410 vs 20 gauge

[chriswjx]

I have a couple of 20's which I am going to be selling both mint and neither silly money

Will have to keep an eye out. Sadly I'm currently more "urgently" in the market for a 308 target-y rifle, a 22lr AR15 style thing and a target barrelled 303

Have an eye on a couple listings for the two CFs, but the AR15 thing for range plinking is going to be the next purchase I think...

 

[User00053]

I was in a similar position in deciding whether a 20,28, or 410 was needed. In the end I'm awaiting a 410 hatsan pump action. I know others have said the 410 tends to be too tightly choked, the thing that probably sold the gun to me apart from the price of it was the ability to change out the chokes to what works best for the shooting/cartridges your using.

Sounds like a plan but like sd said the key is the cartridge as patterned some which did not perform so well in my gun with fiocchi 3” producing some great patterns and hard hitting on crows and pigeons at .410 ranges.
Look forward to hearing what you make of it all when you get going.

 

[User00053]

I am trying to decide which I like best. I now have side by sides in 12, 16, 20 and 410.

I will happily keep shooting them all until i work out which I like best.

I find a bit like women, but some girls are bigger than others

 

[Mungo]

There was no way I was letting my son try to learn with a .410.
I wanted him to build confidence and that’s difficult enough but chuck the tiny pattern of a .410 and hit ratio will be less so I went 28g. It’s lighter than 20g and bloody capable.
He hits a few which keeps him happy. If he didn’t I could see him lose interest.

This is critical!

Static targets out to 15m or so, no real problem with the 410. Anything moving at all, no chance,

It was thinking about increasing the hit probability that set me thinking down this route.

 

[Beretta V]

This is critical!

Static targets out to 15m or so, no real problem with the 410. Anything moving at all, no chance,

It was thinking about increasing the hit probability that set me thinking down this route.

I don’t see the point in my son shooting static objects with a .410. That’s what he can do with his air rifle out to 40 yards.
In my opinion a .410 is ok but I can’t really see the point of putting a youngster behind 1 when there are better options out there

 

[Heym SR20]

This is critical!

Static targets out to 15m or so, no real problem with the 410. Anything moving at all, no chance,

It was thinking about increasing the hit probability that set me thinking down this route.

Invest in some lessons for him shooting clays. He has the basic skills and hand / eye coordination, but its joining it up to hit a moving target. Start with simple going away or incoming clays and build from there. But a good teacher will set him up for life.

Weight and length of the gun is more important than its calibre, so to is a lightweight cartridge. Most clay grounds do have short stocked guns for youngsters to learn on. Far cheaper to rent / borrow. Youngsters grow like weeds and one moment a 12” stock is too long. A few moments later they are well over 6ft and need a 15” stock.

A 20 bore is easier to shoot as and when the youngster is big enough to handle the weight, but young Miss Heym used to regularly smoke clays with a little single 410 just like the one you have.

 

[User00053]

 

[Smellydog]

A friend of mine, his children have all started with a 410, in fact one still raves on about my little Mossberg. They had no problem on the clays at all.

 

[cjm1066]

In a sxs 410s seem to have overlapped action bars, hence a 28 bore looks nicer.

410 work in an o/u looks.

 

[HonestJohn]

Learned on a 28g sxs from age 12, with the right load and stock length, they’re perfect guns for that age group. Age 16 and 20 gauge it is, esp since the 28g will now be too short. Therefore IMHO, buy an already shortened 28g that’s a good learning gun, to be sold on in 4 years time and replaced with a nice new 20g beretta that’s good for steel etc for many years to come

 

[Goingback]

410 is good for an initial starter gun but would rapidly change to a 28 or 20 as far more hitting power and performance

 

[enfieldspares]

I've gone back to the OP's starting post and see no reason to change my advice to him. But I do agree that for starting a boy, or a girl, that has never shot before a lightweight 28 bore is better than a lightweight .410" gauge. To the OP I stand by my thoughts that for an experienced shot or a number of years wanting a lightweight gun that a .410" (or 20 bore) is better than a 28 bore as the weight between a 20 bore and 28 bore gun is very similar.

 

[Mungo]

I've gone back to the OP's starting post and see no reason to change my advice to him. But I do agree that for starting a boy, or a girl, that has never shot before a lightweight 28 bore is better than a lightweight .410" gauge. To the OP I stand by my thoughts that for an experienced shot or a number of years wanting a lightweight gun that a .410" (or 20 bore) is better than a 28 bore as the weight between a 20 bore and 28 bore gun is very similar.

Thanks very much - the detail in your original reply was very useful.

What’s the recoil like on a 28?

 

[Beretta V]

Thanks very much - the detail in your original reply was very useful.

What’s the recoil like on a 28?

With light cartridges it’s hardly noticeable.
Don’t use heavy cartridges or it will be very noticeable.

 

[HonestJohn]

Thanks very much - the detail in your original reply was very useful.

What’s the recoil like on a 28?

IMHO, a 28 bore is a FAR slimmer and lighter gun than a 20, with virtually no recoil at all. My 7 year old could handle a 28 without doubt, a 12 year old, ..piece of cake.

Can’t see the point in a .410 for youngsters unless it’s for under 10’s or sissy’s

 

[Smellydog]

A 410 is specialist and yes it takes a good shot to use it effectively but it also can be less intimidating and intriguing all at the same time for a young person.

Those tiny cartridges don't look imposing as dad's 12g but are very real.
Even if a child shoots stationary targets or easy moving targets it will be fun and start them off just fine.

I have known parents skip a 410 on the advice of others and their child reject the larger gun. Had to go back and start over.

 

[HonestJohn]

A 410 is specialist and yes it takes a good shot to use it effectively but it also can be less intimidating and intriguing all at the same time for a young person.

Those tiny cartridges don't look imposing as dad's 12g but are very real.
Even if a child shoots stationary targets or easy moving targets it will be fun and start them off just fine.

I have known parents skip a 410 on the advice of others and their child reject the larger gun. Had to go back and start over.

That’s why you take them to the stocked pond with bait, and not upstream dry fly only on the Test for first fishing experiences, and not offshore deep water fishing either. Same with, shooting, a light gun that isn’t pathetic looking in the eyes of a teen, but can still have a good hit ratio and will keep them interested; nor a big bang stick that will put them off.

28 just sits perfectly in that gap, meets all the criteria

But a .410 is great, i think more so for adults using it for grey squirrels etc

 

[Smellydog]

That’s why you take them to the stocked pond with bait, and not upstream dry fly only on the Test for first fishing experiences, and not offshore deep water fishing either. Same with, shooting, a light gun that isn’t pathetic looking in the eyes of a teen, but can still have a good hit ratio and will keep them interested; nor a big bang stick that will put them off.

28 just sits perfectly in that gap, meets all the criteria

But a .410 is great, i think more so for adults using it for grey squirrels etc

Ay, I was thinking pre teens though....

 

[Goingback]

A 410 is specialist and yes it takes a good shot to use it effectively but it also can be less intimidating and intriguing all at the same time for a young person.

Those tiny cartridges don't look imposing as dad's 12g but are very real.
Even if a child shoots stationary targets or easy moving targets it will be fun and start them off just fine.

I have known parents skip a 410 on the advice of others and their child reject the larger gun. Had to go back and start over.

I very much agree with this. 410 is good for the confidence boost but in reality, a very hard weapon to successfully shoot with.

 

[enfieldspares]

That’s why you take them to the stocked pond with bait, and not upstream dry fly only on the Test for first fishing experiences, and not offshore deep water fishing either.

Yes. I trained a few on pistol shooting (on an outdoor range with sand stop butt) by standing a Figure 11 size silhouette target ten feet in front of them and inviting them to then slowly, aimed and fired one at a time, six rounds at it. The usual immediate response after they had fired all six was "That's easy...". At which point you'd praise them, point out any bad shots and ask they "Why do you thing this was like that?" and then take them back to twenty feet. It is all about building confidence, as you say, then stretching them further. Every time praise and analysis and discussion. One lad within an hour and a half and but thirty or thirty six rounds I had him hitting a bucket with those last six rounds at fifty yards. Short range, easy targets that can't really be missed, lots of praise and then stretch them further.