Use for lever action .410 shotguns?

[Mike Armstrong]

Anybody here have one of the Winchester or Marlin lever action .410 shotguns that were offered for a while? Do you use it? What for? Loads and results?

I love and use .410s but could never quite get off the dime and get one of these levers. Am I missing anything?

[Streetstar]

I cant say your missing much from a practical standpoint --- but they are a hoot to shoot

Fun to shoot clays with, garden pests - basically anything you would otherwise use a 410 for (not much for me -- but I shoot a friends whenever I can--- promised myself I would get one when a Winchester came along at an attractive price, but hasn't happened yet - I may break down and buy a MArlin though. It does the same for hundreds less

To me, they belong in the same category as Ranch Hands, takedown .22's, and black rifles -- novelty guns that I can find a place in the safe for if I stretch my reasoning a bit

[soon 2 retire]

I have a friend who uses his for rabbit hunting with beagles. Shots are usually close range and he likes the fact that he can carry a whole box of shells in one pocket easily.


Bob in Friday Harbor

[Old Ironsights]

I had a Winchester for a while, and now I have the Rossi RioGrande 410.

While the Rossi is certainly "rougher" than the Win (see my "album" on Photobucket RE: NIB Rossi .410 & required Out of box tweaks), it's about 1/2 the money. It also has a Modified choke rather than Cylinder.

I've not run a Marlin, but always thought they were cool. (Why not a smoothbore .444 with screw-in rifled choke? Gun would then shoot all .410 (except slug) & .444...)

I agree that they are largely "toys" with limited practical value, BUT they give me the opportunity to maintain action proficiency while shooting game in times & places where rifled guns are verboten My local F&W area).

Plus, if you load up a tube of buckshot &/or slugs it can do pretty well in the short range defensive realm too... (which would get your attention more, a typical .410 "shotgun" or a gun that looks an awful lot like a 444 from the front end?)

I do wish they were availabe in 3" though... and it would be greate to scale one up to 20ga, but there we are.

[DPris]

Wife has the Winchester, with the stock suitably cut back to fit her.
We use it for propping up a wall in the vault.
She hasn't fired it in years, but refuses to let it go.
Denis

[SargeMarlin]

I've had one that I've shot pretty consistently for about 5 years mostly for funning around on the skeet field. I have taken a quail or two and a couple of rooster pheasants with it, but both birds are hard to find in my neck of the woods nowadays. They are just a lot of fun to shoot.

I will admit that I wish I could find someone to put choke tubes in it though, but the two guys that I have talked to told me to go buy a real bird gun (I won't say who they are but they specialize in guns other than fun guns). Also admit that you have to load for them as it doesn't take long to have 100 to 150 rounds of fun and that's not cheap if you aren't loading them yourself.

SM

[hfcable]

i have the marlin 410, the original from back in the 1920s.....is much lighter weight and better balanced, being fitted with a real shotgun-like barrel.

i use it a lot. carry it for grouse, which around here, just sit and wait to be shot, so dont need a bigger gauge. i like the weight and speed, and do just like the looks and feel as well.

i have other 410s but this is my favorite.

[Old Ironsights]

Went woods-walking today. For a while I thought the only thing going to get eaten was me.

I had FOUR really great shots at big bodied does ... from less than 35 yds to 75 yds, but I didn't have enough gun or tag (aim, squeeze trigger on lowered hammer... dangit... ). (Though 2 of them I could have taken even with the .410 with slugs. They were that close and only walking away. They were ALL .357 Whompum deer, and with my .308 the two trotting across the mowed field @ 150 would have been toast too.)

But on my way back to the truck while being chased by the mosquitoes that forgot to die during the freeze I spooked a cottontail out of the snarl I was walking past and rolled him at about 30yds.





Not much there, but he'll do for dinner.

[hfcable]

dang! nice, you are having fun. i have got to get out more !

[2ndovc]

I've had a Win. 9410 and a Rossi Rio Grande. the Winchester was one of the early ones w/o the choke tubes. Both worked as they should have, the only complaint that I have is that the loading gate on the Rossi was REALLY stiff and
made the gun "not so much fun". The Winchester was perfect! Another one in the "should have kept it category"

jb

[Old Ironsights]

MMmmmmm

Saute'ing on medium in Butter & Olive Oil, and lightly breaded in Spiced Jiffy Cornmeal Muffin mix...





Wife's out of town until late... I'm cooking for ME!

[barbarossa]

I have one and it is one of my favourite bunny guns

[jeepnik]

They'd make a dandy replacement for the "Perfect Jeep Gun" if someone made it in a take down version.

But, the real purpose is FUN. Heck ain't that what all firearms are for?

[Old Ironsights]

They'd make a dandy replacement for the "Perfect Jeep Gun" if someone made it in a take down version.

But, the real purpose is FUN. Heck ain't that what all firearms are for?

Like I said... .444/.410 with screw-in chokes. Take Down. Perfect Zombie/Jeep/"one" gun...

If I had the resources & tooling...

I'd be looking for a .444 TD with a bent barrel, and making noises to one of the Barrel Companies to make me a .4291 smoothbore barrel throated to take .444s or .410s.

Then the Quest for a Choke Maker would be on...

[hfcable]

I had a model 94 big bore, custom in 458x 2" , that was made up by john traister. it was threaded on the end of barrel to take a Thompson Center external choke, from the 45/410 pistol. i made up shot loads that worked quite well. when the 450 marlin came out, we rechambered it and it worked great in that caliber. a local attorney friend now has it, and it is his single favorite firearm of all.

i never tried 410 shells in it, dont know if they would fit, i would think not.

[AJMD429]

I'd be looking for a .444 TD with a bent barrel, and making noises to one of the Barrel Companies to make me a .4291 smoothbore barrel throated to take .444s or .410s.

Then the Quest for a Choke Maker would be on...

Wonder about 'polygonal' rifling... maybe it would be ok for both purposes...?

[Old Ironsights]

I'd be looking for a .444 TD with a bent barrel, and making noises to one of the Barrel Companies to make me a .4291 smoothbore barrel throated to take .444s or .410s.

Then the Quest for a Choke Maker would be on...

Wonder about 'polygonal' rifling... maybe it would be ok for both purposes...?

I think it would still spin the shot/shot cup too much.

[Mike Armstrong]

Thanks for all the input, guys! Pretty much confirms my suspicions that these are used pretty much like other .410s. And they DO sound like fun, especially if you reload .410 (I do).

[jeepnik]

Thanks for all the input, guys! Pretty much confirms my suspicions that these are used pretty much like other .410s. And they DO sound like fun, especially if you reload .410 (I do).

If you've looked at .410 prices, you have to reload to shoot much. Never understood that one, less of everything in the round, yet costs more than 12.

[Old Ironsights]

Thanks for all the input, guys! Pretty much confirms my suspicions that these are used pretty much like other .410s. And they DO sound like fun, especially if you reload .410 (I do).

If you've looked at .410 prices, you have to reload to shoot much. Never understood that one, less of everything in the round, yet costs more than 12.

Volume of sales + Machine time = Unit Cost.

A .410 uses as much machine-time as does a 12ga.

.410 has a far lower volume of sales than 12ga.

Thus, a .410 costs more per unit than a 12ga.

[PriseDeFer]

Read once that Izmash made their 410 Saiga automatic shotgun first. For the Russian police. And not as a lessthanlethal device. So if you buy into that and the pro Judge/Governor rationale a 410 lever starts to look seriously useful.