{"id":129430,"date":"2020-06-01T18:07:46","date_gmt":"2020-06-01T22:07:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/?p=129430"},"modified":"2025-11-10T05:21:33","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T11:21:33","slug":"my-410-experience-going-small-bore-for-big-toms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/my-410-experience-going-small-bore-for-big-toms\/","title":{"rendered":"My .410 Experience: Going Small Bore for Big Toms"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

May 2020 saw me\nafield in Wisconsin using a gun I never would\u2019ve considered turkey hunting with\neven a few years ago: a .410 bore shotgun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of my earliest firearm experiences was with an over-and-under, sporting a single-shot .22 long rifle<\/a> on top and a single-shot .410 on the bottom. Over the course of a summer weekend, myself, two other boys about my age (9 or 10 I believe) and two adult males shot the over-and-under for a number of hours, the adults teaching us kids how to aim and pull, not jerk the trigger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I still remember the smell of the gun powder from the .22LR\u2019s as we pegged tiny, rimfire holes in paper targets and the relative roar of the .410 as empty pop cans toppled over from a spattering of birdshot.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The adults also made\nit clear: the .410 was a little-bitty gun. Of course, we had to follow the rules\nof safe shooting even with this smaller shotgun. But an adult, a man, would be\nusing a 12 gauge for actual hunting, we were told, and this was all just practice\nto ready us for the big time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"My
Does the relatively small bore .410 pack enough punch for turkey hunting? From left to right: 12-gauge, 20 gauge, and a .410. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Decades later, I\nstill viewed the .410 as a kid\u2019s gun, a pop can killer. But then the social media\nstories started, with people taking turkeys with .410\u2019s\u2014at distances of 30 yards\nand better!  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Flukes and lucky\nshots, I assumed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The stories kept\ncirculating, though, and I started paying attention. These hunters were all using\nthe new TSS or Tungsten Super Shot loads. Tungsten is denser than lead and harder,\nso ammunition makers are able to fit more tungsten pellets of smaller sizes\ninto shells versus their lead counterparts. The result? Tighter patterns at\nlonger distances with TSS loads compared to their lead cousins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, TSS loads in 12 and 20-gauges were garnering rave reviews from hunters. But the .410 bore offerings surprised me. And, they appeared\u2026to work?<\/em> Hmm\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"My
TSS loads in .410, like this one from Federal Premium, have made turkey hunting with the diminutive .410 shotgun a real possibility. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I decided it was time to see for myself. I ordered a new .410 shotgun a<\/a>nd a selection of shells, did some testing and patterning, and then headed afield to see if I could bring down a tom or jake with the little-bitty scattergun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Gun<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

For my first serious foray into .410 hunting started with an Escort PS Turkey Hunter manufactured in Turkey and imported into the US by HATSAN USA.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"My
The new Escort PS Turkey Hunter in .410 bore, manufactured in Turkey, and imported into the US by HATSAN USA. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The gas-operated, semi-automatic\nPS Turkey Hunter features Hatsan’s FAST Loading System, which enables faster\nand easier loading with one hand and without the need to change shooting\nposition. The loading button acts as both a carrier latch release for loading and\nthe bolt release when the bolt is locked back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My PS Turkey Hunter .410 was finished in Mossy Oak Bottomland pattern\nand is also available in RealTree APG. The .410 arrived with three interchangeable,\nextended chokes: Full, Modified, and Improved Cylinder. I used the Full choke\nfor my patterning and hunting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"My
The Escort PS Turkey Hunter, equipped with a Leupold RDS sight, on McCombie\u2019s recent turkey hunt. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The PS Turkey Hunter features a 5-inch long cantilever optics rail, with four cross-slots to accommodate a variety of Weaver mounts. The gun is equipped with bright fiber optic front and rear sights for low-light hunting and is also available in 12 and 20-gauge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shotgun\u2019s 24-inch barrels is hard-chrome lined for maximum durability and corrosion resistance. In .410, this is a lightweight gun at just six pounds unloaded, and only 44-inches long. Recoil was minimal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The PS Turkey Hunter was a pleasure to shoot at the range, and\nnimble and handy in the field. The MSRP is $499.00, which translates to street prices\ncloser to $400, a really good value given how well it performed for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Optic<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I wanted the shotgun equipped with an optic<\/a>, and I chose the Leupold Freedom Red Dot Sight<\/a> (RDS) with a 1 MOA red dot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"My
McCombie mounted Leupold\u2019s Freedom Red Dot Sight, with a 1 MOA red dot, onto his .410 turkey hunting shotgun. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Built around a tough, 34mm main tube, the RDS measures just under 5.5 inches in length,\nand the scratch-resistant lenses feature Leupold\u2019s Twilight Red Dot System for clear\nand color-correct images. The RDS is 100-percent fog proof and waterproof and\nfeatures 80-MOA of adjustment in both elevation and windage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nRDS incorporates Leupold\u2019s battery-saving Motion Sensor Technology (MST), which\nputs the sight into a battery-saving standby mode after five minutes of\ninactivity. When the MST detects motion, it instantly activates the sight. A\nmanual mode allows the sight to be shut off when not in use, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"My
Leupold\u2019s Freedom Red Dot Sight features a sturdy 34MM tube that can handle field conditions. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I had used and reviewed the RDS previously and found it to be accurate and easy to zero. To read my GunsAmerica Digest RDS review and specs click here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Shells<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

My shooting and patterning began with two non-turkey hunting loads: Rio Ammunition\u2019s<\/a> .410 Top Target shells, 2 \u00be-inches long, and carrying a \u00bd-ounce of #6 shot; and Winchester<\/a> Super X shells, 3-inches and loaded with \u00be-ounce of #7.5 shot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"My
McCombie used these two .410 bore loads to derive \u201cbaseline\u201d patterns. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I used these two\nloads as baselines to see what I could expect from basic .410 offerings at 20\nyards, and to then determine if the new-and-improved TSS loads really were an improvement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Rio Top Targets and\nWinchester Super X worked flawlessly in the PS Turkey Hunter, and at 10 to 15\nyards would kill a turkey. But the patterns were already spotty at 20 yards,\nand I wouldn\u2019t advise using them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, and to re-iterate:\nthese .410 loads were not<\/em> made for taking on big toms and I used them\nonly to get baseline patterns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next, I used three brands of turkey hunting .410\u2019s, each loaded with tungsten pellets: APEX Ammunition\u2019s<\/a> Turkey TSS loaded with a 27\/32-ounce of 9.5 Shot; Browning\u2019s<\/a> TSS Tungsten Turkey, with 13\/16ths-ounce of #9 shot; and Federal Premium\u2019s<\/a> Heavyweight TSS with 13\/16ths-ounce of #9 shot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these brands\nwere three-inch shells. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"My
The three tungsten, TSS loads McCombie used to judge .410 turkey hunting effectiveness: from left to right, Browning, APEX, and Federal Premium. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Patterns<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

First, I zeroed the PS Turkey Hunter with a brand at 20 yards, then I shot for patterns at 20, 30, and 40-yards, using my favorite gobbler practice targets, the Primos VisiShot Turkey Targets.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At 20 yards, all\nthree of the TSS loads were definite turkey killers, with the three brands\naveraging right around 20 pellets in the target vital zones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At 30 yards, Federal TSS averaged 15 pellet hits in the vital zones, the APEX 17 pellets, and the Browning 19 pellets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"My
At 30 yards, the APEX .410 loads averaged 17 pellets into the target\u2019s vital zones. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Turkey hunters like to\nsay, \u201cIt takes just one pellet!\u201d But I prefer eight to ten in the vitals especially\ngiven how tough a big tom can be to bring down. At 40 yards, all the loads met\nthis self-imposed requirement. On average, the APEX placed 8 pellets in the\ntarget vital zones, the Browning 9, and the Federal 10. In fact, my very last\ntarget was with the Federal TSS at 40 yards and it recorded an impressive 13\npellet strikes in the vital zones. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"My
The Browning TSS .410 consistently pegged 9 pellets, on average, into the Primos targets\u2019 vital zones at 40 yards. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I was using, as noted,\na full choke on the PS Turkey Hunter. I\u2019d bet an Extra Full or Turkey choke\ncould squeeze out a few more yards. Maybe five? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And there may be specific\nshotguns that are even better fits for the TSS shells I tested and could extend\nthat range a bit more or make the pellet counts even higher at the above-tested\ndistances.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Hunt<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources<\/a> breaks up our spring turkey hunt into six time slots, each slot seven days long and divided over seven Wild Turkey Management Zones. My tag was good for the May 20 to 26, 2020 slot. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"My
McCombie afield during the last week of Wisconsin\u2019s spring turkey hunt. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I hunted several days\nbut didn\u2019t see a turkey or hear a gobble, although both occurred the week before\nwhile I was scouting.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet, it was helpful\nto get out in the field. For this first time hunting with a .410, I decided on\na 30-yard limit for a shot. I got into various sets and used my rangefinder to plot\nmy limits and landmarks. Then, I\u2019d line up my RDS on that stump at 18 yards,\nthat tuft of grass at 28 yards, and take a few dry fire shots.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"My
No turkeys on this hunt, but McCombie gained confidence in what his .410 rig could do if a big tom showed up. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I was disappointed that not even a jake showed up, but I felt very confident with my .410 rig. So much so, I will definitely be afield this fall, trying for a tom with a .410 bore shotgun.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n