whatnickname
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I’ve always regretted not buying the Winchester 9410 when they came out. Today these things, if you can find one, are crazy expensive. I’ve watched the lever action Henry since they came out. Overall the reports have been favorable. The model I really wanted, 20” barrel with screw-in choke tubes, doesn’t exist. The model Henry makes with screw-in choke tubes comes with a 24” barrel and a bead front sight, like the old Marlin. The 20” gun is cylinder choke but appears much more popular. I suspect this popularity is due to those individuals that are using these for home defense with buck shot or any number of other defensive loads. While I think a shotgun is an excellent tool for defending life and limb, my preference runs along the line of tactical 12 gauge guns with extended magazine tubes and non-buffered 00 buckshot.
So, I did quite a bit of reading on the 410...actually a 67 gauge. Those folks with more experience than I have opined that the 410 is basically a 25 yard gun, 21 yards for the skeet shooting crowd, and that more open chokes, cylinder, skeet and improved cylinder, were more useful at the optimal range for the 410. I found that interesting, as the vast majority of 410 guns are full choke. To tell the truth, I never gave the matter that much thought, so I headed to the gun club with my H&R Charmer (full choke snake gun) and my Henry 410 20” to put those theories to the test using 2.5” Winchester AA shells with 1/2 oz. of #7.5 just to keep my comparison “apples to apples” on the steel patterning board. I found the results pretty revealing:
* At 40 yards the patterns get pretty spotty. There just isn’t enough shot, regardless of choke, to make hits much more than “iffy” at that distance.
* Moved up to 25 yards. While the full choke pattern was a bit tighter, the cylinder bore of the Henry delivered a nice pattern that was approximately 3” wider. In all honesty, anything I fired at with either gun would have sustained a lethal hit.
* Moved up to 20 yards with the Henry and fired another pattern. At 20 yards the Henry delivered a pattern identical to the H&R at 25 yards.
Before I went to the range, I was considering having screw-in chokes installed in the Henry. Don’t think so now. For what I intend to use the Henry for, small game and pests, the current configuration will do just fine. And the Henry itself? Well made with a buttery smooth action. Kind of sad in a way, but Henry makes a better Marlin than Marlin makes. Anyone out there ever had any experience with one of Henry’s single shot shotguns?
So, I did quite a bit of reading on the 410...actually a 67 gauge. Those folks with more experience than I have opined that the 410 is basically a 25 yard gun, 21 yards for the skeet shooting crowd, and that more open chokes, cylinder, skeet and improved cylinder, were more useful at the optimal range for the 410. I found that interesting, as the vast majority of 410 guns are full choke. To tell the truth, I never gave the matter that much thought, so I headed to the gun club with my H&R Charmer (full choke snake gun) and my Henry 410 20” to put those theories to the test using 2.5” Winchester AA shells with 1/2 oz. of #7.5 just to keep my comparison “apples to apples” on the steel patterning board. I found the results pretty revealing:
* At 40 yards the patterns get pretty spotty. There just isn’t enough shot, regardless of choke, to make hits much more than “iffy” at that distance.
* Moved up to 25 yards. While the full choke pattern was a bit tighter, the cylinder bore of the Henry delivered a nice pattern that was approximately 3” wider. In all honesty, anything I fired at with either gun would have sustained a lethal hit.
* Moved up to 20 yards with the Henry and fired another pattern. At 20 yards the Henry delivered a pattern identical to the H&R at 25 yards.
Before I went to the range, I was considering having screw-in chokes installed in the Henry. Don’t think so now. For what I intend to use the Henry for, small game and pests, the current configuration will do just fine. And the Henry itself? Well made with a buttery smooth action. Kind of sad in a way, but Henry makes a better Marlin than Marlin makes. Anyone out there ever had any experience with one of Henry’s single shot shotguns?
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