What was going on in the mid-1920s that caused US makers to produce .410s?
This is just a guess, but maybe it had something to do with the new game of Skeet. If one company made a .410 for Skeet, then all the others would be pressed to jump on the band wagon.
There were always shotshell cartridges available in the states. The 44XL / 44 shot was available for a long time. Merwin & Hulbert sold all the reloading components for it.
The 44 Game Getter was a Marble marketing idea, a 44-40 with a round ball for their Game-Getter gun.
American companies had been making sxs 44XL for some time, like this h&r.
The 1st American gun chambered for the .410 was the Stevens single shot, as far as I can tell. It was available in their m1915. This was when Wilson was elected and the tariffs came down. Eley was already making the .410 so it became cheap to import the ammunition while American companies tooled up for it.
Ron Gabriel states the 1st American sxs chambered for the .410 was a Parker.
I interviewed the President of the Marble Collectors Association, who resides Gladstone, MI were the Game-Getter was made. Marble test fired every gun before shipment. The accepted range for the 44XL was 25 feet. That is the distance Marble tested it at. So, one of the big advantages to .410 was significant increase in range.
Pete
