.410 slug, enough to take down a deer?

[stingerspray]

.410 slug is most definitely adequate for deer. My grandma used it to take a LOT of deer. You wont be able to hit em as far out as witha centerfire rifle but if you can hit em, it will kill em.

[daniel paydar]

i wonder why 410 is loaded with such a light slugs?1/5 and 1/4 ounce!!!
in 12 gauge there are almost the same weight of shot and slug loadings and so is in 16 and 20 gauge too, but the heaviest slug in 410 is a 114 grain brenneke and 1/4 ounce federal while the shot loading is up to3/4 in 410
why no company load a 1/2 ounce slug in 410?? a ½ ounce slug moving @ 1300-1400 fps will surely be a better choice for big game like deer.

[crghss]

A lot depends on the skill/experience of your "visitors".

I would use a .410 for deer. Shots would have to be limited to the 75 yd range. I don't think there is much room for error using the suggested setup. So are your visitors up to it?

[jbrown]

isnt a 410 slug weigh 93 grains?

[markj]

Some states only allow 20 or higher for deer, check the local laws before using it. I think it would take down a deer easily. But most deer I have shot were very close.

[moosemike]

A .410 will do it but it's darn near a stunt.

[Brian Pfleuger]

Does anyone doubt that a 357 magnum revolver is enough for deer?

'Cuz a 410 slug generates between equal and 50% more muzzle energy than a typical 357 revolver...


Seriously people, if it's enough to reach the vitals then it's enough to kill. That's the only criteria. Really.

Take a look at the cartridges of old that our grand-fathers and earlier men used to hunt all manner of North American game.... and then stop worrying about what is enough and what isn't. Hit it where you're supposed to, it will die.

[treg]

My Grandpa killed many deer with his bolt action .410 shotgun. Bead sight and all.

[Old Grump]

My Grandpa killed many deer with his bolt action .410 shotgun. Bead sight and all.

My great grandpa used a 25-20 to harvest deer with, its still accurate and I'm still shooting it today but I wouldn't hunt a deer with it unless I absolutely had no choice. I'm mixed on the .410 unless it had better sights than a bead and the range was under 50 yards. I have no qualms about the power level but I really like my gun to be accurate first then powerful. It would have to be a survival situation and no other choice. Beats the heck out of throwing a sharp stick or trying to down a deer with a slingshot.

[Gunplummer]

.410 slugs are legal in Pa. The only problem is accuracy, because I do not think anyone makes a rifled barrel for them. Between a 12 gauge with buckshot and a .410 with slugs, I would not even think about the buckshot. Those .410 slugs really crack and except for accuracy, I don't see much difference between them and a muzzle loader

[natman]

Is it possible to kill a deer with a 410 slug?

Yes, it is.

It's also quite possible to wound one with it, given the poor accuracy of a shotgun shooting slugs, the feeble sectional density of a 410 slug and its low power level.

This is especially true when it is wielded by "visitors that might want to hunt but have not made the purchase of a gun.", in other words, raw beginners.

It's a bad idea.

[younggunfreak]

personally i would never use it because if your hunting trophies in MN I think it would kill them of lead poisoning before the wound would

[jbrown]

http://mcb-homis.com/slug_410/

[Old Grump]

personally i would never use it because if your hunting trophies in MN I think it would kill them of lead poisoning before the wound would

Good golly kid, what you gonna do, grind it up and feed it to them in a bucket of oats. You have read the thread haven't you?

http://hoeningbigboresouth.com/Big%2...allistics.html

I would put the 410 slug near the bottom of the acceptable deer cartridges. I think this conclusion is fairly well support by the fact that it is such a controversial choice. If the 410 slug was well into either the acceptable or unacceptable group of cartridges the number of heated disagreements on the subject would not exist. After all my study and testing I believe the 410 slug is sufficient for deer assuming you also meet the two other area following this one. They didn't match the destructive power of my 41 and 44 mag revolvers but it easily matched or bettered the 357 magnum using 158 gr SP bullets.

But can we put some numbers to it, to the lethality of the 410 slug? If you read my sections on the 410 slug and testing 410 slugs you can see that most 410 slug have in excess of 700ft-lbs of kinetic energy at the muzzle. For comparison that is slightly more than most factory 357 Magnum cartridges fired from a handgun a little less than most factory 41 Remington Magnum cartridges fired from a handgun.

Although comparable in kinetic energy the 410 slug is a much different beast than either of these two well established hunting handgun calibers. The 410 slug although possessing a sizable amount of kinetic energy, it achieves this energy through the use of a light weight slug going relatively fast. A typical 357 Magnum hunting load is 158gr JHP and the 41 Remington Magnum are frequently loaded with 210 grain bullets. In comparison the 410 uses a relatively light slug ranging from about ~92gr to 114gr. So to achieve the energy it does so with a relative high velocity of 1750-1830fps, your 357mag and 41mag are both in the 1200-1300fps.

(2) Does the weapon have the effective range for the terrain and the discipline of the hunter?

The first part of this question is relatively easy. The 410 slug is a short range weapon, plain and simple. There is no doing anything to make it shoot further. Even if you can accurate shoot a little 410 slug out to 200 yards it has run out of enough kinetic energy for deer long before it gets that far. The light weight 410 slug has a very poor ballistic coefficient and thus has lost nearly half of there energy 50-60 yards down range. With the lightest Remington and Winchester 2.5 inch slugs I would not recommend going over 50 maybe 60yard and even then you need to have a good accurate hit. With the heavier Federal, 3inch Winchester or Brenneke slugs you might stretch it to 75 yards but no further. So if you’re going to hunt deer with the 410 slug you should be hunting for close range shots. If all your shots end up being longer range shots I would suggest picking another gun.

http://mcb-homis.com/deer9410/index.htm

My own testing has been done on ice filled liter jugs in the dead of winter when it was around 8 degrees and it had been below 0 the previous night, those jugs were hard and solid. From 8 yards, the closest I shot, out to 33 yards, the farthest I shot, they pulverized the ice in those jugs and I was hitting those bottles with every shot with an old bolt action smooth bore with a modified choke. So much for not accurate enough.

[RiverBoy76]

Crghss hit it on the head, .410 slugs will kill deer with proper shot placement, but will visitors understand the limitations of the load and the platform it is being fired from. I do not think the .410 is a good choice for novice hunters, but in experienced hands it can reliably and cleanly take deer.

[Pinelands]

The energy is there, but I think accuracy is the limiting factor.

Ive thought about using my .410 single shot for PA deer season, but accuracy is terrible when shooting slugs through the full choke. I wouldn't feel comfortable shooting past 25 yards.

[riflearm44]

yes. a 410 slug is powerful enough to bring down a deer, however you need to get within bow hunting range. the drop on a .410 slug is rapid so aim high, I also suggest to use high base shells, hot loads, and you can find rifled slugs I think Federal makes the best ones and they have a plastic pointed tip, those suggestions will certainly increase your range and accuracy, getting up close is up to you, 50yds max. good luck.

[semi_problomatic]

If you question it, why use it? Obviously there are guns out there that would do a better job... why not use them instead? A lever-action 30-30 is pretty cheap, and proven to harvest deer.

I've seen a .410 slug drop a deer with 1 shot, but it was extremely close and the guy hit the deer in the neck, I doubt that was where he was even aiming. So yes it'll do it, but I doubt I'd hand it out to every Tom, Dick, and Harry that wanted to hunt on my land.

[waterfowler]

Its all about shot placement. Happy hunting.

[Spectre]

The .30 Carbine- which many folks feel is marginal at best for deer- would be better.

Sure, it can be done, but there little margin for error.

[Baylorattorney]

Well of course it is but it isn't BC it's simply not the way to do it. Too much chance of wounding an animal that a .243 would have humanely dispatched.

[bamaranger]

The OP states his .410 will be for folks "who want to hunt but have not bought a gun".

Big red flag.

[Sure Shot Mc Gee]

If indeed the 410 slug is legal in your State. To put a scope on. I see no problem in doing that. If that's what you want to do to accommodate, out state visitors who may want to hunt the use of your 410. Your a Good Sportsman, I commend you for your actions.

[Brian Pfleuger]

Being that the OP was just short of 3 years ago, I assume the decision has been made.