I keep .410 SnakeCharmer in my RV loaded loaded with a Winchester PDX shell and feel very comfortable with it.

 

Not when there are lots of better options out there...

 

No

 

Sure.

A 12 or 20 will be more effective. .410 will have much less recoil, and can be e had in lighter trimmer guns.

But if you only have a .410, buckshot is still buckshot. You just make fewer holes each time.

I figure it this way: a .410 buckshot load is roughly equivalent to taking 3 or 4 .32 ACP ball rounds simultaneously. Not the most devastating of payloads, but not anything to scoff at, either.

Best choice? No. Bad choice? No.

 

If the .410 were my only option I'd have no problem or concern relying on it for home defense as long as you're using buckshot rounds.

I've not owned a .410 shotgun but I'm confident they're are several options available that will allow multiple hits on target if needed.

 

Sure.. a 410 is devastating at ranges typically associated with home defense. I have taken deer with a 410, I have no concerns about its effectiveness in a home defense application.

I wouldn't want a single shot for obvious reasons but that's about it.

 

I think the 410 is going to be adequate at common household ranges, as said with the large projectile loads(buck and wafer). Finding a repeater isnt so easy though. I think only Mossberg and browning make pumps. And there may be an semiauto out there. Dont think Id trust a semiauto though.

 

Henry makes a lever. Including a "firearm" shorty version.

 

If it's all I had, yes. It's better than a sharp stick.

 

At approx. 600 ft lbs of muzzle energy, a 410 has nearly twice the power of a 45 ACP, which nobody will poo-poo.

 

Yes.

Although I have a number of 12 and 20 ga shotguns through out the house, I also have a loaded, Red Dot, Light equipped, 410 "Circuit Judge" about 5 feet from me right now.
It's primary a "critter gun" but I wouldn't hesitate to empty it into a "back yard bad guy".

 

I think if the purpose was for someone recoil sensitive then yes, it would be okay and certainly better than nothing. That said, 20ga is still a better option if you don't want 12ga.

 

I don't see an advantage of using a .410 shotgun inside a room. The pattern would only open to 2". The shotgun energy can be reduced by heavy coats or clothing. A HiCap 9MM would be more efficient.

 

Would you be comfortable using a .410 shotgun (not pistol) for home defense? Yay or Nay?

HELL NO!!!! .410 shells are expensive!:alex:

 

Although I've had .410 shotgun for home defense before, the price of the ammo is outrageous.

 

This is a pretty cool 410 pistol.

It's a Thompson Center Arms 45 Colt.
It has a rifled barrel and a removable choke for shooting 410 shotgun shells.

I've never shot 45 Colt in it.

I don't shoot it much. The last time was a few weeks ago when I shot one of my Drones out of the high tree it crashed into.
Shot the branch without getting one pellet in the Drone.

I also have the scoped .223 barrel for it.
Cool plinking gun.

 

We had someone shoot 2 holes in the door of the school I was teaching at with a 410 loaded with slugs. It was done late at night so no one was in the building. Those slugs went through the old metal type school doors and through a cinder block wall before stopping. Imagine what they would have done to a person at self defense range. Remember that it's the only shotgun true to its caliber and is a .41 cal load. I would have no trouble using a 410 loaded with slugs if that was all I had.

 

I don't see an advantage of using a .410 shotgun inside a room. The pattern would only open to 2". The shotgun energy can be reduced by heavy coats or clothing. A HiCap 9MM would be more efficient.

Not to be argumentative but at room distance, any shotgun is not going to open up much more than 2". And the energy from a shotgun projectile is not going to be dissipated at any different rate than a projectile from any other firearm. A .410 has just shy of double the energy, if that what you want to compare, of most 9mm loads. Again, not the best option but not the worst either.

 

The 28 gauge is everything the 410 should be, but unfortunately it isn't very common and when you see one, they're built on a 20 gauge frame instead of a 410 frame. A small 28 gauge would be the perfect "youth" shotgun, just as easy to handle, but easier to hit with and would also be very good for defensive purposes especially in a semi-auto 14 inch bird's head grip "shockwave" type gun.

They used to say a 16 gauge kicked like a 12 and hit like a 20, but the 28 kicks like a 410 but hits like a 20.

 

I would like to have at least a 20 gauge but if that's all I had, then yes.

 

Mossberg makes a "security" model 500 in 410 with an 18" bbl, stock and pistol grip.

At one time they made a purpose built "Home Defender" 410 with a spreader choke and a vertical fore grip.

They also make a 410 Shockwave non-shotgun.

Buckshot and slugs out of 410 shotgun reach magnum velocities. Not so much out of revolvers.

 

Moss berg’s Shockwave in 410 is pretty handy. So is the S&W Governor. I would be happy using either for home defense. I have a TC with the same barrel as shown above. I’ve never considered it for home defense but it would be much better than a sharp stick.

 

The federal 4 ball load in a .410 like the mossberg or the new Henry Axe would be no joke as a house gun.

 

Nope, too many better choices.

 

Honestly if you were gonna use .410 for HD, that new Henry Axe starts to looks pretty decent.
Handy in a home and for corners, small storage space, side loading, light recoil, still punches hard at bedroom distance. Definitely not a cheap gun for the job though.

 

Honestly if you were gonna use .410 for HD, that new Henry Axe starts to looks pretty decent.
Handy in a home and for corners, small storage space, side loading, light recoil, still punches hard at bedroom distance. Definitely not a cheap gun for the job though.
View attachment 700566

Yes. But be mindful, 21/2" shells only. I think it is also awkward to cycle when extended forward at eye level.

The sweetness is, however, undeniable.

 

To be fair, I see it as a hip gun in a room. I did forget it only takes the one shell size. Poop!

 

Gun>frying pan

Although I know there are better options I wonder how a Judge/Governor would do?

I've watch Hickok45 pattern a .410 at 20 feet with birdshot, slugs and buckshot. I would't want to get by it.