hunting with a .410 shotgun

[Mac33Florida]

As a teenager in the 80's I had an old single shoot .410 with a riffled barrel and I/we use to smoke WT deer up to 200 lb all day long with them out to 75 yards, I want to say we used 1/4oz 3” mag., but I really cant remember. Round placement was always the key but that gun was flat shooting and the round would pass through most times. The framers that owned the land would not let us hunt with a rifle and back then 12 gages just did not shoot straight, well the ones we could afford anyways could not; back then $300-$400 for a deer slayer barrel was just too much money and still is…
I hunt in Florida now and have been using a 30/30 but the land I am hunt on is going to Shoot Gun only so I had to change my hunting gear in a matter of days…Gun safe had no 12 gage slugs only had 20 gage and 410 slugs so I headed out with them,,, 20 gage was shooting low and taking a few shoots on a phone book the 410 was the only thing shooting straight and I watched my buddy a few days before take a 115lbs sow with it at 22 yards using 5 shoot BB with 3 of them passing through the ribs. So down the road I went with ¼ oz slug and 5 shoot BB and a stock Mossberg 500- .410.
First night out got a 165lbs sow at 20 yards the slugs passed through her and she ran right at me I hit her back in the rib cage blew out one lung as she ran past me at 10 yards I hit her in the head with the BB she drop and it was all over.
Next morning got a 110lb bore at 25 yards 1/4oz slug hit its left should plate went through both lungs and out the right lower should blade he dropped 15 yards away.
Got out of the stand and taking a photo of a hog on the ground a 135lb bore walked right up next to me…buy the time I got the 410 up he was 15 yards away, he stopped and turned to look at me… put a 1/4 oz through his left should blade the round went downwards when it hit him through his heart out his ribs and through his right forearm, he drop got ran two feet and dropped again it was all over.
It was a good two days.. But the 3rd hog made me think about the round, I have never had a round bounce off a hog but I have head it has happen and this slug hit his plate and almost took a left hand turn downwards.. so I went back the phone book I was shooting the night before and notice the .410 slug did not pass through it but instead about ½ way through took a right and went out the side of it…So that what brings me to here to read up on stories and try to get some facts about the round. I have never had 2nd thought about the round because it has always worked for me as a kid but now after reading everything I can I am rethinking my what is best...for large hogs, but for Florida Deer I will not think twice about using a 410 out to 70 yards.
Thanks,
Mike C.

 

[AK_Maine_iac]

I never ask all the deer i killed back in the late 50's and early 60's with my Savage 410/22LR over under. They did not like that 410 with slugs as long as the shots where under 50 yards.

 

[heeler]

Although I would not care to deer hunt with a 410 I did come across a Japanese fellow on You Tube by the name of Virtuovice that hunts Sika deer in Japan and because of the weird gun laws there he has a modified Winchester model 70 that was made for Sabot slugs in 410.
Guy is kind of hard to understand as his English(Japlish really)is not so good.
Some of you will get a crank on with the amount of meat he wastes but that's there and not here so I can get past that part myself.
He also gives some knife reviews as he skins the deer he shoots with that weird Winchester.
Oh yea,it's a single shot as I guess the powers that be dictate this as well less he goes off and wipes an entire city out with a standard five shot bolt action rifle...Sigh...

 

[30.06]

A bullet from a .45 Colt measures .454 .
The Bore on a .410 Shotgun measures .410 .
Figure in the Full choke which most of them carry and your down to .389 .

Now if you want to attempt shoving , at high pressure , a .454 solid lead slug down a .389 tube of relatively thin steel , just do it far , far away from me and any of my friends . Figure about three counties away , as I don't want to have to deal with increased Ambulance traffic on the road . Thank You .

 

[Art Eatman]

Ehhh, folks maybe have got it figured out by now. Six years oughta be long enough.