The 410 Bore

[Victor Wasylyna]

Why the never ending interest in 410 bore shotguns? I am referring to high-end 410s, not the children's variety. To me, the gun is fit for nothing more than hunting field mice and garter snakes. I understand they are rare, relatively speaking, but it seems the rarity is driven by lack of utility. I am not trying ruffle feathers. Enlighten me.

-Victor

[Bill Murphy]

Do you have one to sell?

[Victor Wasylyna]

Do you have one to sell?

No, never had any interest. However, after reading these pages for the past year, I have an irrational urge to buy one.

[Russ Jackson]

I wouldn't exactly say " Fit for Nothing ":rotf:

[Dean Romig]

In the right hands a Parker .410 is a rare and dandy little bird gun.... as Russ has shown us.






.

[Russ Jackson]

I love carrying the " Little Gun " I use it mostly for Woodcock ,and my Hunting Buddy and I do one Game Preserve shoot each season with our 410's and shoot Pheasant ,Hence the Photos !!!!!!!!!!! I have used it for Grouse on occasion but the heavy cover concerns me at times in case I would trip etc. ,I would be beside myself to fall and break the stock or worse !

[King Brown]

The commonalty of putting them in the wrong hands concerns me.

[Mark Landskov]

I have taken my fair share of grouse with my .410s.

[Jerry Harlow]

While I don't have a Parker in .410, in the right situation it is right at home for game. A few years back I took my .410 over-under skeet gun on three different dove hunts, on opening day and once in the freezing cold when the birds were much tougher. Each time I killed my limit of doves in far less than a box of shells, shooting only 2 1/2 inch # 8s. It was hard to miss as I was shooting doves at thirty yards or less over decoys. And the three inch shell contains only 1/16 of an ounce less shot than the 28 gauge. On rabbits in front of beagles in the thickets its just the thing there also.

A locally famous bird dog trainer, now passed on, told me his good friend who hunted over his dogs for years, left his .410 Parker with him and told him to use it. He used nothing else for years over his well trained dogs. Then his friend died and the son, knowing where it was, came and retrieved it from him, which he knew was not his friend's intention. He would have used it until he died.

[Bill Jolliff]

I, along with my brother Tom also using a .410 side by side with our English Springer Spanials, have succeeded in shooting many daily limits of 6 cottontail rabbits each on his place near Cape Vincent NY where Lake Ontario becomes the St. Lawrence River.

Using my Ithaca Lefever .410 s x s, my choice of 1/2 ounce of number 4's in the right Modified barrel and 3/4 or 11/16 ounce of #4's in the left Full choke barrel was a great combination. The number 4's getting thru thicker brush and reaching out a little further. I was especially rewarded with my Springer Ted who not only flushed the bunnies but was equally useful in retreiving them back to me, in some cases, rabbits were still alive.

Shot good numbers of grouse with the gun also.

Sadly my brother Tom and my Springer Teddy are gone but definitely not forgotten. Made me feel good talking about them. Cheers to those delightful days.

[David Noble]

Here is a very poor quality picture taken at dusk with cell phone last years dove season. The doves weren't to plentiful but a big jack popped up at 30 yards and the 3" #7 1/2 's bowled him over. These west Texas jacks are nearly as big as my VH 410!

[Brian Dudley]

Apart from the hunting side of things, the collector interest and prices are driven by rarity. As with anything else that is collected.

[John Truitt]

some refer to the 410 as the "idiot stick".

I was never interested and never had a desire to own or shoot one until a few years ago I shot my first 410 Parker and fell in love.

I really enjoy shooting subgauges. Entering subgauge events is a lot of fun and an enjoyable challenge for me. At this time in my life the 410 is my favorite of all the subgauges to shoot. The gun I am using continues to impress me what 1/2 oz of shot can do on sporting clays targets/ etc.

There are many in the target/ sporting clays world who focus on nothing but small bores and they can dominate events. Obviously it is a personal choice. Some love them some love to hate them and some just hate them.

Shoot what you want and enjoy.

[todd allen]

Like many, my first gun was a .410. This could be what starts the trip down the rabbit hole, but as long as you know its limitations, and have some reasonable shotgun skills, the .410 can be one of the most fun guns to shoot.
These days I kick myself, when I think of the .410 Parkers I could have picked up, for what now seems like chump-change. Though I can't afford a Parker in .410, I have a lot of fun every dove season with my little Ithaca Lefever.
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a19/luckydogx2/.410%20Doves_zps6xj4hq7w.jpg[/url]

[Dave Noreen]

They are tiny, they are cute, they are scarce. What more could a collector want? I love breaking clay with .410-bores (a Model 42 got me started at that) but I've finished off enough birds wounded by friends with .410-bores to know that I won't hunt with one.

[charlie cleveland]

wish i could afford a parker 410 so i did the next possible thing got me a stevens 311 410 my dad killed a lot of pheasants with the 410 in wisconsin..i use mine to squirl hunt with sometimes..charlie

[Bill Kekatos]

Not to get away from the topic, but if you had to choose between a 28 Ga and a 410 Ga, which one would you choose?
BillK

[Russ Jackson]

Just my opinion Bill ,but I would think most would take their 28's , I hunt Grouse ,Pheasant and Woodcock regularly with the 28 Gauge and they are killing guns indeed !!!!! As stated earlier ,If you are hunting tight sitting ,Pointed Birds and are hunting in a more controlled environment " Game Preserve Shooting " the 410 is a nice and fun gun but I don't believe it is intended for long range wild Roosters ! Again ,just my opinion !

[Christian Gish]

I like to shoot skeet with my 410 Rem 870. The targets cost the same whether broken or missed. Fred

[David Noble]

Todd, your Ithaca is a very attractive gun! Is that the original wood or has it been upgraded?

[todd allen]

I've used the. 410 on game farm birds, and doves, but beyond that I go to the bigger bores.20, 16, or 12.
The. 410 will get it done out to 25 yds or so, but we owe it to our quarry to use the appropriate gun/load for the job.
That said, if you have the finances, and some shooting skills, the. 410 is a seriously fun little gun.

[todd allen]

Todd, your Ithaca is a very attractive gun! Is that the original wood or has it been upgraded?
Thanks, David. It started out as a pawn shop acquisition, and morphed into a project.
I wrote about it a while back, here;
http://parkerguns.org/forums/showthread.php?t=17346

[Michael Murphy]

.410's are a blast at skeet and in skilled hands, with appropriate chokes, they work fine for Quail, Dove, Woodcock and Ruffed Grouse. Watch a .410 event at Skeet and you'll see a lot of "Smoke" as the targets are hit. At those close distances the .410 is plenty of gun for the birds mentioned above. Beyond 30 yards, not so much!

[George Davis]

I grew-up on a farm in central Illinois and the Savage 24 with .22 over 410 was the perfect squirrel and rabbit gun. Killed the animal and left plenty of meat for the dinner table. On the farm if you needed to kill skunk, raccoon, snake etc.. in those days the 410 was cost effective and a lower risk to injure livestock. Today I rarely put the 410 tubes in my Superposed and shoot skeet as I really enjoy shooting the .28 gauge. But when I visit family in Illinois and squirrel hunt it seems like the Savage 24 always comes out of the vault.

[James L. Martin]

I have killed many Pheasants with a 410 ,used Browning o/u, Win 42, Rizzini o/u and a LC Smith. It's really fun to shoot skeet with one. When it comes to wild birds I"ll use one on Woodcock but not Grouse. A Parker is on my wish list but we all know what they go for, so it will most likely stay on a wish list.

[Russ Jackson]

That's a Pretty Little Elsie !!!!!!!!!!

[Phil Yearout]

Mine's far from a Parker, but it's a hoot to shoot nonetheless! Targets only for me, however; no wild birds...

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w109/prairieschooner/Hunting/Picture010.jpg

[Dave Noreen]

Nice little J. Stevens No. 530. Darn few around with that much condition.

[chuck brunner]

My buddy Russ knows a thing or three about the "paakah" 410.... from the little dusty plant in meriden......Killer gun Russ. Glad she is still in the right hands....great photos my friend

[Russ Jackson]

Well Hello Chuck ,Good to hear from you , glad you like the gun ,she still looks "Pretty Good " I think ! How have you been , that was quite a day when I bought her my wife and I had quite a ride home ,she never got to say a word I don't think I talked about anything but the Little Gun for days !!!!!!!!!:rotf:

[chuck brunner]

Russ
I am good and we married well as we both know...:)
I have missed my friends and the old guns that we love..... Glad to see that a few of us... uh umm ... are still carrying the flag.... lets get together......best 410 in the country.... you own!

[chuck brunner]

Traci and I are back and locating a couple of great guns ....... I am excited to get involved again. Look forward.

[Daryl Corona]

Good to hear from you again Chuck. Miss seeing you and Traci at our get togethers. Hope you both have a great Holiday season.

[chuck brunner]

Darryl
Good to hear from you....just spoke with rich......lets get together..... Miss you guys..... great guns and great times. Labs and pointers!

[chuck brunner]

Traci says hello by the way.....
Merry Christmas my friend

[Eric Eis]

Traci says hello by the way.....
Merry Christmas my friend

Chuck, I'm glad you finally surfaced, I was getting worried about you two ! Hope all is well give me a call sometime have a great Holiday. Eric

[Bill Murphy]

Linda and I wish Traci and Chuck a Merry Pointer Christmas.

[Bruce Day]

Xxx

[edgarspencer]

:shock:

[Dean Romig]

I know the first two Bruce, but the one on the right is one I haven't seen.






.

[Rich Anderson]

I love my 410. I started shooting registered skeet with a solid rib M42 Winchester then went to a Beretta 687 EELL tube set. When I practiced I almost always used the 410.

A few years ago I found a CSM Fox FE 410 through a friend here. It's a great gun and a constant companion to Gunner's gun on my trips south for Quail.

If you haven't tried one don't knock it. There not for everyone but they are a lot of fun.

[Kevin McCormack]

Traci and I are back and locating a couple of great guns ....... I am excited to get involved again. Look forward.

Back from where? Where have you two been?? Haven't seen either one of you since the non-held Second Annual West VA Side by Side and Other Over-The-Top Incredibly Valuable Double Gun Expo!!! LOTS of explaining to do!

Glad to see you have rejoined the fray - I was afraid you'd gotten hosed down by an elephant trunk concrete mixer filling a foundation somewhere and been entombed. (PS - Now that I know that you're OK, don't forget to call me immediately when you find that 32" barrel 20 ga. straight gripped Sterlinworth). Merry Christmas!!

[Bruce Day]

Quality PH .410 and wild Kansas pheasant.

Wait for the right shot.

[chuck brunner]

A WV shoot ......... Hmmm
What do you think boys!

Merry Christmas Bill Eric Bruce Russ Kevin Uncle Rich Darryl and all.

[Daryl Corona]

A WV shoot ......... Hmmm
What do you think boys!

Merry Christmas Bill Eric Bruce Russ Kevin Uncle Rich Darryl and all.

Go for it Chuck. Same to you and yours.

[chuck brunner]

As Bill said
A pointer christmas to all....:shock:
The teacup setters are tough to train........thank god for traci the trainer
51808

[Kenny Graft]

Parker reproduction DHE double triggers PG-three barrel set 410-28-28 Its my go to little gun!
P.A. Doodle shot with the 28ga. 26" Q1/Q2
I have hunted rabbits with 410 and have been very happy with the gunning, but Wild birds are not on the list....
One day I might get a Parker Brothers 410....(-: I will give it a good home! SXS Ohio

[chuck brunner]

Hey kevin
Took a little time off to recover from the concrete accident but happy to say we finally have a safety officer overseeing the company.......51809

[Eric Eis]

A WV shoot ......... Hmmm
What do you think boys!

Merry Christmas Bill Eric Bruce Russ Kevin Uncle Rich Darryl and all.

Best wishes to the two of you... Have a great holiday.

ps. Give me a call if you have a chance. Eric

[chuck brunner]

E
great to hear from you as well.....I will call in a bit......Merry Christmas

[Jim Thynne]

I have used a 410 to shoot pigeons off feed lots for years. I have mad many 40 yard shots with clean kills. The 28, 20 or 12 shoot no farther, and aren't nearly as much fun. Comparing to automobiles. The 410 is the Ferrari of shot shells, why use an old pickup when the little 410 is so much fun.

[Michael Murphy]

JIM, The .410 is great, but the "Ferrari of shotshells"? Maybe the 'Triumph Sprite" would fit better as a moniker.

[Jim Thynne]

The Triumph sprite is a good comparison, but when you have clean kills, the Ferrari comes to mind..... every time!

[Paul Ehlers]

I've had the great pleasure of watching Jim swat many a pigeon & dove over the last few years.

I can attest to his skills with a shotgun & wouldn't doubt for a second what he claims about the .410 in his hands. Jim is the real deal as a shotgun shootist !!!

[Jim Thynne]

Thank you Paul,
I was thinking about Argentina again this morning while listening to Christmas Carols. I am exited about the Las Vegas Show, and will have a table there. Recently bought a round body Rizzini, the older hand engraved model in 28 ga with 30" bbls. I am thinking this is the medicine for those grey creatures that are indeed trying to bankrupt farming in Argentina. DeOra and I are fine, and hoping that rascal Jim would come this way with his lovely bride so we could share a cigar and a brandy and lie about how well we shoot.

[Daryl Corona]

I've had the great pleasure of watching Jim swat many a pigeon & dove over the last few years.

I can attest to his skills with a shotgun & wouldn't doubt for a second what he claims about the .410 in his hands. Jim is the real deal as a shotgun shootist !!!

Jim,
I don't doubt Paul's assessment of your shooting skills. Please bring your talent to bear against the Fox boys in the next PFC event. Merry Christmas.

[Paul Ehlers]

Jim,

I've been thinking of you and DeOra as well lately.

I had my composed pair of Rizzini's out the safe the other day & thought about how we need to get another Argentina trip scheduled. I know Dr. Tom will be up for it! It's just too bad .410 ammunition is so costly down there. It would be great fun watching you put on a shooting exposition pounding spotted wing pigeons with the .410

[edgarspencer]

JIM, The .410 is great, but the "Ferrari of shotshells"? Maybe the 'Triumph Sprite" would fit better as a moniker.

Do you mean Austin Healey Sprite? Triumph made the Spitfire.

[Jim Thynne]

MERRY CHRISTMAS:
to any Parker person that reads this. It is my hope that I will meet each and every one of you at one time in my life. And at my age I had better get started. I don't know how to do it but I got a dove double with a Parker 410, as well as pigeons. I was hoping to do a double on pheasants, but that would be impossible, or I would have to shoot planted birds............not my style!

[John Cinkoske]

Todd, Was the original Ithaca Lefever stock full length? I have one that's been cut down on one...