Both because of the smooth bore, and because of the long.410 chamber.45 Colt accuracy in the rifled.45/.410 barrels is not very good, because of the long jump the bullet has to make to get to the rifling. As to which.410 shells, get a small selection. Some 7 1/2, some 6, some 4 (if you can find them), and some buckshot and slugs. 12 gauge to 410/45 Colt - Scavenger Series Converts your 12 gauge Break Action Shotgun to use 410 or 45 Colt. Smooth Bore 3' Adapter. For 3' & 2 3/4' Chamber. Just to clear things up, the Rossi Circuit Judge, while in some configurations does have a lever, is in fact a revolver, chambered in.410, not a lever action rifle (as the term is traditionally understood) chambered in.45 long colt. Both because of the smooth bore, and because of the long.410 chamber.45 Colt accuracy in the rifled.45/.410 barrels is not very good, because of the long jump the bullet has to make to get to the rifling. As to which.410 shells, get a small selection. Some 7 1/2, some 6, some 4 (if you can find them), and some buckshot and slugs.

Taurus Public Defender 45 Colt/410 Snubnose Revolver, with 45 ACP Modification and Specialty Load Development

Last week, I shot my first Taurus Judge. I had some preconceived notions, most of which were incorrect. It scattered birdshot all over a B27 at 15 yards, but patterned the same load plenty good enough for snakes at 10 feet. It patterned 000 buck or PDX close enough to keep ’em on the head at 10 yards. From 18-20 yards, I could shoot 6-7” groups using my standard W231/250 RNFP 45 Colt load. I didn’t get a chance to do any rested shooting with that particular gun. Everybody loved the grip except me and I thought it needed to be firmer. I could feel the gun squirm around in the grips when I fired it. Recoil with the souped-up 410 loads was noticeable but not disconcerting. It spit a little and I didn’t like that.

Surprisingly, the trigger wasn’t half bad. The fiber optic sight was easy to pick up for quick shots but disconcerting for precise shooting… the fiber optic rod is half obscured when using a normal sight picture. Otherwise it shot a tad high. The sight is dovetailed in so theoretically at least, there’s room to experiment.

Now, I’ve never been a big Taurus guy… but I’m on a “What the hell, try it!” kick & I swapped into a stainless Public Defender a few days ago. Wolf children full movie. It had been fired exactly once by the original owner and it has an even better trigger than the blue one I test-drove.

The first thing I did was check the grip screw, which took a turn and a half to snug up. That alleviated the ‘squishy grip’ issue. Thankfully, this revolver does not ‘spit’. I shot this Public Defender with my standard 255 RNFP load (7.1 grains W231) my 255 SWC load (7.5 grains) and some 2 ½” Winchester #6 cheapie field loads. The WW #6 yielded snake shredding patterns at 12 feet. It shot any of these loads well enough for its intended purpose, as evidenced by Peggi’s target fired at about 10 yards. There’s also one round of Winchester’s 2 ½ three-pellet OOO buck in there. It clocks 864 fps from this gun’s two-inch barrel- certainly fast enough for lethality.

Any handgun I’m going to carry will pull double-duty as a woods gun, which means it has to possess useful 25 yard accuracy. This Public Defender did not like my 255 SWC load and it planted them perfectly sideways at 25 yards, (THAT would leave a mark) about 6″ above the front sight. It leaded up with only two cylinders of them and this probably affected accuracy with the RNFP load. About the best it would do is 6-7″ at 25 yards, again 5″ high. It did keep them all on a B27 at that… even the sideways ones. I burned a couple of cylinders in DA shooting on 6″ falling plates at 15 yards and I couldn’t seem to miss one. It was definitely adequate for close encounters.

But by conventional standards, the gun don’t shoot for sour apples with two, proven-accurate 45 Colt loads. A trip around the gun with the micrometers told why. In addition to a long jump to the rifling, the cylinder throats measure 0.462”. I guess I should be thankful Taurus didn’t just bore it straight through!

Anybody with walking-around sense knows that if you want a revolver to shoot well, especially with lead, the bullet has to fit the cylinder throats. Now I’m not a bullet caster and I have no interest in ordering a special mould for a .462 bullet. A .459 would be OK but those are big-bore rifle slugs and they’re way heavy for this application. What I did have was a partial box of Hornady’s swaged lead .454/255 grain ‘Cowboy’ bullet, catalog # 12458.

To cut down the distance the bullet had to jump, I loaded these out to 1.720”. You have to admit that loaded at this length, the 45 Colt has a certain 19th century Adriatic charm about it.

Loaded to this length, my Ruger Vaquero won’t chamber them. But they dropped right into the Public Defender and that what I was after.

Pocket tanks deluxe 500 weapons free download. When you load a cartridge WAY out like that you increase the working space and chamber pressure drops. Velocity goes right along with it and there’s none to spare with the Judge. My standard-pressure 45 Colt loads clocked 600-650 fps from this gun, which was no shocker considering its short barrel and cavernous chambers. Right here is where I have to give a warning-*The following loads are OVER PUBLISHED DATA if loaded to SAAMI overall length. So I DO NOT RECOMMEND you use them in any standard 45 Colt and if you do use them, YOU ARE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CONSEQUENCES. That’s as idiot-proof as I can make it.

I began with *7.5 grains of HP38*, with the 1.720” OAL. I know that load is safe in SAA’s with a 255 grain SWC, so I figured its’ a good starting point. Velocity was in the low fives, standard deviation was all over the place and it didn’t shoot any better than my cast loads. It WAS fun to shoot, though. The last three rounds of that load were fired fast DA, at the head of a B27, after walking away from it 7 paces and turning around. The holes overlapped where the nose would have been, if B27’s had noses.

The next attempt was *8.0 grains of HP38* and things began to ‘gel’. Average velocity was 682.9 fps with an Extreme Spread of 54.2 fps and a Standard Deviation of 20.6 fps. Since my other 45 Colt loads are running about 200 fps slower in this gun, the 680+ reading tells me we’re not significantly over-pressure. This is reflected in easy extraction and the normal appearance of fired cases and primers.

If you’ve read much of my stuff, you know I generally ignore the ES and SD so long as a particular load shoots well. But here we are dealing with a pistol load, essentially fired in a shotgun chamber. These numbers indicate that were getting into normal handgun load performance, despite the shotgun chamber. As a bonus, leading all but disappeared.

My first attempt at groups with this load didn’t do it justice. We’d just had a downpour and it was still sprinkling. I sat on a rain slicker thrown over a soaked canvas hunting chair, with my legs crossed and shooting over one knee. The damned, rain-crazed flies were biting like they were auditioning for the lead part in Twilight. Then there are those sights, which are great for quick DA work up close; but they suck for precise shooting at distance. Short version is that I’m eating the shot to the right and assuming the load is well represented by the four shots above the aiming point. This will no doubt get better on a dry day, shooting from a proper rest.

I can live with this, considering that the Public Defender is a two-inch, fixed-sight 410 revolver that just happens to shoot 45 Colts. Mine will see almost exclusive use with that grand old cartridge. This load has adequate velocity for vermin regardless of their leg count. It wouldn’t embarrass you if you needed to take a 25 yard shot. Next step is getting those sights zeroed… but I’m itching to shred a Copperhead with it.

*45 ACP Modification*

I’d read that some of these revolvers will accept 45 ACP in Taurus’s little 5-shot ‘Stellar’ clip intended for their Model 455 snubnose. Some won’t; the difference being about 0.008″ as near as I could tell. Anyhow I ordered a 5 pack of moon clips and determined to make them work. One of the glorious things about an off-brand revolver is that you’re not afraid to go hammer & tongs on it.

I removed about 0.007″ from the recoil plate before the clips would drop in and turn freely with ACP cartridges in place. The firing pin still sits below flush and headspace has not changed significantly, so there should be no negatives with this modification for standard-pressure 45 Colt or 410 shot-shells. It did require a complete tear-down and I slicked things up a little, while I was in there.

I’ve got half a three-pound coffee can of lead-bullet 45 ACP loads left, so we’ll soon know how well the gun shoots with them. I don’t expect it’ll be a tack driver but I’m tickled to have added a layer of versatility to an already versatile fivegun.

First Shots With The 45 ACP

I ran a few ‘clips’ through the gun this morning and there were no problems to report. The target represents 20 rounds fired double-action at 15 yards and I flubbed a few out of the bull until I figured out I needed to hold just under the red dot on the target. There was some key-holing but I didn’t bother cleaning the bore and it was already leaded up. The same hold yielded consistent hits on 6” falling plates.

Final 25 Yard Zero Accomplished-

Satisfied that the 45 Colt ‘Long Load’ was going to shoot about as well as anything from this gun, I set about zeroing the fixed sights for 25 yards. It was shooting a good six inches high and there are essentially no aftermarket front sights available for this revolver. So the answer was to remove metal from the top of the frame at the rear sight notch. I just needed to determine ‘how much’. I turned to Brownells Sight Correction Calculator for the answer. With the PD’s 4.25” sight radius, the Math Wizard said 0.019” would get me there. I covered the topstrap with electrical tape and grabbed my freshest Nicholson 06601N and set to work- very slowly and taking measurements every third stroke. I stopped at 0.017” and eyeballed the sight notch, which was now a little shallow. I was able to deepen the notch an equal amount using a Brownell’s Pillar File, which has two safe edges and is perfect for these jobs.

When the rain stopped, I hung a target and fired five rounds standing unsupported at 25 yards. The Long Load group was 3” including the high shot (which I think I pulled) and 2” excluding it. Aside from a possible slight windage correction, I am satisfied. This ridiculous little 45 ACP/LC/410 combo revolver is now shooting better than the PT145 it replaced.

What lovelier shotgun can there be than a .410 built on the proper-sized action? The old Winchester Model 42 is sleek as a Ferrari, and the new Tristar G2 Viper .410 is equally svelte. Go to the National Rifle Association’s museum and check out the .410 Purdey, Boss, Holland & Holland and other classic British doubles in the Robert Petersen Collection, and they look like magic wands. But the .410 isn’t all a bed of roses.

Often touted as a “beginner’s gun” the truth is that it is far from that. Instant success is the key to attracting new shooters (especially young shooters) and the .410, with its thin patterns, doesn’t deliver a high-voltage charge of enthusiasm. But to understand why the .410 is so lovely, you must first understand its history.

The origins of the .410 go back to the end of the nineteenth century, when farmers shot birds and small game to feed their families. There wasn’t any wing shooting involved here, just pop them wherever they were and take ‘em home for mom to cook. The .44-40 pistol/rifle cartridge came factory loaded with shot specifically for small game, but because it blasted through a rifled barrel, the shot spread very fast and its effective range was only about 10 yards. The J. Stevens Company was probably the first to manufacture a firearm to shoot .44-caliber shot shells—the Stevens Pocket Shotgun chambered in .44-50 (2-inch shells) and .44-65 (2 ½-inch shells). It was followed by Marbles’s over/under Game Getter in 1908 with a .22 rimfire barrel on top of a smoothbore lower barrel in .44 caliber. The .410 as we now know it took shape in 1911 when the bore diameter was reduced to .410. Some shells were head stamped 12mm/.410 giving credit to the German origin of the paper cases.

At this point, I should clarify: The .410 is a caliber, not a gauge. Yes, ammunition companies print their ammo boxes .410 Ga., but that’s a misnomer. If the .410 was rebranded as a gauge, it would be a 67 Gauge. There is also some confusion with the .410 and the 32 and 36 gauges, which are recognized as gauges. Never heard of them? Don’t worry, few have, but side-by-side shotguns in those gauges were made mostly before World War I (though RST Shells in Friendsville, Pennsylvania makes commercial loads for the 32 gauge).

The clay-target game of Skeet essentially kept the .410 alive. Invented by William Harnden Foster in about 1932 as a way for him to keep in shape for grouse hunting in the off season, it evolved into a highly competitive game shortly thereafter. Today some sporting clay competitions also feature .410 courses. In Skeet, the rules mandate the use of a 2 ½-inch shell loaded with a half-ounce of shot, though since targets are no more than 22 to 24 yards from the shooter, the contest is still within the .410’s limitations. Likewise, sporting courses also take into account the limited range of the .410, and like Skeet, limit the shot charge to a half-ounce. The allowable quantities and shot sizes for Skeet and sporting clays are 174 No. 7 ½ pellets, 204 No. 8 pellets and 298 No. 9 pellets, per half-ounce charge respectively.

Many refer to the .410 as a “fun gun,” and to the extent it is used with good sense, it really is. There’s minimal recoil and it can consistently kill game within 25 yards. Some years ago, I did a pattern test using Briley thin-wall choke tubes in one of my Winchester Model 42 .410 pumps chambered for both 2 ½- and 3-inch shells. The other is a Skeet chambered specifically for 2 ½-inch shells. Surprisingly, or maybe not so surprisingly, the best choke at 25 yards proved to be and improved cylinder (I.C.). Shooting lead No. 7 ½ shot these were the most even patterns while the full choke delivered patchy patterns. I used both 2 ½- and 3-inch shells and the shorter ½-ounce load also patterned more evenly. Why? Because the very long shot column necessary with the 3-inch shell causes more pellet deformation as the shot rockets down the barrel at about 900 miles per hour. During this brief passage, it crunches together and is abraded by the barrel walls, regardless of the plastic shot collar, and the many deformed pellets no longer stay within the pattern.

The late B. C. “Barney” Hartman, the great Canadian skeet champion of the 1960s and ‘70s shot a Model 42 that he claims was choked to deliver the shot charge to about the size of a pie plate at 21 yards. “I either hit them or I miss them,” Hartman said. In the late 1970s, he broke 398 of 400 targets at the Canadian Skeet Championship, and the two misses were with the fickle .410.

All of this leads to the question of whether or not the .410 is a beginner’s gun? Yes, there is no recoil, but the limitations prescribed by the ammunition really prohibit a beginning shooter early success. Now, if you just want to go to a skeet field and shoot the low outgoing target at Station 7, that’s fine for first shots at a moving target, because you only need to shoot directly at the clay. It’s here where success and fun can come quick. However, the gun must also fit the shooter to ensure breaking even these simple targets. But vary from that, or take a new shooter into the field after pheasants or quail with a .410, and the results can be frustrating.

On a more positive note, the development of commercially available tungsten super shot loads like Federal’s Heavyweight TSS, has created an opportunity for the .410 to make a name for itself as a turkey killer. The light weight and low recoil of a .410 shotgun make it ideal for a young or small-framed turkey hunter. Or, the turkey hunter who is tired of lugging around a 12-gauge and is dedicated to calling in toms as close as possible.

Vlc free download high sierra. Read Next: Federal Heavyweight TSS .410 Turkey Load

With the exception of that specialty, the best gauge for beginner shooters is the 28, or perhaps the 20, with light loads. Guns in these gauges typically handle better than most .410s, which tend to be whippy and hard to control. Most important, the larger gauges offer a sufficient payload of shot to be effective on any game-farm bird, dove, rabbit, etc. All of this of course presupposes some instruction, practice on clays, and a gun that fits the shooter. Seeing a youngster trying to mount and shoot an adult-sized shotgun is not pleasant.

A number of years ago, shotgun expert Robert N. Sears penned these words, “A few true experts use .410-bore guns creditably in the field. More than wing shooting skill is involved. Recognition of the gun’s limitation and the ability to judge range are as important as pointing skill in avoiding unacceptable crippling losses.” That pretty much sums it up.

Can You Shoot 410 Out Of 45 Long Colt Barrel Dimensions

Classic .410 Shotguns

Today there are a number of .410 shotguns available, some were made many years ago, and some you can buy at your local shotgun dealer. Here’s a quick look at some of the finest ever made.

• The Winchester Model 42 looks like a miniature of their classic Model 12, but it was a totally redesigned gun. First released in 1933, the 42 was discontinued in 1963 in the great Winchester purge, but there are a few available for sale on the used market.
• The Remington 11-48 was the last of the gun maker’s long-recoil operated shotguns. Intended primarily for skeet, many carried a Cutts Compensator–a muzzle-mounted device intended to soften recoil and an attachment for interchangeable choke tubes. The 11-28 is also no longer produced, but you can find previously owned models on the used market.
• The Browning Winchester 42 is a faithful copy of the original Model 42. There was a limited production of this gun made by B.C. Miroku in Japan, but you may still find used versions at auctions or from a gun broker.
• The Iver Johnson Skeeter was a side-by-side hammerless .410 made by Iver Johnson in the 1930s.
• Winchester’s Model 21 is a side by side often made as a two-barrel set of 28 gauge and .410. Manufactured on a light 20-gauge frame, these guns fetch high dollars on the used market. If you’d like a brand new model, the Connecticut Shotgun Manufacturing Company in New Britain, Connecticut currently builds the gun on special order.
• The Winchester 9410 .410 is a novelty shotgun made by Miroku on the familiar Winchester Model 94 lever action that was in production for only a very short time. If you get your hands on one, it’s appropriate for hunting squirrels and casual fun like shooting at clays in the backyard.

Modern .410 Shotguns

The following .410 shotguns are currently being produced.

• The iconic Remington 1100 is a gas-operated semi-automatic shotgun intended for Skeet and sporting clays. It wasn’t the first “gas gun,” but for a 60-plus-year-old shotgun, it’s still holding its own. Remington has sold millions of the Model 870 pump gun, and it might likely be the most popular shotgun in U.S. history. Robust and durable, Remington makes a .410 870 in youth and standard models.
• Browning’s BPS pump-action is a variation of a John Browning design that features bottom loading and bottom ejection that’s similar to the well-known Ithaca Model 37. This gun is fun to point and shoot and unsurpassed in reliability.
• B. Rizzini Aurum and other models of their Italian-made over/unders are available in .410 from Connecticut Shotgun Manufacturing.
• Fausti shotguns are made by three sisters who inherited the company from their father. They offer a number of 3-inch chambered .410 over/unders at a wide range of prices.
• CZ Bobwhite and several other models in both side-by-side and over/under are available from this Czech firm at a variety of prices.

Read Next: Gun Test: Henry .410 Lever Action Shotgun

• Mossberg offers their Model 505 pump-action .410 in a youth model with a shorter stock and a 20-inch vent-rib barrel. The Mossberg International Silver Reserve II is another .410 over/under available at a reasonable price.
• Franchi Instinct is an attractive, Italian-made over/under with a nice Prince of Wales-style stock, single selective trigger, and automatic ejectors.
• Beretta makes several versions of its popular 687 over/under, including the .410. Their popular Silver Pigeon series is a good place to start for a skeet, sporting, or hunting gun.
• Tristar’s Viper G2 Bronze is an attractive gas-operated semi auto available at a very reasonable price that will digest both 2 ½- and 3-inch .410 shells. Fun for clays and hunting within the limitations of the .410.
• Savage/Stevens’ 301 Turkey is a single-shot break action that goes for $199. It features a synthetic stock in Mossy Oak camo and as the name implies, it’s designed for turkey hunting with TSS loads.

Can You Shoot 410 Out Of 45 Long Colt Barrel Liner