Winchester Model 9410

[Rebeldon]

I read about the Winchester Model 9410. What a shotgun! 9+1 shell capacity! Good for hunting or home defense. And it shoots slugs too.
Does anyone around here own one, and are they readily available yet? Do they come with plugs for dove hunting?

If I was limited to only one gun for the rest of my life, I would be tempted to say the Winchester Model 9410 was it. Man, I got to get me one!

 

[Dave McC]

Before the Visa card comes out, Reb, take a deep breath and think:

Do I really need this?

The 9410 is a 410. Darn few folks believe the 410 in any form is an adequate HD load. The slugs pack about as much energy in them as a standard velocity 38 Special.

Hunting things with the 410 is all too often an exercise in wounding.Some folks can hunt squirrels, waterhole doves, and quail humanely with one, but not everyone does. The 410 in any form is good for skeet, but the practical application ends there.

And, the 9410 is limited to the 2 1/2" shell, meaning those nifty little buck loads will not work either.

 

[Intel6]

Alright Dave MC,

I got the comment on the "Watherhole Doves" with the .410.

By the way, the .410 buck loads available are made by Winchester and they are 2.5".

 

[Dave McC]

Thanks for the correction, Intel6. The mention of waterhole doves was no snipe(Pun intended).If you took umbrage, put it back(G)...

Getting doves coming in is a different game than pass shooting them. At those closer ranges and with the vitals exposed as the dove approaches, a 410 in cool,experienced hands is a humane tool.

But,put a decent 28 ga in those same cool, experienced hands and see wonderful things happen.

 

[Intel6]

Dave, great pun!!!

I have been shooting my .410's for years and 25's on the skeet feild are a realtively frequent thing for me.

Actually, I have shot this particular waterhole for the past 3 years and the position I take is not right at the hole. Everyone of my shots is a broadside shot as they fly past me along a small spur heading for the water. I have paced off some pretty long shots which surprised even me.

What most people don't realize that the .410 is not any less powerful or slower than a regualr 12 ga. load. It shoots the payload at the same speeds, there is just a lot less payload. This means that you have to be more percise with that .5 oz. of shot compared to being more sloppy with that 1 - 1 1/8 oz. payload. I run into people all the time who doubt my hunting doves with a .410. They are usually the type who go through 2-3 boxes of cheap promo loads to get their limit and have never even thought of trying a .410 and consider it as a kids chambering.

Dave, I know you can appreciate the sweet little .410 just wish more people would.

 

[Dave McC]

Good for you. I never had a 410, the smallest thing I ever shot back then was a 28 ga a friend of Pop's had. I liked it, but have never bought one, not wanting to lose the versatility of the 12.

I've seen some incredible work done by folks who knew the limits of the 410 and stayed within them. I've also had to rectify some crippling shots taken by those that didn't.There's no analogy here to Ultra Light fishing. If a fish breaks off on a 3 lb testline or tippet,it almost always survives.
Not so on a bird with one or two small shot in non vital areas.

I'vr seen more game crippled with 12s, of course, since everyone has a 12. Same stuff applies, take only shots we know are low risk for crippling. Know the limits of our equipment, and ourselves.

On a side note.....

I'm kinda surprised at the fact that the 12 ga is the focus of so much tweaking, while the 410 languishes away neglected. 12s get overbores and long cones. Any idea what that would do to improve the 410, with its scanty shot charge?Pattern density fails with the 410 before the choke does. Keeping those stray pellets in the pattern would help effectiveness considerably. (Inspired by Brister).

 

[Intel6]

Dave, I have lots of 12's also and use them for everything else I do with SG's because of the versaitility. My .410's are mainly for shooting skeet, dove and sometimes rabbits. Everything else I do with 12's, I don't even own any other guages.

I hear you about the .410 in the wrong hands. I wouldn't use it either if I wasn't a competent shooter with it. The first time I used it I also took out my 12 ga. and when I had a few birds left on the limit I decided to try out the Win 42. I took my last 4 birds with 4 shots and was done. After that, I decided to just use the .410 without a 12 ga. as a backup. That was 3 years ago and I haven't shot a 12 ga. at a dove since.

Don't know why there hasn't been a lot of tweeking done with the .410? I would guess that it doesn't see much clay action except for skeet so there isn't much call for it? Who knows, mabey all that type of stuff just doesn't help with such a small shotshell?

 

[Dave McC]

I'd say it's a lack of interest in the 410. Many American shooters have bad cases of "Bigger is better" Syndrome.

I've heard various estimates and some wild eyed guesses that a long cones will improve patterns 5%, an overbore up to 10%, and rechoking to the overbore maybe another 5-10%. A 410 with 20% less flyers means it's got 20% more pellets in the pattern. Nice improvement, and if any shotgun needs improvement, it's the 410.

I kinda think the custom folks like Briley that make insert bbls for skeet would upgrede it anyway. Anyone know?