A deep have a look at the .410 shotgun’s historical past, ballistics, and enduring attraction
This text initially appeared in the summertime 2025 problem of Mission Upland Journal.
I’ve a confession to make. The primary shotgun I ever used was a .410. My brother’s outdated New England Firearms single-shot bloodied my nostril on the younger age of six. It might sound just like the .410 and I acquired off on the mistaken foot, however we didn’t. I smiled and requested to shoot it once more.
That second completely summarizes my relationship with the .410—a novel second, a novel use—earlier than I graduated to the 20-gauge for the higher a part of my life.
Years later, a present introduced the .410 again into my life and pushed me to rethink its story, its mechanics, and its place within the higher shotgun panorama. The Spanish side-by-side was nothing fancy; it was from the times when, publish–World Battle II, Spanish gunmakers had a nasty status because of using poor metals. With it, I shot just a few woodcock and a single grouse—thoughts you, it had a full choke—nevertheless it did nothing to alter my opinion of the gauge. (For the sake of journalistic integrity, I’ll say that I’m dedicated to the 28-gauge, and if compelled to alter, I might return to the 20-gauge.)
That mentioned, the .410 is not any abnormal gauge—it’s an outlier by design. Even the best way it’s measured defies conference. In contrast to different shotgun sizes, the .410 is designated by caliber relatively than gauge. Though it’s generally known as a gauge, and I’ll discuss with it as such on this article, it roughly equates to a 67-gauge.
The .410 connotes a mixture of reputations and robust opinions. Like many shotgun gauges, it was formed by stigma earlier than being refined by trendy expertise. Sadly, producers have been gradual to use these developments to the .410, maybe prolonging its misunderstood standing.
On this article:
The Historical past of the .410
The Evolution of Shotshell Know-how and .410 Ballistics
.410 Bore Diameters
Forcing Cone Enhancements
Reputation of the .410
High quality .410 Shotguns On the Market
The Historical past of the .410
Whereas the .410 seems in lots of iconic books on shotguns, it usually receives solely a fleeting point out, sometimes confined to some paragraphs. Generally it’s accompanied by less-than-favorable opinions. Oftentimes, it’s overshadowed by prolonged discussions of extra fashionable gauges, even subgauges just like the 28-gauge.
Discovering proof of the .410 in England within the 1870s is simple. By the Twenties, the gun was relatively frequent. In the USA, particularly in New England’s “paht’idge” nation, there isn’t any scarcity of the New Hampshire–born Thompson/Heart Contender. The .45LC/.410GA model of this camp pot filler has been defying the physics of ruffed grouse on grime roads because the Nineteen Seventies. Honestly, I by no means thought a lot about its historical past. Extra lately, the Taurus Choose, launched in 2006, made an excellent larger splash. However these unusual trendy mixtures maintain attention-grabbing clues to how the .410 got here to be in the USA.
Jack O’Connor wrote in The Shotgun E-book, “The .410 is the direct descendant of the .44/40 rifle cartridge. At first the usual .44/40 case was used, bottleneck and all, and the shot was in a paper container. Then 2-inch straight brass circumstances have been used, then 2-inch paper circumstances, then 2½-inch circumstances. At one time the shell was generally known as the .44 XL. It was loaded with ⅜, then ½ ounce of shot in 2½-inch circumstances.”
In 2003’s American and British .410 Shotguns, creator Ronald S. Gabriel wrote, “Circumstantial proof for this lately surfaced in a doable Annie Oakley–pedigreed Harrington & Richardson smoothbore hammer gun marked ‘410-44 cal’ on a 26-inch barrel, made after 1900 and earlier than 1903.”
Regardless of its presence in early twentieth-century American manufacturing, the .410 was not initially taken severely. Writers like Charles Askins dismissed it as appropriate just for “ladies and kids,” unable to fathom its attraction to severe sportsmen.
America’s actual mark on the gauge got here in 1933, when Winchester launched the 3-inch .410 shotshell and the pump-action Mannequin 42. They produced 164,800 of them till discontinuing it in 1963. This development within the shotshell marked the primary actual step towards the .410’s future.
The Evolution of Shotshell Know-how and .410 Ballistics
Nonetheless, to grasp how the .410 advanced into the ballistic performer it’s at present, we have to look deeper into the science of shotshell development. Higher wad designs, buffered hundreds, and different enhancements helped cut back the .410’s shot deformation. Whereas tungsten pellets should not a very cost-effective materials for on a regular basis wingshooting, they contribute considerably to this gun’s efficiency. Barrel modifications and developments, comparable to longer forcing cones, would additional tackle shot deformation, which is the .410’s best problem.
The .410 suffers from a significant drawback in comparison with all different gauges: its shot column size. I first explored this matter years in the past when researching the 28-gauge. It has the whole lot to do with the length-to-diameter ratio.
The length-to-diameter ratio (L/D ratio) compares how tall the shot column is to the width of the bore. The taller and narrower the column, the more serious it performs. That’s as a result of extra pellets are pressed tightly collectively and make contact with the barrel partitions, inflicting them to flatten or scatter unpredictably as they exit the muzzle. Primarily, the smaller the gauge, the upper the L/D ratio, and the higher the possibility of shot deformities.
As an example how excessive this ratio will get, listed here are the shot column lengths for a 1-ounce load: the .410 stacks pellets 2.175 inches excessive, whereas the 12-gauge wants solely 0.69 inches. Which means the .410’s shot column is greater than thrice as tall. This results in extra pellet deformation and wider, much less predictable patterns.
In a managed sample take a look at, Federal Ammunition discovered that the 16-gauge put greater than 70 % of its pellets inside a 30-inch circle at a regular distance. In distinction, the .410 averaged simply 40 to 50 %. This take a look at highlights the problem of sustaining sample integrity with such a small bore and lengthy shot column.
The wad has been one of many largest components in enhancing the .410’s efficiency. Over the course of the 20 th century, many developments in wad design contributed to raised sample consistency. Trendy wad expertise reduces pellet friction in opposition to the barrel, offers a cushion to forestall deformation upon ignition, and even helps preserve sample integrity for longer distances. To assist decrease pellet injury, some trendy shells pack in buffering supplies, or plastic or polymer fillers nestled between the pellets to cushion affect.
Lead, notably earlier than shotshell design developments, was extremely prone to shot sample deformation, particularly when shot by .410s. This led to considerably inferior sample efficiency in comparison with different gauges. When ballisticians first studied using metal shot, they discovered shocking efficiency enhancements because of metal’s resistance to deformation. The well-known ballistician Ed Lowry wrote within the Eighties, after years of analysis into metal shot, that the true discovery was “not how properly metal pellets do, however, as a substitute, how badly lead pellets carry out.” This surprising discovering drove additional innovation in shotshell design, ultimately resulting in the introduction of different unhazardous supplies. Essentially the most related to this dialogue is Tungsten Tremendous Shot (TSS).
Whereas I definitely don’t discover it moral to shoot a turkey at 90 yards with a .410 (or any gauge, for that matter), you possibly can within the twenty-first century, because of TSS. This breakthrough is basically because of density, measured in grams per cubic centimeter (g/cc). Lead has a density of 11 g/cc, whereas tungsten measures 18 g/cc. This expertise permits for using smaller shot sizes (comparable to no. 9) whereas sustaining larger velocities and higher vary than bigger shot sizes in different supplies. As a result of no. 9 tungsten pellets are so small, extra of them can match into the .410 shot column, in the end matching and even exceeding the pellet rely of bigger gauges utilizing larger shot sizes and leads to larger sample density.
.410 Bore Diameters
Under are consultant muzzle/inside diameters rounded to a few decimals. Producers report both the ultimate ID or the constriction quantity (thousandths below bore). Nominal bores can fluctuate barely between weapons; values could differ throughout spec sheets.
Forcing Cone Enhancements
However enhancing pellet materials was solely a part of the equation. Simply as essential, and but usually missed, was how the barrel itself advanced, notably concerning forcing cones.
The forcing cone is the taper between the chamber and the bore of the barrel. It’s a form of funnel that guides the shot cost into the narrower tube. In older weapons, this transition was steep and abrupt, normally round half an inch lengthy, which prompted extra pellet deformation.
When gunsmiths and producers started lengthening forcing cones, they supplied a smoother transition for the shot cost. Whereas the idea existed as early because the late nineteenth century, its widespread use in manufacturing shotguns took for much longer, gaining traction within the mid-to-late twentieth century and turning into frequent within the Nineteen Nineties.
In my analysis, I discovered a 2010 paper titled “Forcing Cone Alteration and Its Impact on Shotgun Sample Efficiency” by Jim Eyster. He wrote, “If one is conscious of that junction between the chamber and the bore, [the data indicates] that one can enhance the variety of pellets delivered to the killing zone by 8 %.” Whereas this analysis primarily targeted on 12-gauge shotguns, the precept applies to all gauges, together with the .410.
In easy phrases, a brief forcing cone slams the shot cost into the barrel partitions, flattening pellets and widening your sample. An extended cone eases that transition, protecting pellets rounder and patterns tighter. Lengthening the forcing cone reduces each of those points and infrequently has the additional advantage of decreasing felt recoil because of a smoother transition. Nonetheless, forcing cone modifications alone don’t assure tighter patterns. Different components like choke choice and wad design additionally play vital roles.
Due to the .410’s area of interest attraction, improvements like lengthened forcing cones arrived later than in bigger gauges. Most didn’t seem in manufacturing unit fashions till the Nineteen Nineties. The idea behind longer forcing cones is much like that of contemporary shot wads, which assist protect pellet integrity. Simply as improved wads cut back deformation, a lengthened forcing cone permits for a smoother shot transition, main to raised patterns. Moreover, an extended forcing cone might help the wad preserve its structural integrity, additional enhancing shot column stability.
That is one thing to remember when searching for a .410. Whereas I might by no means discourage the acquisition of classic shotguns, not all older fashions essentially require forcing cone modifications. Some carry out properly of their unique state, and extreme alterations could affect collector worth. That mentioned, if the objective is to maximise efficiency with trendy ammunition, a gunsmith can consider the shotgun to find out whether or not lengthening the forcing cone could be helpful. They will additionally assess the gun’s capability to deal with trendy hundreds safely and supply suggestions for correct use and modifications.
Reputation of the .410
All of this results in an even bigger query: for all its quirks and challenges, why does the .410 endure? To reply that, we have to discover its cultural function and recognition by time.
“The classical double .410s—Parkers, Ithacas, and L.C. Smiths—made their look within the second half of the Twenties, a time of monetary prosperity and social license,” Gabriel wrote in American and British .410 Shotguns. “Within the speedy publish–World Battle II period, the .410 shotgun made up 6 % of annual gross sales of all shotguns in Nice Britain. The big majority have been single-barrel bolt-action weapons constructed by such corporations as B.S.A. and Webley & Scott.”
Again within the States, nearly each main gun producer was producing a .410 shotgun. In line with Gabriel, gross sales representatives from Winchester consider that 5 % of the shotguns they produced from 1936 to 1963 have been .410s.
The only-shot .410 has been a staple for a lot of youths rising up searching—similar to my brother’s New England Firearms .410 from again within the ’80s. I nonetheless have a adequate provide of .410 shells in my ammo secure. Thoughts you, they’re additionally all from the ’80s. As we speak, nevertheless, the relevance of the single-shot .410 is bringing these reasonably priced and extra-safe designs again to the youth of America, offering extra constructive experiences in efficiency.
In line with Looking Retailer, the overwhelming reputation of the Taurus Choose and Smith & Wesson Governor has led to elevated demand for .410 ammunition: “That broader demand for .410 ammo spilled again upstream to .410 shotguns, with each Remington and Mossberg seeing huge gross sales jumps from their small-bore shotguns once more.” As demand surged, producers responded: “Mossberg reportedly grew fashions out there in .410, spanning their 500 and 590 protection, youth, turkey, and upland recreation break-open fashions in response to rising .410 shotgun gross sales.”
Whereas I’ve little question that extra individuals are turkey searching with a .410 (seeing because it has solely been legalized with the introduction of TSS hundreds), its reputation within the wingshooting area is stagnant. In reality, there’s not a lot of an viewers excited to see the .410 seem in print. In Mission Upland’s 2024 North American Upland Looking Survey, solely 0.5 % of respondents chosen the .410 as their most popular gauge. Solely the 12-gauge decreased in reputation from 2023 to 2024, dropping from 34 % to twenty-eight %. In the meantime, each different gauge noticed an increase in reputation; the most important rise was with the 20-gauge, which elevated by three %.
The .410 has endured greater than a century of skepticism and evolution. Due to trendy shotshell expertise, it has carved out a long-lasting—if nonetheless unconventional—place within the shotgun world. Perhaps I’ll decide one up once more sometime if the precise one catches my eye. Nonetheless, I believe the one factor that would additional propel its mainstream reputation could be making TSS hundreds the identical value as bismuth. However maybe the destiny of the .410 is to stay an everlasting oddity beloved by few, misunderstood by many, however undeniably right here to remain.
High quality .410 Shotguns On the Market
The .410 shotgun has come a great distance from its early status as a novelty or youth gun. Trendy choices replicate a century of refinement, with producers producing dependable and well-crafted fashions that protect the gauge’s distinctive place in shotgun historical past.
Finest .410 Facet-by-Facet Shotgun: Upland Gun Firm’s RFM Venus
The Italian-built RFM Venus is a scaled-frame, round-body boxlock side-by-side crafted for the American wingshooter. It combines classical particulars comparable to hand engraving, hand checkering, and demi-bloc barrels with sensible options that embrace mounted chokes, double triggers, extractors, and an computerized security. Supplied in .410 in addition to 12, 16, 20, and 28, the Venus is gentle and chic, with typical .410 fashions weighing about 5.00 lbs.
Finest .410 Over/Below Shotgun: Beretta Silver Pigeon III
The Beretta 687 Silver Pigeon III in .410 is a chic over/below constructed on the confirmed 680 platform. It ships with a 28-inch barrel and a 3-inch chamber, and the .410 model makes use of Mobil Choke 50 mm tubes for dependable patterning. Steelium Optima Bore HP barrels, an 80 mm double forcing cone, and a 6×6 windowed rib assist the gun level naturally and ship constant patterns. The inventory is crafted from class 2.5 walnut with a shiny end and a pistol grip, and a 20 mm MicroCore recoil pad improves consolation on the shoulder. Finely detailed game-scene and floral engraving give the gun a basic look that fits each upland work and collectors.
Finest Entry-Degree .410 Shotgun: Weatherby Orion SXS
The Weatherby Orion SxS in .410 is an approachable, classic-styled side-by-side constructed to do double responsibility on birds and clays. It comes with 28″ barrels, a straight English inventory, and double triggers, all completed in matte blue with oil rubbed grade A walnut. The .410 model weighs about 6.1 kilos, has a 3″ chamber, and contains 5 Yildiz choke tubes from skeet to full for versatile patterning. Extractors preserve empty shells out of the sphere, and the inventory dimensions vary from a 13.75″ to 14.75″ size of pull with a 1.5″ drop on the comb and a 2.375″ drop on the heel. For a brand new purchaser, the Orion provides basic appears, wise options, and reliable efficiency at an entry stage value.
Finest Trendy Single Shot .410 Shotgun: Henry Single Shot Shotgun
The Henry Single Shot in .410 is a contemporary tackle a timeless design. It contains a polished brass receiver, American walnut inventory, and a 26-inch spherical blued metal barrel that makes it each good-looking and sensible within the area. The gun weighs about 6.7 kilos, chambers 3-inch shells, and makes use of Invector-style detachable chokes, delivery with a full choke included. In contrast to older single-shots, the Henry totally ejects shells on opening, making follow-up pictures faster. For hunters or new shooters who worth custom, reliability, and ease, the Henry Single Shot .410 provides a reliable companion backed by Henry’s lifetime assure.
Finest Classic Single Shot .410 Shotgun: Winchester’s Mannequin 37
Winchester’s Mannequin 37 is a straightforward, reliable single-shot that earned its place at household searching camps throughout the Despair and for many years after. Constructed round a break-action with a semi-hammerless model rebounding hammer and a dependable switch bar, it’s easy to function and secure to hold within the area. Thousands and thousands of examples have been produced, and the later Canadian-made 37A stored the design alive into the Nineteen Seventies with modest updates and the identical hardworking character. The gun feels full-sized and surprisingly smooth to shoot, which makes it a straightforward selection for brand spanking new shooters and kids who need a comfy first expertise. Gentle, reasonably priced, and low upkeep, the Mannequin 37 stays a sensible classic choice for hunters and collectors who worth usefulness over flash.
Finest Pump Motion .410 Shotgun: Mossberg 500
The Mossberg 500 in .410 is a rugged, no-nonsense pump shotgun. It pairs a stout 24 inch blued metal barrel and walnut furnishings with a corrosion resistant aluminum receiver and Mossberg’s confirmed twin motion bars for easy, dependable biking. The .410 mannequin ships with a set full choke and a 5+1 capability, and the ambidextrous tang security makes it fast and pure to function for left or proper handed shooters. At roughly 6.25 kilos and a road value round $450, it provides reliable efficiency, simple upkeep, and robust worth for hunters and shooters who need a easy, hard-working pump shotgun.
The publish The Outlier – Origins, Evolution, and Reputation of the .410 Shotgun appeared first on Mission Upland.
