Just a dumb question but if your trying to get the most out of a .410 it's best to go ahead and get the 3" chamber right ?

Yes … what are you trying to kill ?

I've shot both 3 inch and 2 1\2. The 3 inch definitely is the way to go. I always used 6 shot of bigger if you can find it. I shot many ducks with my .410 when I was a kid.

Yes, but it's almost impossible to pack in enough pellets to hold patterns much past 35 yards without going to the heavier than lead($$) shot.

Agree 100% with all above. 3 in is the only way to go

Yes

3” with a xtra super full choke did well on turkey for me this year. Eric

Yes but I don't feel a .410 is really designed to be a long range gun. Even when shooting slugs out of them.

A .410 with Zeb’s Headhunter 2x full choke with Rough 3” #9 knocks turkeys dead at 40 yards.

I'd probably go with 3", but there's really not much difference. They're both light payloads.

Heavy loads...fast loads won't make up for someone being a bad shot.

If you don't mind me asking, what are you trying to accomplish, WD?

…. I already asked him that and he didn’t answer

… gettin too good to talk to us I guess

I use both 3" and 2 1/2" .410 shells based upon what I'm hunting. 2 1/2" #4s are the cats meow on running rabbits, I like 3" 7 1/2 shot on pheasants. Waiting on an opportunity to shoot a coyote with some #000 buck.

... but if you won't answer what you're hoping to accomplish it's tough to give info...

Buy a 28 gauge

Not sure I've ever seen a .410 not chambered for 3" shells. We've got a bunch of .410s around here. Grandkids don't much care if they are 2.5" or 3" as long as they go bang and break an occasional clay pigeon.

There's plenty of old ones out there that are short chambered, as well as some modern handguns.

My Remington 870 is chambered for 2 1/2 inch only as I recall.

The lever guns and many revolvers are 2.5 only.

I stand corrected. I knew about the handguns, but the long guns surprise me.

I’ve always wanted a Winchester 42 but they’re just crazy expensive.

OP the 3” with the right load and an extra full has some reach. Also lots of guys use the 410 as a slug gun. Mount a scope on it and use brass cases and cast bullets with no choke and get surprising accuracy out to
100yrds.

I have an old break action with the makers mark wore off. Old man that used to like pond shoot ducks gave it to me after he beat me one day. We'd crawl over pond banks and he'd take one shot and the next pond I'd take a.shot. we'd see how many ducks we could kill in one shot. He had me beat with 9.

The old man lived in an old shack on our place but we just always let John stay there. The game wardens started messing with the old man and after they bought broke the door down wanting to question him he had a stroke and died two days later.

Never thought much of the law or game and fish after that

Me to

3 inch allow more payload meaning shot and also allow more pressure meaning potential velocity or moving that greater payload the same speed as the lighter payload.

3 gives you options to shoot either and 2 1/2 does not.

I load 410's in 2 1/2" with tungsten 9's, 60% heavier than lead. This has more pellets than a 12ga 2 3/4 load of 4's and more downrange energy than the lead 4. The smaller size also has better penetration through tissue, feathers or anything. With tungsten, 3" in overkill and a waste of tungsten. If you go bigger on the shot size it really increases the downrange energy. It shoots very tight with just a cylinder or improved cylinder choke.

I designed my own 410 load with TSS 18 shot half ounce out of a 3 inch hall at 1650 ft./s 45 yards on large ducks all day long with number 8 1/ 2 shot they were sent off to ballistic products and tested for data and they’re just at 13529 psi I can share the data if interested i buy the shot for $245 for 5 pounds but this load has to be loaded in a 3 inch hall to reduce pressure spike

"sent off to ballistic products and tested"
You guys do some impressive stuff these days

I did not know 2 1/2" long guns were still produced.
Good ammo for them is not over flowing.
Speaking of the Rem 4 5 and 6 shot hi-vel.

I used some .410 PDX1 defender loads. It kills turkeys stone dead at close range. 30 yards and under.
It contains 3 plated discs and 12 plated BB pellets. It's a 21/2" shell.

Slug loads are now legal in Mo for Deer.

I bet at close range and good shot placement a .410 slug would be deadly.

Sorry been busy dealing with a bunch this bunch of Yahoo's, anyhow , idk just make up some nice hand loads , might try something for coon or grey fox

The Henry lever action shotguns in .410 are chambered for just 2 1/2" shells. I cast and load my own slugs in 2 1/2" hulls, nothing special, but they shoot well.

I wish that wasn't the case for just 2 1/2 .

AAron,
If you are thinking about getting one, make sure you handle one first. They are built on the .45-70 frame and quite heavy. If you are thinking about walking around with it say squirrel hunting or grouse hunting, they get pretty heavy. IMO, they could have made it 2 lbs lighter and still been plenty strong enough for the pressures a .410 generate.