Some .410 slugs are rated for deer hunting, I got a 5 count box of old ones that I never shot. It would really help to have a shotgun with a set-up for slugs to use them, of course. It's a big bullet I can't see why it wouldn't take a deer at 30 yards if you could shoot in the heart/lung area.
When I was a 6 year old kid I shot a buck with an Eastern Arms double barrel 410. Had a slug in one barrel and a load of 00 buckshot (3 pellets I believe) in the other barrel. At about 25 yards the buck had 4 holes in his chest. Dad said any of them would have been fatal. Only deer I shot with that gun but boy did we get lots of small game with it (and still use it today).
20 ga slug is great.ventilates real well-in one side and out the other. 410 not so great. I love a 20 ga.I carried a savage 222/20 for years in the bush.Could kill anything.
I bet if you had a gun set up to shoot them, they would be just fine out to 75 at least. Get used to your gun, know where it shoots, know its limitations. I'll bet you could kill more deer than 50% of the people deer hunting with guns they never site in and only take out of the house once a year.
20 ga slug is great.ventilates real well-in one side and out the other. 410 not so great. I love a 20 ga.I carried a savage 222/20 for years in the bush.Could kill anything.
A savage 220 is a nice gun!!
If I needed a gun and wanted a 20 gauge for shooting slugs, that would be the one I’d buy.
unless the regs changed this year the 410 is not a legal gun to hunt deer with in WI. unless it is one of those 410-45lc and you use the colt cartridge. in a rifle area.
if your in a congested area a small stand the get you up 5-6 feet will have you shooting at a decent down angle or pick your location to sit on a rise and shoot down.
pick your shots well and make sure you hit the deer
Don’t mean to split hairs Pike River. But ... a slug kills by blunt force trauma, and punching holes in vital organs, heart, lungs, liver, spine etc etc. Roy Weatherby coined the phrase “Hydrostatic Shock”. It describes the phenomenon of liquids not being compressible and becoming secondary projectiles when pushed out of the way by the primary projectiles shockwave. Mr. Weatherby claimed this phenomenon occurred when projectiles traveling at speeds exceeding 2800fps encounter high water content tissue, lungs for example. The result can be easily observed by the amount of “bloodshot” meat around the wound channel with high velocity cartridges . There is a saying among old timers that with the slower cartridges, 45/70 for example “you can eat right up to the hole”. This is also the reason that small, high velocity bullets often kill more quickly than slower heavier bullets that actually penetrate better. The smaller faster bullet “dumps” more energy through hydrostatic shock even though the heavier bullet penetrates sometimes twice as much. And every bullet that exits the off side of the animal takes with it energy that was not transferred to the animal. Conversely a heavy slower bullet may have the penetration to get to the vitals of a large heavy animal whereas a lighter and faster projectile might not. As always hope this helps.
Beav ol' pal, if you are going to hunt in a residential area, buy yourself a good crossbow. It makes very little noise and with a good scope you can hit a 50 cent piece at 30 yards. Use a decent broadhead and the deer will be dead quicker than the 410 idea. No matter what, ain't nothing better than a good blood trail thru the neighbor ladies' petunia patch.
I bet if you had a gun set up to shoot them, they would be just fine out to 75 at least. Get used to your gun, know where it shoots, know its limitations. I'll bet you could kill more deer than 50% of the people deer hunting with guns they never site in and only take out of the house once a year.
You’re half right, need to know limitations. But a .410s limitation is well under 75 yards. Just no energy left, I think at 30 yards most lung shots still wouldn’t pass through.
An arrow is a far more efficient weapon to be honest. But a 20 gauge will shoot in dense brush too.
.410 slug is a poor deer round! Yep, with proper close round shots they ( will) kill but do not have the energy too be a reliable round for deer. And YES, I grew up and have seen hundreds of deer killed with shotgun slugs That round I would consider an " experts" round, NOT for a novice. My 2 cents worth with years of experience.
Edited. MMagis, no!! A 20 is NO better in the " brush"
I bet if you had a gun set up to shoot them, they would be just fine out to 75 at least. Get used to your gun, know where it shoots, know its limitations. I'll bet you could kill more deer than 50% of the people deer hunting with guns they never site in and only take out of the house once a year.
You’re half right, need to know limitations. But a .410s limitation is well under 75 yards. Just no energy left, I think at 30 yards most lung shots still wouldn’t pass through.
An arrow is a far more efficient weapon to be honest. But a 20 gauge will shoot in dense brush too.
I have bee told the same type thing about 357 mag in a carbine. "It's only good our to 75 yards max". Old gunship owner. I just smiled a debated on if I should tell him about the two deer I shot the evening before one a shot at 85 and the other at 145 yards. Both pass through. 85 yard Heart shot went 65 yards 145 yard head shot dropped of course . Know your gun.
Well It looks like I won't be able to try It out. But at 30 yards and under I can't see how It wouldn't kill a deer.
it likely would .
the 20 puts them down very well , with the rifled slugs at 30 yards
the Sabots from a rifled barrel work well out to 100
the Muzzle loader would drop them also especially at 20-75 yards you can work the load down some if your worried about it traveling too far
when hunting crowded areas breaking bone is good , no chasing them that way no arguments over deer and no need to go drag them out of the front yard of the condos quick.
Just a random thought. I couldn't find anything on the subject with a quick Google search, but I wonder if the mini shell slugs would be effective on deer at close range. I understand that there are feeding issues in many repeating shotguns, but single shots and double barrels should do fine with them.
Don’t mean to split hairs Pike River. But ... a slug kills by blunt force trauma, and punching holes in vital organs, heart, lungs, liver, spine etc etc. Roy Weatherby coined the phrase “Hydrostatic Shock”. It describes the phenomenon of liquids not being compressible and becoming secondary projectiles when pushed out of the way by the primary projectiles shockwave. Mr. Weatherby claimed this phenomenon occurred when projectiles traveling at speeds exceeding 2800fps encounter high water content tissue, lungs for example. The result can be easily observed by the amount of “bloodshot” meat around the wound channel with high velocity cartridges . There is a saying among old timers that with the slower cartridges, 45/70 for example “you can eat right up to the hole”. This is also the reason that small, high velocity bullets often kill more quickly than slower heavier bullets that actually penetrate better. The smaller faster bullet “dumps” more energy through hydrostatic shock even though the heavier bullet penetrates sometimes twice as much. And every bullet that exits the off side of the animal takes with it energy that was not transferred to the animal. Conversely a heavy slower bullet may have the penetration to get to the vitals of a large heavy animal whereas a lighter and faster projectile might not. As always hope this helps.
The Brenneke slugs are recommended by most that use a 410, the regular slugs not so much. The self defense rounds just don't have enough velocity to carry much energy, from one side of a room to another then sure.
Congested area are a problem with anything, except a head shot, way too many examples of bow and crossbow killed deer landing on the neighbors lawn or in the pool....
Edited. MMagis, no!! A 20 is NO better in the " brush"
Not sure what you mean? Perhaps you misunderstood me. I said a 20 gauge could be used for close range shots in dense brush just the same as a .410, but would be a much better choice. There's no need to use such a small gun just because the shots may be close.
5o years ago after months of begging my Dad he finally gave in and allowed me to join the group. 15 minutes into the season a doe came poking out of the brush 30 yards from my stand which was up in an oak tree.
I hit her with an angling shot behind the left shoulder and into the right. I thought for sure she had gotten away but 40 yards from my tree, down a ravine she laid in a heap. I would like to say that was the only deer I had shot with a 410 but the following year, out of the same tree, I shot a Y buck with my trusty 410.
That Christmas, my Dad gave me a beautiful Winchester 30-30 which I still have.
grandma with a deer she kill with 410 , she probably kill more deer with a 410 than most of us , she feed an raise 9 kids on venison, she was only 4foot 11inches , so she would not shoot a bigger gun an didn't need to
I have a J.C. Higgins double barrel .410 that my dad bought for me when I was twelve years old. That would have been 68 years ago. I would get off the school bus and go partridge hunting getting home about dark. Didn't kill many but had a lot of fun. I always had a few slugs to shoot porkies that would be to far up a tree for the fine shot.
Three years ago I was sitting in a two person ladder stand with my wife, she was trying to get her first deer and does not have much experience shooting firearms. So she used what was comfortable to her and what she had been learning to shoot with, a single shot H n R 410 with a 2.5 inch slug. I watched her shoot a 1.5 year old doe at about 25 yards and the slug worked just fine, ran about 50 yards and went down. Although not a complete pass through, the slug was under the fur/skin on the opposite side. Still have that slug hanging up in the barn. It will work.
I love my cheap little .410 and I have ammo for every critter in Texas from rattle snakes to wild hogs. Our states are bad to dictate how we take game but if the world went to (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman) in a hand basket and I was required to keep everyone fed I could carry a .22lr and a .410 with absolute confidence.
I don't recommend it, but you can do it if legal. Foster type slugs are said to perform like a 32/20 or 327 Fed. Brennekes would probably work better if you can find them.
I love my cheap little .410 and I have ammo for every critter in Texas from rattle snakes to wild hogs. Our states are bad to dictate how we take game but if the world went to (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman) in a hand basket and I was required to keep everyone fed I could carry a .22lr and a .410 with absolute confidence.
I love my cheap little .410 and I have ammo for every critter in Texas from rattle snakes to wild hogs. Our states are bad to dictate how we take game but if the world went to (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman) in a hand basket and I was required to keep everyone fed I could carry a .22lr and a .410 with absolute confidence.
410 shells are expensive here
Yeah I usually buy a couple boxes on the way back from a big storm when I have more money than I know what to do with.
When I bought a .410 last year, the retailer told me it was legal to deer hunt with. After reading this thread, I'm glad I didn't buy it for deer hunting.
If you are a good hunter and hunt for sport a 410 is fine.You just need the skills to get close to the game,(or get the game close to you) for the kill shot with whatever weapon you use. If you want meat and no screwing around get a good rifle.
I'd use a .410 for deer if it were legal. We have an area we hunt deer you couldn't get a clear shot beyond 20 yards. I shot a deer in there with my SxS 16 just for the fun of it. I'd like to try the .410 with those new fancy turkey loads for turkeys too but its not legal here. I killed a coyote that tried running by with a .410 while pheasant hunting once years ago. 7 1/2 shot 3" at 30' put a wallop on him. They are fun to shoot and if you do your part just fine for a lot of game. You just need to know it's limitations.
20 ga slug is great.ventilates real well-in one side and out the other. 410 not so great. I love a 20 ga.I carried a savage 222/20 for years in the bush.Could kill anything.
I was going to say the same thing, use a 20 gauge. There is a huge difference in killing power between a 20 gauge and a 410. With a 410 you will cripple more than you will kill. I wouldn't use a 410 for much more than squirrels.
Like every other discussion involving, "will this kill that", its all about shot placement. If you are a doubter, ask yourself how far away from a skilled shooter who is infinitely familiar with the round would you be comfortable in him shooting in your direction.
Like every other discussion involving, "will this kill that", its all about shot placement. If you are a doubter, ask yourself how far away from a skilled shooter who is infinitely familiar with the round would you be comfortable in him shooting in your direction.
put me down for 1 1/2 of maximum ordinate I like a cushion
Well, I killed a brown bear with a 22 once, but I wouldn't recommend it. I also wouldn't recommend a 410 for deer in any circumstance other than in an emergency. Particularly in the hands of a novice hunter.
With all my past experiences with failed BADs I take no chances. It's get out of the truck and shoot. Last year we lost 18 coyotes to BAD failures 6 were right as we pulled up to the critter. Need less to say I have moved on from a certain supplier.