Is it Smart to Hunt Deer With a .410 Shotgun?
- Thread starter Mjr14
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brant89
Well-Known Member
My little sister killed several deer with a .410 and they all died just like any other shotgun kill. I think the farthest was an 8pt at about 75 yards. It's pretty comparable to a .357 magnum. I would prefer a 44 mag but a .410 will still do the job.
Mostly Tailfeathers
Well-Known Member
NO
With a slug?
D
Deleted member 115360
Guest
When I was a kid in rural TN, most of the kids I knew started with them. They killed plenty of deer. I started with a 20ga shotgun with slugs. It wouldn't be in my first 50 choices, but it will get the job done. These days I have a 300bo ruger American compact with a 16" barrel shooting subsonic 208gr bullets that I let my nephews and neices shoot deer with until they can handle something bigger. No recoil, no muzzle blast, and it kills deer just fine out to 100y..
8x68s
Well-Known Member
sheesh, as an early teenage hunter in NJ, we were only allowed 00 buckshot. Dad suggested to be within 50 yards so I never got close enough. We had some dandy bucks in the neighborhood despite the fact the woodlots were not much bigger than 5-8 acres in central Jersey. Glad to have moved away from that part of the country!
Black Hat
Well-Known Member
I wouldn't take a .410 shotgun deer hunting, but I would shoot a deer with one if the conditions where right.
clock
Member
Yep, I agree!
westernmontanahunter
Well-Known Member
Check your state laws I think a couple states have a minimum gauge rule that would disqualify a 410 from big game not 100% on that though.
Marlin makes a 410 gauge lever action, takes the 2.5" Winchester 410 Super-X rifled slugs will drop a Whitetail buck with a heart shot. Have an 8-point on wall also taken with a scoped Remington 870 Express 410 gauge. Brenneke in Germany makes a 410 gauge 3" version with a 1/4 ounce slug if you have a 3" chamber, yep they work, great kids starter rig.
Purely your opinion, Folks have been using them for decades with great success,
Yep! You know how Dirty Harry feels about opinions.
Rick Richard
Well-Known Member
That would not be a choice for me. As the old argument goes about a 22 LR being able to kill a deer and that would be IF the conditions were JUST right then yes. However, how many people would hunt with that size caliber day in and day out? I would think most sane and ethical hunters would not. Just my opinion.
When Indiana was Slug gun only the 410 slug was prohibited because it was considered to closely resemble a rifle cartridge
