Why is .410 slug viewed as adequate for defense?

Oleg Volk · March 2, 2000, 01:47 PM

Why is an 80 grain unjacketed .410 slug with m.v. 1500fps viewed as adequate for defense when 110-gr jacketed .30 soft point with m.v. 2000fps viewed as marginal? .410 shot loads seem even less effective yet small-bore shotguns are often recommended to recoil-shy and .30 carbine (easier to use, larger magazine capacity) aren't.

Just curious...

Dave McC · March 2, 2000, 02:54 PM

Ya got me, Oleg. But then, I've never been much on either the 410 or the 30 cal carbine.

Either beats fang and claw in an AS scenario. And, I've taught seniors to shoot 32s, since that was about all they could handle.

Grandma got where she could hit a grapefruit wiht her Dad's old topbreak 32 across a room just dandy. If memory serves, she was 76 and had never fired a gun since her teen years.

Hueco · March 3, 2000, 09:12 PM

I am curious, what is it really designed for? Obviously not HD, but what?

Hueco

Oleg Volk · March 3, 2000, 09:22 PM

According to Mossberg, .410 is for home security. Of course, for people having trouble with recoil and also less than mechanically inclined, a .410 would be rather better in a side-by-side configuration.

TheOtherMikey · March 4, 2000, 11:32 PM

Try taking a .410 slug in the gut and then you tell us. The jacketed ammo passes through before it can expand, the slug just tries to go flat immediately and spins off some smaller shrapnel. OUCH!!!!!

[This message has been edited by TheOtherMikey (edited March 04, 2000).]

HankL · March 5, 2000, 07:57 PM

I wouldn't want a .410 slug in the boiler room myself! If you ever get the chance to watch a master with a .410 on a skeet range you will be very impressed.
Hank

Hueco · March 5, 2000, 08:14 PM

Hank, don't doubt that a .410 can do wonders in good hands ona skeet range. But people don't break as easily as lime and pitch.

Hueco

March 2, 2000, 01:47 PM	#1
Oleg Volk Staff Alumnus Join Date: December 6, 1999 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 7,022	Why is an 80 grain unjacketed .410 slug with m.v. 1500fps viewed as adequate for defense when 110-gr jacketed .30 soft point with m.v. 2000fps viewed as marginal? .410 shot loads seem even less effective yet small-bore shotguns are often recommended to recoil-shy and .30 carbine (easier to use, larger magazine capacity) aren't. Just curious...

March 2, 2000, 02:54 PM	#2
Dave McC Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 13, 1999 Location: Columbia, Md, USA Posts: 8,811	Ya got me, Oleg. But then, I've never been much on either the 410 or the 30 cal carbine. Either beats fang and claw in an AS scenario. And, I've taught seniors to shoot 32s, since that was about all they could handle. Grandma got where she could hit a grapefruit wiht her Dad's old topbreak 32 across a room just dandy. If memory serves, she was 76 and had never fired a gun since her teen years.

March 3, 2000, 09:12 PM	#3
Hueco Senior Member Join Date: December 7, 1999 Posts: 561	I am curious, what is it really designed for? Obviously not HD, but what? Hueco

March 3, 2000, 09:22 PM	#4
Oleg Volk Staff Alumnus Join Date: December 6, 1999 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 7,022	According to Mossberg, .410 is for home security. Of course, for people having trouble with recoil and also less than mechanically inclined, a .410 would be rather better in a side-by-side configuration.

March 4, 2000, 11:32 PM	#5
TheOtherMikey Senior Member Join Date: October 16, 1999 Location: Surprise, Arizona, USA Posts: 171	Try taking a .410 slug in the gut and then you tell us. The jacketed ammo passes through before it can expand, the slug just tries to go flat immediately and spins off some smaller shrapnel. OUCH!!!!! [This message has been edited by TheOtherMikey (edited March 04, 2000).]

March 5, 2000, 07:57 PM	#6
HankL Senior Member Join Date: March 11, 1999 Location: The Sunny South Posts: 2,174	I wouldn't want a .410 slug in the boiler room myself! If you ever get the chance to watch a master with a .410 on a skeet range you will be very impressed. Hank

March 5, 2000, 08:14 PM	#7
Hueco Senior Member Join Date: December 7, 1999 Posts: 561	Hank, don't doubt that a .410 can do wonders in good hands ona skeet range. But people don't break as easily as lime and pitch. Hueco