doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com 2 inch .410 loads

Looking for loads for a 2 inch .410, have plenty of straight wall hulls and winchester wads that I can cut down, have a 2 inch roll crimper for .410, don't want to lengthen chambers, be nice to shoot it as a 2 inch

Hotrack

Hotrack,
I've got no experience with loading .410, especially 2". That said, you might try emailing Ballistic Products, loadoftheweek@ballisticproducts.com. Curmudgeon has lots of free advice, offers 2" loads for 12, 16 and 20 and may have experience with shortened .410's. BP carries a good selection of wads and may have something you can use. Curious, what load do you expect, something on the order of 3/8 oz?

Good luck,
Steve

Historically the 2-inch .410-bore carried 3/10 ounce of shot, but U.S. Cartridge Co. put 3/8 ounce in a 2-inch brass case. That 3/8 ounce was the original 2 1/2 inch paper case load.

From a 1926 catalogue --



From 1918-19 --

http://www.4-10.co.uk/

Might be of interest.

I make 2" .410s for my grandad's Peiper combination gun by cutting down once fired .444 Marlins. 3/8ths of an oz. of fine shot is OK for sitting pest birds, cottontails, and cottonmouths, but not much else. I only load black powder, tho, and use homemade paper wads. You don't have to cut the case back much, about .2 as I recall.

Only a cheap solution if you have a buddy with a .444 who doesn't reload, or find some cases at a range, as I did (Does being a brass hound necessarily make me a "brasshole," an apparently negative term I've heard at CA ranges? Heck, I thought being a "brass hound" was an HONORABLE thing, like being a "cheapskate" or a "gun nut".....maybe that's just me).

are you sure it's not 2,5". i have pre-wwI model 12 20ga 25" gun that according to brownells chamber gauge is 2". ole' smith at gander mtn. said them "antique" ones had tighter chambers and bores to provide better seal against gases getting past the wad. shotgun ammo sucked back in those days.

I don't think you'll have room for any kind of shot cup. I'd suggest using 296(dense) powder and a cardboard over powder wad, that's all.

It is definitely a 2 inch as I have measured it and a 2 1/2 inch sticks out about 1/4 inch as it hits up gainst the forcing comes.

Jim, can you suggest a load for 296 as I have some, have tried 296 load recommended for 1/2 oz loads with .289 oz of 9's but seems a bit soft and slow


Thanks for all the info

Hotrack

Referring to the post about the 20 gauge Model 12, the chamber measurement in the barrel does not give an accurate measurement of the entire chamber. The entire chamber includes the ring that remains with the receiver when the barrel is removed. A 2 1/2" early 20 gauge Model 12 barrel chamber may measure just over 2" when a cheap chamber gauge is used. A normal plastic .410 wad should be suitable for 2" .410 loading when a good part of the petals are cut off. I use scissors for the task and don't pay too much attention to exact measurement of the cut. The remaining wad volume would be less than the normal .135 or .200 cardboard over powder wad.

A friend here in Charlotte has a tired Belgian .410 SxS BLNE. The original proofs are 410-50 (2"). My 1914 Midland catalog says their .410 guns can be had in the new 2 1/2" length.
Gamebore offers a 2" .410 with 1/4 oz of shot. Carolina Sporting Arms in Charlotte had some on the shelves for a longtime.
I had a Midland .410 proofed .410 3/8 oz shot. Gamebore also had a 3/8 .410 load. I tried it. I think the skeet targets could outrun the shot they were so light.
You could take the standard .410 wad and cut back the excess length then roll crimp the results.
I am interested in a recipe if one pops up.