Learning to shoot the .410

[Bill Murphy]

I probably only own about a dozen or two .410s if you don't count Model 42s. The 42s bring the total up to 50 or more. If I had to give up all but one or two shotguns, the ones I would keep would be .410s. Both of my PW 800B .410 loaders are broken, but I am not out of shells yet. I am tempted to put the .410 dies back in my PW 375, a most reliable loader. I bought my 375 the first week they were available, but converted it to 16 gauge a few decades ago. The only .410s I can recall selling are a high condition L.C. Smith and a nice donut post vent rib Model 42 skeet, both sold to friends who pressured me to sell them.

[todd allen]

Here is a pretty good video of some Master Class .410 shooting, if you can get past the British accents, and the obvious plug for the Rizzini .410.
The take-away here for me is the gentle minimalistic movement of the older gentleman.
Also loved the Spaniel, who accompanied the shooters.
https://youtu.be/wVnLIINOxn4

[BRDHNTR]

welcome to my world

[Bill Murphy]

Turn off the audio and you can enjoy these videos. Two societies divided by a common language.

[todd allen]

They say look for a sign. Got out of the shower, and my pants spoke to me.
Of course I had to swivel my silver buckle into the shot
20231019_175106.jpg

[Cold Spring]

Originally Posted by CraigThompson

I’ve never had one of the Browning 725 32” 410’s in my hands but if the same thing in a 28 gauge is any indication I wouldn’t be adverse to a 32” 725 410 .

A friend has a Browning 725 Sporting in 410/32" and it works well for him but looks a bit ungainly to my eyes. Based on that perception I bought a 725 Sporting in 410/30". I also shoot Winchester Model 42's and with the longer sighting plane to include the 42 receiver a 26" barrel sights like a 29", 28" barrel like a 31". Protocol for me: use the 725 until the hulls are just about kaput for reloading and then shuck them through one of the 42's.

[Stan Hillis]

Originally Posted by todd allen

They say look for a sign. Got out of the shower, and my pants spoke to me.
Of course I had to swivel my silver buckle into the shot
Attachment 119933

Very fitting that the 410 jeans are "athletic slim". What brand, Todd?

[todd allen]

They say "Lucky Brand", which is funny because my Internet handle is Luckydog.

[Bill Murphy]

Todd, the minimalist movements are probably the result of untreated torn rotator cuff. I know from experience.

[todd allen]

When I was growing my game in the target world, I learned a lot from the older guys in the game. Steve Carmichael, Earl Scripture, Dan Bonillas, etc.
Steve C. told me that the more gun movement you made, the more chance you had of missing the target.
The challenge with the "little guns" for me has always been slowing the 12 ga target gun muscle memory input that gets applied to the little gun.
I like to start the dove season here with something different like the .410, or in this year's case, a somewhat diminutive Parker 16 hammer gun.
I started the dove season with 4 misses in a row with the 16.
The bore size is less of an issue than the weight and dynamics of the "little guns", and is something I sometimes struggle with.
I started my target shooting career with a Model 12 30" vent rib trap gun, that I also used on ducks.
As a kid, I shot that gun quite well! Then a svelte little 6 lb 20 ga SxS came into my life, and a light bulb came on. Less input, more game birds in the bag.
Then a Nitro Express .410 dropped into my collection, and later a beautiful little NID .410.
The need for a light touch and minimalist input really came into focus with the .410s.