doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com .410 for quail

I've looked on a few sites and have seen 2 Skeeters. $2995 and $3995. Is it realistic to find them much less in good condition?

I've looked on a few sites and have seen 2 Skeeters. $2995 and $3995. Is it realistic to find them much less in good condition?

I haven't kept up on prices for them but .410 Skeeter's bring some pretty heavy bucks lately. $4k seems very high for their quality. They are heavy guns and work well for skeet as they were intended. I think you'll find them on the heavy side for your use. I'm of the opinion that a 6lb even gun in .410 is about right for me. I think the Skeeter's run about 7lbs.

If I were thinking as you are, I'd look at the AYA's and Arrietta's. Also the Ugartechea guns might suit you.

I agree w/Chuck on the Skeeter pricing .. that's [$3~4K]just way too high for what they are. I don't know them to be quite that heavy, but perhaps they are. My experience with Skeeters is honestly limited to a single 28ga. and it was a lively gun with very high quality original wood though it required a complete re-do to bring it back up to snuff. A friend in the panhandle hunts quail and phes with it. I don't know its weight, but I did shoot it a fair amount as he was getting it sorted out. I have seen two .410 Skeeters offered for sale at $2400 in 90%+ condition, but it was a couple of years back. That seemed a bit pricey to me at the time and I didn't bite. No regrets.

No quail around here but from my experience O'Connor was right in that .410s were only for experts, which to me means one hell of a shot (which I'm not).

I have been following the price on Skeeter 410's for a bit now. I do not know why, but the price is way above the quality I would expect at that level. I have not seen a Skeeter 410 for under $2,000.

The first american sxs in 410 was built by Parker. This just a few years after your Winchester 20 was introduced. Shortly after that Ithaca followed. Then the flood gates opened for the 410 sxs in the US.

Many years ago, I used to take my dad out for some hand trap. He no longer cared for the 12ga because of recoil. I picked up a Savage 410 him. He would nail the clays every time. I couldn't hit a barn with that gun back then. It used to give him great pleasure to out shoot me with that 410. :-)

Fred, Being from the East I have hunted stocked pheasants, wild Bob Whites, and woodcock with a Remington 11-48, 25" imp. cyl. barrel, and have had no problem doing so. Also was hunting over setters, brittanies. Bought the gun originaly in the service in Germany. Hunted there also and killed 10-12 lb. hares and hungarian partridge.
For me the ideal .410 would be a double with 28" barrels, imp. cyl./full. Plus I would shoot 2 1/2" # 7.5's in the imp.cyl. barrel and 3" # 7.5's out of the full barrel. I think that 3" shells at a close range (20-25 yds.)will hold the pattern too tight.
Like you said you are only shooting over pointing dogs, so the ranges should be in that distance, you should be able to shoot the .410 and do as well with it as with a 20 ga.
Let us know how you make out, I know you will enjoy it, a fun gun and nice and light to carry all day.

Fred,
I also shoot a Parker Repro 28 for dove and quail and love the way the gun handles and fits me so for $500 I had Briley install the .410 full length tubes.They came with 5 screw in chokes and work perfect.The gun actually swings very well with the added weight in the barrels.This would be alot cheaper way to find out if the .410 is what you really want to shoot especially if you like shooting the Parker Repro 28.

Fred, I also have a Repro 28 and added Briley .410 tubes (full length) years ago. They are almost weightless and if anything improve the balance of the gun. An absolutely delightful and useful combination, and not a whole lot of money. I highly recommend that solution.

Check out this UK 410 website. http://www.4-10.freeuk.com/

I have an Uggie 410 that I am dying to try for enslaved quail. Even though I'm a mediocre shot at best I don't really care if I miss a few pen raised birds.