I hate to disagree with a mod, but .410 from a shotgun barrel has muzzle energy on par with a .41 magnum. More than a .357 revolver.
Plenty of power for HD. I think Lehigh Defense has .410 loads with .375" diameter lead round balls.
.357 is great, but a .410 shotgun at close range is VERY deadly.
The 5 pellet buckshot loads will put 5 000 pellets into a bad guy.
My wife has the Mossberg HS410 and she loves it.
Myself, well, my thumbs are too thick to load it quickly.
That's why I have a 590. I pray we never need either.
Even though the 18.5" barrel may have less energy than a longer barrel, you're still looking at good .357 energy with a heavier payload.
I don't think any bad guys would notice that they weren't shot with a 12 gauge.
They'd be too busy being dead.
.410 doesn't get treated with the respect it deserves.
My only problem with one is the fact that it doesn't pattern as well as a 32, 28, 20, 16, or 12 gauge, but that's purely a function of shot column length vs diameter.
That's only an issue when hunting or shooting clay pigeons.
Inside a house, it's a non-issue.
I don't use the Winchester PDX loads in my wife's Mossy.
I haven't heard anything to recommend me changing from buckshot.
With all due respect to the mod. I respectfully disagree.