Apr 28, 2023 4 min read

I’m no band leader but sometimes I take requests.

Previously, I asked my readers for topics they’d like to hear about. My friend and former high school teacher, Tom Willis, immediately urged me to do a piece on the .410 shotgun. Tom has had a love affair with an old bolt-action .410 since childhood. He’s not even sure what the make and model of the shotgun was, but after a little investigative work, I believe he might have been shooting a Mossberg or a Stevens, but that is just a guess.

Like so many of us, Tom’s situation arose out of necessity. Being the youngest of several siblings, Tom began using an old .410 bolt-action shotgun in the 1960s because other family members were carrying the more modern, more preferable shotguns and rifles his family owned. Tom grew to love the little shotgun. Over the years, he recalls shooting a number of squirrels and rabbits and the occasional pheasant with it but confesses that he was never able to harvest a deer with that cherished relic.

The .410 has an unusual beginning. While most shotguns are designated by gauge, for example 12 gauge, 16 gauge, 20 gauge, 28 gauge, etc., the .410 is designated by caliber. The reason for doing so remains unclear. For those unfamiliar with this type of nomenclature, I will clarify. Rifling or a twisted groove is cut into the inside of the barrel of a weapon leaving the lands, the raised area, and the groove, the recessed area. Think of a candy cane twist. Bullet contact with the lands or rifling causes the bullet to spin (like a football spiral), thus stabilizing the flight of the projectile like a gyroscope. Caliber is the inside diameter of a rifle or pistol barrel, measuring from land to land. Caliber is expressed in tenths and hundredths of an inch; for example, a .22 caliber rifle has a bore diameter of 22/100 inch. It can also be given in metric terms such as 5.56 mm.

As for most shotguns, also known as smooth bores, gauge is determined by the number of lead balls of the same diameter as the bore that can be produced from one pound of lead. For example, a 12 gauge would make 12, equal-sized balls from one pound of lead. Thus, the 12 balls would be capable of fitting inside the 12 gauge barrel. The .410 shotgun, although a smoothbore, is not expressed as a gauge but rather in caliber, the only popular shotgun to do so.

Being both utilitarian and affordable, these guns could be found behind the kitchen doors of homes and farms all across America. As time progressed, more efficient actions, calibers, gauges, and tooling processes made the pursuit of streamlined weaponry possible for the American sportsman. Why choose a single shot .410 when one could acquire a side-by-side or repeating 12 gauge for the same money? Alas, these little gems show up at flea markets and garage sales or the occasional estate sale with limited takers. They occupy a niche marketplace in an otherwise cult following of outdated hunting weapons. Still, they provide serviceable use for those who choose to haul these relics from the back of the gun safe and take them afield. They have become the darlings of those of us from bygone eras.

While the .410 is the smallest of the practical shotgun family it is certainly good medicine on small game. For decades the .410 has been used as a starter gun for kids because of its low recoil. There are, however, better options with which to introduce new shooters.

The .410 does not have the best patterning qualities, leaving some holes in shot patterns. Also, smaller payload can translate to fewer pellets striking the target. The 28 and 20 gauges have a more robust pellet count without the recoil of a 12 or 16 bore. This is not to say that properly patterned, the .410 is not a formative game getter. It most certainly can be. I am seeing a resurgence of the .410 in any number of circles. Turkey hunters looking for a challenge have returned to their roots and adopted the “little man” as the newest vehicle for gobblers. Choosing a single-barrel shotgun topped with a red dot sight and stoked with the new Federal Premium TSS tungsten loads for their turkey pursuits, they are experiencing excellent results.

My friend Mario consistently takes wood ducks with his lovely little side by side. More than a few rabbit enthusiasts take on bunny chores with a .410, embracing the challenge of bringing down game with a sub gauge.

Whatever your reasons for reaching for the .410, rest assured that its place in hunting lore as well as in the hearts of nostalgics like us is secure for the indefinite future.