both the 1/2oz in 2 1/2 and 11/16th in 3" cases
the extra space is taken up by extra shot ....I have complete confidence you will work it out.

Originally Posted by GDMP

Eley still make the 2" .410 cartridge......

got a link?

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

the win296 charge was/is the same for both the 1/2oz in 2 1/2 and 11/16th in 3" cases
the extra space is taken up by extra shot ....I have complete confidence you will work it out.

Yes the powder charge weight is the same in most .410 loads, my brass works the same but needs about 3gr more than the book says for plastic hulls due to brass volume and large pistol primers instead of the lively 209s. Win 296 is the same powder as H110.

I have even managed to work out a full 1oz load in the 3" brass.

Is there any sense in cramming a light 12g load into a 410 case?
It can't pattern as well as a 20g or 12g 1oz load the shot column must be 50mm or more long?
Let alone firing it a small light gun,

Originally Posted by Peteforskeet

Is there any sense in cramming a light 12g load into a 410 case?
It can't pattern as well as a 20g or 12g 1oz load the shot column must be 50mm or more long?
Let alone firing it a small light gun,

I would argue yes there is.. the biggest advantage is the nasty 4 letter word... Lead

Youd be supprised what great patterns you can get from a 3/4oz or 1oz long column of #5 shot through a full choke at long ranges.
Recoil is a non event. No different to a 12ga trap load or 1oz 20g

I've just read this, great story , great work, pics etc.
I guess though, @Wingman, you'll be glad Micky didn't talk to you about the 800 nitro.