choke and/or barrel question

1
How well does a .410 shoot with just a smooth barrel, no chokes, about 28 inch barrel?

This is two projects down the road, but I've found a 91/30 barrel I'm going to make a .410 out of, so I'm starting to think of balancing cost with performance. It's for clays, which mock me. :-(

I am under educated on shot guns, so those of you with knowledge, let me know what you think, eh?

CDFingers
Crazy cat peekin' through a lace bandana
like a one-eyed Cheshire, like a diamond-eyed Jack

Re: choke and/or barrel question

2
If clays mock you, why in the world would you use the toughest caliber to hit with for them? Sounds like a cool project, but not sure clays would be what I was going for with it!

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Re: choke and/or barrel question

5
Aside from actually shooting at a clay and hitting it at, say, 40 yards, what problems might I face in making this beast? If I just have a smooth pipe--which is cheaper than having chokes installed--will I get a nice, tight ball of shot at 40 yards with a .410 2 1/2 inch shell?

CDFingers
Crazy cat peekin' through a lace bandana
like a one-eyed Cheshire, like a diamond-eyed Jack

Re: choke and/or barrel question

6
CDFingers wrote:Aside from actually shooting at a clay and hitting it at, say, 40 yards, what problems might I face in making this beast? If I just have a smooth pipe--which is cheaper than having chokes installed--will I get a nice, tight ball of shot at 40 yards with a .410 2 1/2 inch shell?

CDFingers
I am maybe not the greatest expert on this. But my understanding is that chokes constrict the pattern, and that a chokeless barrel (which should be about the same as a "cylinder" or skeet choke) gives you the most spread-out pattern.

Now 40 yards is a pretty long shot for clays. I would expect the limited number of pellets from a .410 would spread out too much at that distance. In other words, you would have large holes in your pattern plenty big enough for a clay to hide in. This can be a very frustrating experience, because your shots are actually on target, but you are still failing to hit clay.

The only way to know for sure it to use a patterning board (or large paper) at the ranges you expect to shoot at, and with the combinations of shell, choke, and barrel you intend to use.
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Re: choke and/or barrel question

7
If it was me building it, I'd go with the straight tube and if it didn't suit my purposes, I'd have a screw-in choke installed. Experimentation is the name of the game here.

Do you know anybody with a .410 that has interchangeable chokes? That would be the easy way to figure out what suits your needs. Elmo is right that a straight tube is "cylinder".

What you need from patterns will be a little different from usual expectations because of the heft of the gun and the sights. It's just going to handle a bit different from most shotguns.

I totally get that you want to play with clay, but this project smells like quail to me.

Re: choke and/or barrel question

9
I had an old Sears break open in 410 that had a fairly tight pattern to about maybe 20 yards. The barrel bulged due to an obstruction so I had it cut to 18" and a new bead put on.

The recoil increased and the spread was immediate. And it was loud. Any of that appeal to you?
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Re: choke and/or barrel question

10
One of my favorite guns for grouse is an OLD Montgomery Wards bolt action .410 my grandfather gave me when I was a kid. It has a 26" straight tube barrel and pattern decently to about 30 yards. YMMV, but clays at 40 yards could be really frustrating. Try it and see, worse case scenario you can get the choke tubes later.


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Re: choke and/or barrel question

11
Didn't they convert old Lee Enfields into 410 shoguns?

also, I would encourage you to get an old "dial-a-duck" choke off ebay. With 410, you could probably silver solder it on. You could do the work yourself and much cheaper than insert chokes.

You might also find a cheap 410 ribbed barrel with one already attached.
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Re: choke and/or barrel question

12
I had some old 12g that had a variable choke. The end of the barrel was cut into quarters with a wide cut about an inch long. The outside was threaded and a threaded ring would be tightened down to really create a tight choke. It was like a solid lead golf ball flying out of there when it was wrenched all the way down.
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Re: choke and/or barrel question

14
I really meant it when I said I was under educated about shot guns. Heck: I just found out that trap and skeet are different sub categories. It also appears that my "40" yards is a bit far for the .410.

What I have read about this "little" shotgun is that it's a big challenge to hit the clay birds with it. I'm good with that.

It seems the least expensive way to pull it off is to make the straight tube first and try it. It's not going to be an expensive project when compared to my others, so I can afford to mess around. I think while I'm making this I have to be on the lookout for a foot powered bird flinger. I think I'd like to have one that I can step on to launch the bird. I mean, learning how to shoot clays out of the air will poop out any assistant I have who might fling birds for me. So I'll get a personal powered bird flinger.

I'm continuing to research about competition rules, but I'm also working out the mag well for this. I may make a walnut insert for one I have, with a little u shaped cradle for the shell to make it feed cleanly. It will be a single shot bolt action shot gun. Not the most efficient, I know, but it may very well turn out to be a lot of fun. I'm finding out there are differently sized pellets for it and everything. he he. Ignorance is bliss, eh?

CDFingers
Crazy cat peekin' through a lace bandana
like a one-eyed Cheshire, like a diamond-eyed Jack

Re: DROS'd my .410 project this afternoon

21
I'd originally thought of a wooden insert, which would make it a single shot. Do you think you could machine or alter a follower/spring set up to accommodate the .410 shell? I'm thinking the mag well is too narrow near the front. What are your thoughts on that?

CDFingers
Crazy cat peekin' through a lace bandana
like a one-eyed Cheshire, like a diamond-eyed Jack

Re: choke and/or barrel question

23
CDFingers wrote:How well does a .410 shoot with just a smooth barrel, no chokes, about 28 inch barrel?

This is two projects down the road, but I've found a 91/30 barrel I'm going to make a .410 out of, so I'm starting to think of balancing cost with performance. It's for clays, which mock me. :-(

I am under educated on shot guns, so those of you with knowledge, let me know what you think, eh?

CDFingers


Hey, I'm a new guy here...but to be honest a .410 with a cylinder choke is a good option to have around the house.

Over the last few years I've been working with two Mossberg .410 pumps (Model #'s 50104 and 50455) and found that defensive loads such as the federal '000' buck,federal 3-inch #4 buck,as well as slugs do very well from an 18.5 inch tube.

The patterns of the larger buck shot aren't affected as they would be from a standard full choke,said effect is something I've taken to calling premature spread. (go on... I know there are jokes a plenty in that last line)

The result of there being no choke in the already constricted barrel of the .410 is that patterns are more consistent , I've seen the same as it relates to slug accuracy.

I hope that's helped in some way.

Re: choke and/or barrel question

24
Pfletch83 wrote:
CDFingers wrote:How well does a .410 shoot with just a smooth barrel, no chokes, about 28 inch barrel?

This is two projects down the road, but I've found a 91/30 barrel I'm going to make a .410 out of, so I'm starting to think of balancing cost with performance. It's for clays, which mock me. :-(

I am under educated on shot guns, so those of you with knowledge, let me know what you think, eh?

CDFingers


The result of there being no choke in the already constricted barrel of the .410 is that patterns are more consistent ,
I am going to use this to shoot clays somehow. The quote above seems to say that no choke provides more consistent patterns. Is that what it says?

CDFingers
Crazy cat peekin' through a lace bandana
like a one-eyed Cheshire, like a diamond-eyed Jack

Re: choke and/or barrel question

25
CDFingers wrote:
Pfletch83 wrote:
CDFingers wrote:How well does a .410 shoot with just a smooth barrel, no chokes, about 28 inch barrel?

This is two projects down the road, but I've found a 91/30 barrel I'm going to make a .410 out of, so I'm starting to think of balancing cost with performance. It's for clays, which mock me. :-(

I am under educated on shot guns, so those of you with knowledge, let me know what you think, eh?

CDFingers


The result of there being no choke in the already constricted barrel of the .410 is that patterns are more consistent ,
I am going to use this to shoot clays somehow. The quote above seems to say that no choke provides more consistent patterns. Is that what it says?

CDFingers
That is what I've seen with '000' buck pellets, not so with bird shot I'm afraid.

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