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Thread: .410 Shotgun Shells in Revolvers

  1. #1
    Boolit Master Oyeboten's Avatar
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    .410 Shotgun Shells in Revolvers

    I have not examined the specs on the various .45 Colt ~ dash ~ .410 Revolvers...but, what is going on there as far as Barrel Bore diameter in relation to the Diameter of a .410 Slug?

    Isn't a .410 Slug .410 in diameter" ?

    Which if so, wouldn't it be right for .41 Magnum? but way too small for .45 Colt?

  2. #2
    Boolit Master
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    Yes technically a 410 is 41. The 45/410, your sort of screwed. A 410 slug wont really work very well, being a bit undersized. A 45 slug to fit the barrel wont fit in a 410 shell. One I had even using a brass shell wouldnt fix it as the front part of the chamber is made for a 410, so 45 slug and case is to big. I tried all sorts of stuff, it was near useless with 45 colt, and was no way to get a 45 slug closer to the rifling due to the chamber. May vary depending on who made it.

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    Boolit Master Oyeboten's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tackleberry41 View Post
    Yes technically a 410 is 41. The 45/410, your sort of screwed. A 410 slug wont really work very well, being a bit undersized. A 45 slug to fit the barrel wont fit in a 410 shell. One I had even using a brass shell wouldnt fix it as the front part of the chamber is made for a 410, so 45 slug and case is to big. I tried all sorts of stuff, it was near useless with 45 colt, and was no way to get a 45 slug closer to the rifling due to the chamber. May vary depending on who made it.

    Okay...thanks...

    I was thinking, one could fit an extra and modified Cylinder to a .41 Magnum, especially if it is a SAA style or even an S & W, where, it is pretty easy really to just change a Cylinder.

    Have a spare Cyinder adapted to accept a shortened .410 Cartridge which one would load one's self of course.

    I am not really sure why one would do this, other then, I was just trying to think about it and that is what I came up with.

    Of course, one could just make up Shot Shells for a .41 Magnum using .41 Magnum Brass and stay with the Cylinder it has, for that matter.

    In the various Revolvers which are made to accept a .410 Shell, I suppose the Shell has a plastic upside down 'cup' or something in it which splays out to fill the Bore and reduces blow by for the Pellet Charge..?

    I have never dissected a Shot Gun Cartridge to really know what all they have in them.

  4. #4
    Boolit Master
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    Yea they make special 410 for pistols, but it still has to be usable in a 410. So still uses standard wads. If they made some sort of bore sized slug, be a problem in a 410 shotgun.

    Not sure what the point of a cylinder for a 41 mag, when you could just use 41 mag. Would imagine brass 410 shells could be cut down to fit a factory chamber.

    The whole 45/410 thing was just a scam to be able to sell them in the US. The original gun only uses 410 and is unrifled, which actually does work decent. Rifling it ruins it as a shotgun, and the screwy chamber ruins it for 45 colt. I have some load data with 3 45 colt sections. Standard pressure, Ruger only and 45/410. The 45/410 is actually heavier than the ruger data, but near standard pressure. Most of it just blows around the bullet as it bangs down the throat, so no velocity boost over standard pressure with alot more muzzle blast.

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    Tackleberry41 nailed it. The .410/.45 Colt revolvers are a collection of gimmicks that do a few things poorly and nothing really well.
    The tiny bit of rifling needed to make it a revolver and not a short barreled shotgun ruins it as a shotgun and does little to help the .45 slug.

    Those things sell (which is the entire point of making them) but once you get beyond marketing they are mostly a novelty. If they could be made as a smooth bore with the appropriately sized chambers & barrel they might have a little more usefulness but even then I have to wonder what they would be good for.

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    I think they work pretty well with buckshot for close range defense.

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    I will not dispute that at short range they may have some SD use with buck shot. However, They are rather large for that task.

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    Boolit Master
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    The smooth bore 410 revolver is apparently pretty popular in Brazil. Its not a shotgun for skeet or anything, but pretty nasty at self defense range. Most laugh at the 410, but few would volunteer to be shot with one to prove they suck. Now they are selling the self defense ones designed for the revolvers. Saw a box other day with a Hornady FTX bullet and buck inside.

    Big issue with the 410 is the limited space inside a plastic hull. Once you put a plastic wad in it, not much room for anything and why they tend to be considered anemic. Switch to something like converted 93x74r and they can be pretty lethal. I can stack 3 .395 RB in a hull very easy. And even pretty accurate in a shotgun, bet they would be pretty nasty in one of the revolvers. They do sell 40cal spitzer for use in sabots, might work in something rifled. I have been tempted to make another of my socket molds for a 410. The one I came up with for my 16ga works much better than I expected. Those brass hulls will hold as much shot as a 12ga, not that your going to find data for such a load.

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    Boolit Bub billybadmedicine's Avatar
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    I must be the only person that has no issues at SD distances with my Judge and 45 LC ammo. I inherited one, and was very skeptical of it but it has really grown on me and the wife really likes the grips
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    Between the wife and I we carry our S&W Governor more often on our property than every other handgun combined that we own. Its deadly on snakes and accurate enough with 45 ACP or 45 Colt ammo to kill small game 20 yards away (never tried any further, yet)

    I really don't think a possible intruder would like to meet the Governor face to face with any of the 3 types of ammo in the cylinder.
    East Tennessee

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    Boolit Buddy spfd1903's Avatar
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    I have bought every kind of .410 "handgun ammo" ever made to date for a 3 inch barrel Judge. The buckshot and #4 shot shoots a much tighter pattern and penetrates better than generic .410 shotgun loads. The Hornady ammo with a .41 caliber ftx slug shoots a 4" group at 25 yards with a couple bb's thrown in. Brennecke makes a slug round that blew through two wet phone books at 15 feet. Left a 4" crater on the back side and had quite a kick to the hand. I have loaded the Lee 452-200-RF with a load of True Blue that holds a 2"group at 15 yards. Found the load in Western Powders data about a year ago under .45 Colt/.410 handgun section. Except for the Brennecke slug, the size of the revolver limits any kick from any of the ammo I have fired over the last eight years. Great for short range and then some, allows for a wide variety of loads and projectiles.
    "Semper quaerendo plumbum"

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    Just for the fun of it, I am planning on loading up some loads with a little .410 Svarog Diablo ( giant air rifle pellet looking thing) slug at 110 gr. powder coated in a .41 magnum. I wonder which powder to use and how much to give around 700-900 FPS . These things shot ok out of a .410 muzzleloader using 40 gr. 2f but wouldn’t shoot black powder in my nice revolter. Maybe 4.0 gr. 231? Just guessing at this point.

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    Wasn’t there once a survival gun that could shoot .410 shotgun shells, as well as a handgun cartridge? .44mag?

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    Boolit Grand Master Outpost75's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by GregLaROCHE View Post
    Wasn’t there once a survival gun that could shoot .410 shotgun shells, as well as a handgun cartridge? .44mag?
    The Marbles Game Getter fired .44-40 round ball, .44 XL shot or original Eley 2-inch .410 rounds. Late production ones had 2-1/2" .410 chambers. I assemble similar rounds in Starline 5 in 1 blank cases for my antique H&R .44 Garden Gun.

    Attachment 286611Attachment 286612Attachment 286613Attachment 286614Attachment 286617Attachment 286618Attachment 286619Attachment 286620
    Last edited by Outpost75; 07-24-2021 at 05:58 PM.
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    Boolit Master gpidaho's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Newtire View Post
    Just for the fun of it, I am planning on loading up some loads with a little .410 Svarog Diablo ( giant air rifle pellet looking thing) slug at 110 gr. powder coated in a .41 magnum. I wonder which powder to use and how much to give around 700-900 FPS . These things shot ok out of a .410 muzzleloader using 40 gr. 2f but wouldn’t shoot black powder in my nice revolter. Maybe 4.0 gr. 231? Just guessing at this point.
    Newtire: I had the same thing in mind. May try it yet. I did send a few to Outpost75 that he tried out of a revolver with no joy. He said they tumbled if I remember right. Maybe he can post the load and result. Gp

  16. #16
    Boolit Grand Master Outpost75's Avatar
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    Shot OK in .38-40, keyhole in .44-40 revolver and smooth bore .410. Round ball was better...
    Last edited by Outpost75; 07-30-2021 at 11:03 AM.
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    The barrel diameter is .451" on most of them, so....... shooting a .41 slug wouldn't work very well.
    I have a judge and load 4 000 Buck with 2400 powder in a 2.5" hull. I also have some Judge only 45 colt loads. The throats are larger so you do get some blow by with a 45 bullet. I use faster powders vs slower ones to get the initial velocity launch.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check