Thoughs on .410 for Skeet/Trap


towboater

New member
Going to be introducing my wife to shooting in the next few days. She is a very petite lady, her first shooting experience will be with a .22 rifle. Having said this she wants to learn to shoot trap/skeet. I believe the only comfortable gauge for her would be .410. Don't know without a doubt yet of that, yet fairly certain. Has anyone ever used this gauge for it? I have always used a 12 gauge, while some friends had shot 20s. Man behind the counter of the gunstore where said firearms will be purchased, claimed he knew a lot of people who did, and were successful in doing so. If this is not the case, I will work her up for a while with the .410 recoil, then introduce her slowly to the 20 gauge with recoil pads. I have my eye on a Stoger Condor youth model O/U for her. Any thoughts, or experience would be appreciated...
 

I dont know about the 410 part but i also have a very small wife wh loves to shoot and she does take a 12 gage deer hunting but i am looking at a youth 20 since her arms are so short. I would suggest a 20 and maybe a nice shooting vest with the should pad in it. If she is like mine she will be all for buying new accessories.
 
Yeah, I already know she will be wanting all the doodads.....lol I don't want to start her on a rough recoil, then ruin her view of shooting.
 
I worked at a gun club through high school and college and a lot of the guys used the 28 gauge. They were low on recoil and were plenty for skeet. I think the shells are a bit more expensive but worth it if it can bring your wife into the sport. And I believe Remington and browning make inexpensive pump models.
 
The 410 is considered the experts gauge because it is hard to consistently break targets with it. I suggest a 20 gauge auto to reduce felt/perceived recoil and the ammo will be significantly less. Also if your wife can break more targets she will enjoy it much more than missing with the 410.
 
Thanks for the insight! Told her about the options and she decided to shoot paper for a while, then move to Clays. She tried some shotguns, and rifles out. Picked out......lol.....a PINK Rossi. Figured my wife would want pink. I'm just happy to have a wife who wants to shoot. Thanks again y'all!
 
The .410 is a poor option for skeet or trap, especially for a new shooter - they are likely to become discouraged from missing targets. In addition 410 ammunition is very expensive. A 20 gauge pump or semi-auto with a good recoil pad would be your best bet. They offer 20 gauge shotguns in youth models so I don't believe recoil should be a problem, especially with low base ammunition. My wife perfers to shoot a 12 gauge and carry a 20 gauge because she enjoys being difficult.
 
I'd go with the 20ga., for the reasons mentioned above. Using the pump, takes your mind off the recoil it seems, at least with my daughters it did, and all are "petite" ladies.
 
I am an avid 410 person. I have used my 410 doing what you are asking about and have become very good at it. The lack of signifigant recoil is a HUGE plus especially with recoil sensetive people. Mrs SANTA has gotten into shooting it as well and considering her disabilities it is the ONLY shotgun she can shoot.
My shotgun is a Mossberg Model 500 pump-action. It has 2 beads and even has a recoil pad. It is VERY easy on the shoulder. The 'flinch' that sometimes developes when bigger shotguns are used simply doesnt happen with 410.
I grant that the 410 throws only 1/2 to 2/3 of what a 12 gauge does. But it doesnt take an expert shooter to enjoy the things you are asking about. All it takes is practice, and Ive gotten good at it. AND having fun doing it.
As far as cost true it does cost more but if you watch the sales its not as bad as some make it out to be. OR you can reload like I do and in the end not only pay less, but pay even less to reload than the 12 gaugers do. My cost reloading 410 bore is about 10-12 cents a shell.
 
There is another reason to use a 410 bore shotgun. Self defence. Factory 410 comes in a variety of loadings. From light birdshot to 000 buckshot. The slugs have about 700-800 pounds of muzzle energy, which exceeds a 357 magnum. Each shell of 000 buckshot contains 5 pellets for a muzzle energy of around 1000 puonds. This is around the energy of a 44 magnum. There isnt any huiman that those kinds of rounds wont stop. The light recoil also means less recovery time between shots. There are those that say only a 12 gauge will work, but bigger isnt always better. Being able to shoot accurately and rapidly is far more important than having the biggest shotgun. A 410 is perfect.
 
Whenever I hear a guy talk about his petite lady, I think of the four foot, eleven & one half, one hundred [or so] pound sharpshooter Annie Oakley and if she would agree with the choices being made for our "modern" petite shooting gals…?
 
Im sure she would say "shoot with what you are able to hit the target with" or words to that effect. She also would say 'shot placement is most important'. I KNOW that she would approve of the ladies making their own decision, not discounting advice.
 
Take the time and buy the right gun and correct cal./gauge to fit the shooter or they may not last. See a good sales rep or instructor to be sure the gun fits her or it will be an uphill battle.

.410 will not be enough for consistent target breaks for a new shooter, and loads will cost more for much less.
(the .410 has a very limited area of sport games and suitable hunts although it will be said there are many)

28 gauge would be the best, but you need to buy your shells from a club that will supply you, buy the case lot for savings.
(the savings are well worth it) The 28 is also suitable for other sports, it will kick or recoil very similar to the .410 and
some claim less. The shot payload is double that of a .410.

20 gauge in many instances is loaded hotter to compete with the 12 ga. so be sure to stick to ''low brass''. Even better will
be to again order from a local range and ask for ''low recoil'' 20's in your shot choice, it is well worth the small premium.
After she has been shooting awhile you can start to mix in the standard loads.
Also and this is almost as important of picking the right instructor, and I am assuming it will be you. Never let her shoot
too long, just a few shots at first, then a half box, then a box, and so on. She will need to develop some muscle memory
before she develops a bruise and then a flinch.

12 gauge not an option.
May as well use a 10 gauge.
 
We spent time looking and talking, I let her decide after the advice which she wanted. My wife is very stubborn like me so I let her choose. The gun fits her well she is 5 foot 95lbs. The one she picked in 410 will have stout recoil, due to the light gun. I explained this to her, it also has a .22lr barrel to go with it. We just want to get her shooting comfortably and accurate then worry about Clays. When that day does come i will find her a devoted clays gun. Maybe an auto loader or o/u whichever she decidedly fits better. I dont mind her having multiple guns;)
I hope to take her shooting this weekend.
 
12 gauge not an option.
May as well use a 10 gauge.

I like how you can be the expert without even meeting the woman. You do understand that there are some women who are muzzle blast and recoil junkies too. My ex-wife's favorite gun was the S&W .460 with hot handloads. Mostly because it would cause all the big men in the gun range to stop cold with looks of horror on their faces and exclamations of, "What the hell is that!"
 
Since there have been some more alternate opinions posted, I feel the need to chime in here to agree with several who have already explained that .410 is a poor choice for a beginner.

I used to shoot skeet competitively and was an instructor for a college skeet team and the accompanying college P.E. shotgun course. A .410 is an expert's shotgun. It is hard to hit a moving target with one, will be frustrating for a new shooter to try to use, and highten the possibility of tempting the new shooter to give up the sport. Plus shells are expensive (unless you reload).

If at all possible, the 20 gauge is a much better choice for a beginner whether petite or not. A youth 20gauge auto with recoil pad has very light recoil; the auto function essentially acts like a shock absorber for the recoil, and most autos are a little heavier which dampens the recoil even more.

28 gauges are getting rare aside from skeet models, but if you can get 28 gauge ammo locally that is even a better choice. As already noted, a 28 gauge recoil is similar to .410, and an interesting phenominom that I noticed time and again with many shooters is that for some reason, they actually shot better scores with a 28 than with a 20.
 
We spent time looking and talking, I let her decide after the advice which she wanted. My wife is very stubborn like me so I let her choose. The gun fits her well she is 5 foot 95lbs. The one she picked in 410 will have stout recoil, due to the light gun. I explained this to her, it also has a .22lr barrel to go with it. We just want to get her shooting comfortably and accurate then worry about Clays. When that day does come i will find her a devoted clays gun. Maybe an auto loader or o/u whichever she decidedly fits better. I dont mind her having multiple guns;)
I hope to take her shooting this weekend.
You made a good choice, by letting her choose. After all is said and done she is the one who is shooting it, not any of us. You have a 410 shotgun and a 22LR. Best of both worlds. Keep me informed as Im thinking on getting one of those guns also. You never have enough toys(GUNS).
 
Will do Santa, it'll most likely be in may when I'm home again. Not enough time this trip home, to much to do.
 
@ Navy LCDR

You called me out and you are correct.... I phrased it wrong.

[CORRECTED AS FOLLOWS]

If she was in my class, and I knew nothing about her other than her build and her willing to shoot.
I would not let her shoot anything larger than a 20 Gauge other than maybe a 16gauge auto if it fit her.

(you are right though there are recoil junkies out there and my sisters are (all 4) but now they have a crazy flinch when shooting)

I kinda threw the 12 ga. and 10 ga. comment in there trying to be funny,
but am reminded that funny does not read well to everyone on forums.
 

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