Characteristics of the 410 caliber cartridge and features of its equipment

410 caliber cartridges with weapons for it appeared in our country in the 90s of the last century . The caliber has been popular in England and the USA for a long time. The weapon was actively used by farmers already at the end of the 18th century to shoot harmful birds, snakes, rodents, and for recreational shooting.

The founder of the serial mass production of cartridges was. The cartridge was eventually adopted by hunters. In our country, some hunters are skeptical about the 410 caliber, but this is not an obstacle to the constant growth of its popularity.

History of creation

The 410 today is one of the lowest-power, and at the same time the youngest among the used hunting calibers for smooth-bore weapons. Cartridges with this caliber were first invented in 1874 by the London company Eley Brothers Ltd, but for a long time they were produced semi-handicraft. Used mainly for civilian revolvers and derringer pistols used for self-defense. In the USA, these pistols were also called “snake” pistols, because shotguns were convenient for killing rattlesnakes and vipers, which were numerous in the southern and western states, from a safe distance.

Hunting revolver chambered for .410 caliber

The production of cartridges began in 1934 in the state of Connecticut, at the factories of the American weapons company Winchester Repeating Arms. The industrial production of such hunting cartridges was associated with increased demand for them. It was used for hunting birds and small game, which became popular among landowners in the Midwestern United States. .410-caliber shotguns were used to hunt rabbits, squirrels and birds when loaded with shot. When loaded with a bullet, this caliber has successfully taken foxes, coyotes, badgers and even larger game: young boars, wolves, deer.

Another factor that influenced the popularity of the 410 cartridge was the passing of the global economic crisis, which in the West was called the “Great Depression”. He taught Americans to save on literally everything, and hunters preferred this low-power, but more inexpensive ammunition. The benefit here was simple: at a distance of 100 yards (91 meters), its stopping power was roughly comparable to a .356 rifle bullet. At the same time, the cost of a smoothbore gun made for the 410 caliber was 4 times lower than that of the more traditional rifled 356 from the same Winchester at the beginning of the 20th century.

In those days, shooting at small and medium game was almost never carried out from a distance of over 100 meters due to the rarity and high cost of optical sights. Therefore, it is quite understandable that American hunting enthusiasts, who had been stranded during the long-term crisis, purchased smoothbore shotguns for the 410 caliber. In Russia, this cartridge was practically unknown until the 1990s, when Izhmash began producing the Saiga-410 smooth-bore carbine. Initially, imported Magnum cartridges were used for it, but soon their production was established at three domestic factories at once.

Saiga-410 carbine

Today this caliber is widely used not only for hunting. It is widely used in sports, as ammunition for clay pigeon shooting. The low-power cartridge is also used for self-defense. The most famous are the civilian pump-action shotguns produced by Mossbach. The cartridge is also used in traumatic pistols for rubber bullets.

Versatility

Fierce competition among traditional short-barreled guns is forcing manufacturers to take bold, risky steps. A revolver capable of causing significant damage guarantees a successful hit even in the hands of an inexperienced shooter. This is the main idea when developing hunting revolvers, designed not only for firing 410 caliber for smoothbore guns, but also 45 caliber for rifled guns. Such “omnivorousness” and the low price of ammunition immediately captivated a certain group of people. It is necessary to figure out whether these products are so beautiful, about which various laudatory reviews narrate with aspiration.

Why is a .410 caliber shotgun called a “garbine carbine” in the USA?

In the United States, .410-caliber shotguns are also called garden shotguns. The nickname given to the weapon should be taken literally. This is due to the popularity of the caliber among farmers as an effective remedy against various small pests. It is convenient to shoot flocks of starlings pecking at berries with shot. Equipped with a .410R bullet, the cartridges could easily shoot a coyote or a fox stealing animals from the yard. Also, the “garden carbine” was not bad against ungulates that climbed into farmers’ fields and vegetable gardens: wild boars or deer.

American garden carabiner

Characteristics of 410 caliber

Today, 410 cartridges are produced by many arms companies, both abroad and in Russia. There are several options for ammunition of this caliber:

1. Short cartridge 410 x 50.8 mm. It was this cartridge with a two-inch sleeve that was created at the end of the 19th century and was used in civilian “snake” pistols.
2. Standard Winchester cartridge 410 x 70 mm, production of which began in 1934 in New England (USA region).
3. The Magnum cartridge with a three-inch sleeve is the most common today. For example, it is produced at the domestic Barnaul and Tula cartridge factories. It is this type that is used in the Saiga-410 smoothbore hunting carbine, developed and produced by the Izhevsk Kalashnikov concern.

Shot hunting cartridges .410 caliber
From the first years of the launch of ammunition into mass production, competition began between arms companies for a potential buyer. As a result, a large number of different equipment options appeared:

• classic fraction;
• caliber bullet;
• sub-caliber bullet, characterized by better speed and penetrating characteristics;
• over-caliber bullet, in diameter exceeding the diameter of the bore.

Such charges are fired using special muzzle attachments. The name of the caliber was given by the British system of measures: the diameter of the cartridge is 0.41 inches. Converted to the metric system, in millimeters this would be 10.4 mm. According to the domestic classification, it occupies an intermediate position between 36 and 37. Accordingly, from 1 pound (453 grams) 36.5 spherical bullets can be cast for the .410R cartridge.

Calibers of hunting weapons in millimeters

Despite the skepticism of some hunters about this ammunition, it has good characteristics. Among them is excellent stabilization, providing good accuracy when shooting at game. Also, .410 caliber shotguns have low recoil and are lightweight. The tables below show the characteristics of some ammunition of this caliber. Bullet cartridges:

Shot cartridges:

Key Benefits

.410R shotguns have a number of advantages that should be considered when choosing a weapon. Among them, special mention should be made of the following:

1. Light weight of weapons and ammunition.
2. Low recoil, which is especially important when hunting waterfowl from a boat or when conducting long-term shooting, for example, at sports competitions. The same factor makes it possible to widely use optics on such guns: sight settings are less likely to be lost, and the device itself lasts longer.
3. Since the cartridge capacity when loaded with shot is smaller, the number of wounded animals when shooting at a flock of game birds is smaller.
4. Excellent bullet speed, comparable to more powerful charges.
5. Good accuracy of fire when the cartridge is loaded with a bullet.
6. Current legislation allows the independent production of .410R hunting ammunition. This is not considered by the criminal code as the illegal manufacture of equipment for firearms. Casting spherical bullets is not so difficult, but at the same time it can save a lot of money on purchasing factory ammunition.

Hunting with Saiga 410

To purchase a rifle, a minimum of 5 years of hunting experience is required. At the same time, you can purchase a smoothbore shotgun for .410R caliber immediately after passing the hunting minimum standards and receiving a ticket.

Main disadvantages

Like any other ammunition, this cartridge also has its weaknesses. One of the main disadvantages, according to domestic hunters, is its clearly inflated cost. It is 1.5–2 times higher than the price of 16- and 12-gauge charges with lower power. This is a feature of the domestic hunting equipment market, since in Western countries the 410 caliber is one of the most budget-friendly for its price. This nuance can discourage many hunters from purchasing such weapons, hesitating between choosing a gun with a .410R or a more powerful load.

Another disadvantage characteristic of Russian cartridges is that the quality is not very high compared to foreign analogues. The cost of high-quality imported products, due to the inevitable costs of their delivery, customs and store markups, is too high. Other nuances that affect the performance characteristics: material of manufacture, type of gunpowder used, manufacturer.

Also among the disadvantages are the low stopping power of the bullet and low efficiency when firing shot at single targets. In general, the pros and cons of domestically produced charges approximately balance each other, and each hunter independently decides which gun to give preference to.

What kind of mining is this caliber suitable for?

Weapons designed for this ammunition are most effective against small and medium-sized animals. Shot cartridges are excellent for shooting at flocking game birds. The preferred sighting range is up to 50 meters. Due to the small amount of shot, it does not provide sufficient accuracy as with larger ammunition. Therefore, effective shooting at single targets, especially fast moving ones, at long distances is ineffective. For example, shooting a snipe or a duck with shot will be difficult due to the small sheaf of shot dispersion.

Small game hunting with .410 caliber

It is possible to conduct targeted fire with bullets from much greater distances. For example, the Saiga carbine is capable of confidently hitting a target with an area comparable to a human figure from a distance of 100 meters. Such weapons show the greatest effect against small and medium-sized animals: foxes, wolves, roe deer, small wild boars. As for shooting at larger game, the stopping effect of the bullet is much lower than that of the same 12 or 16 gauge. This is due to its small weight, only 7–10 grams.

Reviews of the Tahoe Hunt brand

Some buyers choose these cartridges for their light weight. In this case, the sleeves are made only of plastic, and their size is 75 mm. The limiting energy parameter of the presented sample is quite large. However, the shot spread of the cartridges is insignificant. It should also be noted that residues are not used in them. In this regard, the flange is installed quite wide. The gunpowder in the presented sample is used in the “SPP20” class.

The capsule used is of high quality. The base of the sleeve is made of aluminum. If you believe the opinion of consumers, the recoil of the presented cartridges is small. The pallet is made of steel and has excellent stabilization. With 410 caliber weapons, these cartridges allow you to successfully fire aimed fire at a distance of about 38 meters. These products are sold in packages of 15 units and currently cost about 1,600 rubles.

Basic weapon options

The .410R cartridge is used today for several types of weapons:

• hunting and sporting rifles and smooth-bore carbines;
• pump-action shotguns, pistols and revolvers used by ordinary citizens for self-defense;
• weapons for law enforcement agencies: police, army, special forces.

Pump-action Mossberg .410

One of the most famous shotguns in the West is the Remington-870, model 1950. This is an American pump-action single-barreled shotgun, used with equal success by both the US army and police, and the civilian population for self-defense and hunting. The hunting version was equipped with a magazine for 4–5 charges.

In addition to shotguns, this caliber is used in a number of large-caliber pistols, including traumatic ones:

• "Taurus" M-4510;
• Smith & Wesson GOVERNOR;
• Big-Bore "Home Defender";
• Thunder-5 by MIL Inc.

Revolver Thunder 5 410

American measurement system

In fact, the American caliber scale is derived from the English one, as is the language. We'll talk about the differences a little later.

It is important that the conservative British did not immediately want to switch to the metric system of measurements, which was popular throughout the world, using pounds, miles and feet for a long time.

To measure small objects, a unit such as an inch was used - 25.4 mm. However, for the calibers of rifled weapons this clearly turned out to be too much. Therefore, lines and even dots came to the rescue. An inch consists of 10 lines, and 10 points, in turn, make up 1 line. These units were much better suited for weapon calibers.

Now let's pay attention to the American markings of cartridges. Here you cannot see the usual 7.62 or 9 millimeters. Everything is much more complicated – at least when you’re not used to it. There are calibers such as .38, .40, .41, .44, .50 and many others like them.

All these gauges are measured in points, which, as mentioned above, are parts of an inch. That is, we take a weapon with a barrel diameter of half an inch - 0.5 inches. If you convert it into points, it turns out that this is already 0.500. To reduce confusion, let’s remove the first zero—it won’t confuse a knowledgeable person. It turns out .500. And the last zero does not play any role here - let’s cross it out too. So we got the .50 caliber - one of the most terrible ones used by the American army. What will happen if we transfer it to the system we are familiar with? To do this, multiply 0.50 by 25.4 (the number of millimeters in an inch). And we get...12.7 millimeters! That is, the Browning .50 heavy machine gun is quite consistent with our 12.7 mm “Cliff”!

However, when marking some calibers, the metric system is also used. For example, the popular M4 automatic carbine uses 5.56 mm cartridges, not .22.

What kind of guns are produced in Russia under the 410 caliber?

Among the hunting rifles manufactured for this ammunition, the following should be mentioned:

1. "Saiga-410" is a smooth-bore hunting carbine, created on the basis of the AK-74 assault rifle at Izhmash. This is the first-born among domestic hunting weapons created for .410 x 76 Magnum. Until now, the carbine is the most popular model of this caliber among Russian hunters.
2. MTs-255. A single-barreled revolver-type shotgun, developed by Tula gunsmiths and produced since 2005. Currently, production of this model has been discontinued; it is produced only in single versions upon individual order.
3. MP-27EM. Izhevsk double-barreled over/under shotgun of lightweight design.
4. Izh-18M. Another brainchild of Izhevsk designers, created for a low-power magnum charge 410 x 76. It has one barrel and is intended for hunting small game, mainly birds.

Revolving shotgun MTs-255

How to load a .410 caliber cartridge

The high cost of ammunition of this caliber is aggravated by their frequent absence from the shelves of gun stores. This problem is especially noticeable in the outback, where it sometimes becomes difficult to get them. But one of the advantages of the 410-caliber cartridge is the ability to load it independently. This eliminates the listed disadvantages, allowing hunters to provide themselves with the necessary ammunition.

For this, reusable metal casings or previously shot casings made of high-quality plastic are used. The most common hunting weapon in the Russian Federation today under .410R is the Saiga carbine. It has a significant margin of safety, which allows you to equip homemade ammunition with more gunpowder than factory modifications. For example, the thickness of the Saiga barrel reaches 3–3.5 mm, while for the 16-gauge MC or Izha this figure is only 1.5–2 mm. This allows you to significantly increase the muzzle energy and the speed of the bullet when fired.

The entire equipment process consists of two stages:

1. Making a bullet.
2. Cartridge equipment.

Self-loading .410 caliber cartridges

To cast bullets, you can use a homemade device. It is very difficult to find bullet guns for 410 caliber on sale. At home, the easiest way is to make a simple spherical bullet from lead, tin, or their alloy. But some craftsmen manage to cast very high-quality jacketed cap bullets. When lead is used for casting, the mass of the resulting bullet is about 12 grams, while the tin bullet is about 8 grams.

When choosing a material for casting, the following properties of non-jacketed bullets should be taken into account:

1. The tin bullet has a higher flight speed, slightly longer firing range and penetrating ability.
2. A lead bullet is softer. Therefore, although its flight speed is lower than that of tin, it has a good stopping effect. This is due to the fact that when it hits the body of a game, it crumples even in soft tissues, increasing the area of ​​contact and the force of impact.

410 caliber bullet gun
To load the cartridge, it is best to use slow-burning varieties of Sunar-Magnum or 410 gunpowder. For shooting without barrel attachments, you can use the faster “Falcon”. However, its use is still not recommended: as a result of using the Falcon, a sharp jump in pressure occurs, recoil increases, and the box becomes more dirty (we are talking about the Saiga carbine). “Sunar” accelerates the bullet more smoothly, the pressure in the barrel increases more slowly, which gives less recoil and also prevents damage to the cartridges.

The proportions of powder filling are as follows:

1. "Sunar"-410. For winter shooting 1.4-1.5 grams, for summer - 1.3 grams.
2. "Sunar-Magnum". For winter - 1.3 grams, for summer - 1.2 grams.
3. "Falcon". When using green Italian-made sleeves for winter and summer - 1.3–1.4 grams each. For red cartridges, a smaller charge is recommended - no more than 1.2 grams.

Smokeless hunting powder Falcon

It is more practical and faster to load ammunition yourself using special kits sold in gun stores. Their kit includes a punch, a primer knocker, a press-fit and other necessary accessories.

Taurus Public Defender

Another 410 caliber hunting revolver, but lighter and more compact than its older brother. The drum is identical, designed for 5 rounds. Double-action trigger mechanism: self-cocking and manual pre-cocking. The front sight of the Taurus family is not adjustable. The branded handle is made in combat style.

Another important distinguishing feature of this family is that the barrel and its frame are made from one solid milled blank. The muzzle energy can be twice the norm, but for such revolvers this is not scary.

Tuning options

Saiga carbines of all modifications are highly valued by fans of hunting and sport shooting for their wide range of tuning options. This fully applies to the 410 caliber. If you have the necessary funds, you can replace almost any part with it. There are various options for stocks, forends, and magazines on sale, so that each hunter, if desired, can ideally adjust the weapon to his individual needs and requirements.

Tactical kit for Saiga 410

Saiga also comes with a large number of sights, from open rifle sights to collimator sights and even powerful optics. A very useful addition is the Paradox barrel attachment, designed for firing a bullet. It increases the length of the barrel, thereby accelerating the bullet. Also, thanks to the attachment, the flight of the ammunition is stabilized, which gives additional accuracy to shooting. Passing through the “Paradox”, the bullet acquires a rotational motion, which does not allow it to deviate from the original target even when in contact with branches, grass and other small obstacles.

Which store to choose

Most modifications of the Saiga-410 can use carbines with a capacity of 2, 4, 8 and 10 rounds. And here we have to make a very difficult choice. The smaller the magazine, the more convenient it is to work with it in the future - it does not cling to bushes, belts and other equipment. But the longer it is, the more cartridges it holds.

Therefore, it is impossible to give definite advice here - each owner must decide for himself which store will be the best choice for him. But it is advisable to have several magazines in your arsenal so that you can use the one that suits you in a particular situation.