Henry AXE 410 - Home defense??

triplebike

triplebike

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I'm intriged by this firearm from Henry. I would think it would make a pretty decent home defense, especially in tight quarters. But is a 410 cartridge enought?

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www.henryusa.com

Axe .410 | Henry Repeating Arms

Not all firearms need to fit neatly into categories like hunting, home protection, or good ol’ backyard plinking. Simply being fun to pull out of the scabbard and shoot again and again should be a category all its own. For those that join us in considering this an important category, the Lever...
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You could do worse for HD, but could do better also I think.

410 slug or buckshot will be plenty strong at the distance in your home. Birdshot is less than ideal. Some like #4's for HD.
If you load it right and do your part with those 5rds it will work.

I really like a light on HD things so I can confirm my target, so I would get the one in your pic with the rail if sold on the idea.

I would be more concerned about being able to get the correct ammo for it for HD and getting enough 410 in general to get good with it. If you have that nailed down, and are sold on the idea, then go for it.
 
.410 as a home defense round? Never. Doesn't matter if its from a Taurus Judge, a Mossberg 500 or the Henry Axe.

The Judge at least allows a faster rate of fire and could be loaded with .45 Colt.....much better stopper than a .410 slug would ever dream of being.
The Axe is the worst of both worlds for a defensive firearm, bigger than a handgun, requires two hands to operate, yet no shoulder stock.....and an anemic .410
 
dogtown tom said:
.410 as a home defense round? Never. Doesn't matter if its from a Taurus Judge, a Mossberg 500 or the Henry Axe.

The Judge at least allows a faster rate of fire and could be loaded with .45 Colt.....much better stopper than a .410 slug would ever dream of being.
The Axe is the worst of both worlds for a defensive firearm, bigger than a handgun, requires two hands to operate, yet no shoulder stock.....and an anemic .410
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That's why I stick with my .22 shorts....... :eek: 😚
 
I’ve patterned some 410 buck shot and the Federal 2.5” and 3” 000 practically groups at 20 yards. I think it’s adequate for home defense. The problem is finding the 2.5” in stock at a quantity where you can get enough to test reliability and learn the gun. Other brands of 410 buck have been disappointing. The Axe definitely has a cool factor though.
 
There are no doubt better choices and for me I would rather have a stock on it but I would be happy with 410 slugs or buck shot from a carbine length or longer barrel for self defense. Either are significantly better than a sharp stick. If you're going to go with slugs take a serious look at Brenneke 410 slugs. They are one of the heavier commercial 410 slugs available, hard cast, and good velocity. In my 24-inch" Winchester 9410 I am getting 2000 fps. That is, with the 114gr slug a touch over 1000 ft-lbs of muzzle energy. I have taken deer with my Winchester 9410 and push comes to shove would be fine with using it defensively with slugs or buckshot.
 
I view stockless lever shotguns and rifles as a novelty. Nothing wrong with that - some people like to have fun with their guns, buy guns primarily for their aesthetic, etc. (such as the Mare's Leg - someday could be cool to have to feel like Josh Randall in Wanted: Dead of Alive).

But 'cool' factor being one thing, function is another (ESPECIALLY for a weapon with the primary purpose of defending life against deathly force).

Can it work? Sure. A .22 LR can work. But it's not close to the best for that intended purpose. As others have mentioned, there are many guns at or below this price point that are significantly more effective for HD.


Add to that - the lever action should be worked with intention for reliable chambering. On a lever carbine/rifle, contact with the stock on the shoulder/arm is useful for leverage when working the action, keeping the barrel relatively on-target for fast follow-ups. Running a stockless lever like this means your only hold on the gun when running the lever is your forward hand on the grip. Not great to only have one point of contact (okay, the hand in the lever is there, but it's not 'holding') when working a manual action on a two-handed HD weapon.


Edit: For curiosity's sake, I pulled out my .357 R92 16" lever rifle and tried running the action without making contact with the stock. Significantly more difficult - much more so than I anticipated. Need heavy, steady pressure on the holding grip to work the lever and keep the muzzle from dancing all over the place. Not something I'd want to do under duress.
 
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goon said:
I’ve patterned some 410 buck shot and the Federal 2.5” and 3” 000 practically groups at 20 yards. I think it’s adequate for home defense.
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While group size and pattern have some importance, penetration and energy will win every time.

My Bug-A-Salt makes beautiful patterns on aluminum foil at ten feet. Doesn't mean it will stop a wasp at six. Ask me how I know.
 
P5 Guy said:
Load your own with split lead fishing weights crimped on a length of brass wire, .410 grape shot. Would that be a problem.
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If homemade grape shot in a 12gauge worked, LE would have been using it fifty years ago. They didn't.
Its back page Soldier of Fortune magazine novelty ammo, along with "Dragons Breath" and "Fang Face" pistol rounds.
 
Nothing like a good old High Road forum thread to bring one back down to earth (LOL). I appreciate all the informative comments. I would love to have a double barrel coach gun through.
 
There's a 410 and a 22LR Mares Leg at the LGS that are always giving me the hairy eyeball... Not for HD but both would be fun. Wonder about a holster? ;-)
 
triplebike said:
Nothing like a good old High Road forum thread to bring one back down to earth (LOL). I appreciate all the informative comments. I would love to have a double barrel coach gun through.
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You could get a Stoeger or Heritage's new Badlander 12 gauge SxS. Then you could spend $14 for three Bolo rounds but only if it's not banned in your state.........

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I have a 410 that I use to shoot gophers when one is brave enough to clean out his burrow in the day light hours. There is a lot of differnce between a man and a gopher but I certainly wouldn't want to be shot with one at house hold distances. All the 410's I have seen have all had ful choke barrels and the shot is still one tight clump at that distance. Even shooting gophers at 15-20 yards you have to aim like it's rifle to make your shot. It probably wont kill a man DRT but it is going to give them a world of hurt. All this said it will still be my last ditch choice if I ever have someone break into my home. I have seen mine yank a gopher out of his hole and throw him 2 feet away so it isn't just a popgun and that is using #8 shot.
 
Well, the 410 bucks will have plenty of power and penetration. It has it from a smith and Wesson governor, so the longer barrel would only help matters.

Federal is the best but it's unobtainable, I haven't found any since maybe 2018?

Critical defense 410 is everywhere here. The 41 cal jhp would probably expand given the axes longer barrel, with two more 36 cal balls to boot.

So yeah, I think it would work against intruders but it would be an oddball choice and practice would be extremely expensive yet even more necessary than more traditional choices ( 12 g shotgun, 9mm pistol, 38 revolver etc).

Working a lever gun for follow up shots takes some body mechanics, and minus a stock, that's a while other ball game.
 
doubleh said:
I have a 410 that I use to shoot gophers when one is brave enough to clean out his burrow in the day light hours. There is a lot of differnce between a man and a gopher but I certainly wouldn't want to be shot with one at house hold distances. All the 410's I have seen have all had ful choke barrels and the shot is still one tight clump at that distance. Even shooting gophers at 15-20 yards you have to aim like it's rifle to make your shot. It probably wont kill a man DRT but it is going to give them a world of hurt. All this said it will still be my last ditch choice if I ever have someone break into my home. I have seen mine yank a gopher out of his hole and throw him 2 feet away so it isn't just a popgun and that is using #8 shot.
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The Federal 000 loads I like were designed for the Judge type revolvers and listed at 775 fps, but I think from a revolver length barrel. Not sure what they are doing from a shotgun barrel. Gel tests have the pellets penetrating 15” to 16” in bare gel, a little less if passing through a couple layers of denim first. I think they would be effective for home defense because it’s still half a 12 gauge buck shot load at indoor distances. And obviously they should be fine for rural pest control. I wouldn’t choose my single shot 410 for home defense, but the loads would be adequate. Ballistically they are almost a burst of 32 ACP.
 
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