.410 handguns for pests?

[mr.trooper]

Ever since the Taurus judge came out we have hashed and re-hashed the effectiveness of a .410 revolver for self defense.

This is NOT one of those threads.

I'm interested in a .410 / 45 handgun for varmints and pests. In your opinion, would such a handgun be capable of making kills on pests out to 15 or 20 yards? Specifically, will it kill a musk rat at 15 yards with a 3" load of #6?

I'm not looking at a judge specifically, but rather at the SGS Comanche, for use as a beater gun for popping agricultural pests.

 

[kd7nqb]

I have always thought .410 would be a hell of pest load. Of course now I have to blame you because I googled SGS since I was unaware of what they were and now there are MORE guns that I want.

 

[PT1911]

I personally have not had experience shooting the judge, however I know a man who carries on fishing in the case of snakes. while out fishing he noticed a rather large snake coming out of the grass about 20 feet away... pulled out the judge, took one shot, no more snake. I do not condone the useless killing of a snake that is not a threat, but I think this answers the question well..

also, for other uses, I think people seriously underestimate the ballistic capabilities of a 410 round...

personally I would carry 4-10 buck shot and maybe a couple of .45 colts in my pocket as well...

 

[bedwards1]

SGS Comanche I can't speak for but the Judge, handily.

be

 

[Dimis]

i own a 3 inch chambered judge and it does just fine on snakes other than that we really dont get many other pests here so i couldnt tell ya
i usualy get a bit closer than 15 yards somewhere in the neigborhood of 7-10 yards and it blows em apart with 7 1/2 shot

 

[mr.trooper]

snakes shouldn't be a problem at all, but we mainly shoot musk rats. They are everywhere, and their tunnels are collapsing fields along the irrigation ditches. They need to be shot.

but they are fast critters. Rifles do the trick but you have to be fast on the draw and hit a moving target. A pistol is much lighter to carry and i figured the shot would make the job of hitting a bit easier.

 

[chris in va]

Might be cheaper just to get one of these...

 

[mgkdrgn]

I'm interested in a .410 / 45 handgun for varmints and pests. In your opinion, would such a handgun be capable of making kills on pests out to 15 or 20 yards? Specifically, will it kill a musk rat at 15 yards with a 3" load of #6?

I own a Judge.

At 15 yards the shot pattern out of -any- pistol is going to be pretty big, and hence have some substantial gaps in due to the short barrel. A human size target at that range is one thing, a musk rat is a whole nuther kettle of fish.

How many pellet hits do you figure you need to off a musk rat?

 

[wrs840]

I carry a Judge around the farm on my hip all the time, especially in the woods, with two #6 or #4 shells loaded for shooting poisonous snakes (from ten feet or so), 45LC in the other three in case something else may surprise me up close. There's extra ammo on the seat of the pasture truck in a coffee can. (There's a 30-30 on the rack in there too)... (And, BTW, I've had no function problems with any Taurus revolver I've ever owned... stiff hammers compared to a S&W maybe, other than that, no complaints).

Les

 

[TAB]

I really doubt you would get a decent pattern at 15 yds. Spining shot makes the pattern open up big time. A single shot 410 would be a much better option. Infact I think it might even be lighter.

 

[gbran]

Dad's got a Judge. I found it to work best at less than 20 feet.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I can make accurate hits out to at least 30 feet with this little double using a 2.5" .410 shotshell, further with 3" shells. (but they hurt!)

 

[claiborne]

Bond Arms Snake slayer

Bond Arms Snake Slayer

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

Because the shot column (such as it is) spins, I would expect a big "doughnut hole" in the pattern at 15 yards.

 

[Pyzon]

Mr. Trooper-

I'll let you know as soon as I give the rats a try, as I saw one on the bank just today.

Get the magnum model (3" chamber) and your chances will be 30% better automatically.

Based on what I have shot with #6 3" shells so far I think the Judge at 7-10 yards will be perfect for rat patrol.

Buy one I say.

 

[MCgunner]

The Judge doesn't have the pattern to kill at 15 feet, let alone 15 yards. My Contender has taken running rabbits to 20 yards, birds on the wing, a squirrel at 25 yards, and a few clay pigeons. It has a screw on choke which also stops the spin from the rifling, that and the barrel is 10" long. It's a fun gun outdoors. The Judge is a better defensive weapon, of course. But, then, I can put the .30-30 barrel on and shoot 3" groups at 200 yards. You can get a Contender for about what you'll pay for a Judge, I mean, if it's for outdoor use, pests, game. The Contender is my favorite hunting handgun and a lot of fun with the .410/.45 Colt barrel.

 

[rcmodel]

I totally agree that no rifled bore shot-load is going to have a tight enough pattern to kill muskrats at 15 yards, except by the occasional single "golden pellet" hitting it.

The old T/C Contender choke system MCgunner just posted about is the only one I know of that will.

But a Judge certainly will not.

rc