Need .410 Recommendation

[K4Kimber]

I have a friend who lives in the country. His wife has had several close encounters of the "critter" kind. He is not gun-savvy (by his own admission). He asked my opinion about buying her a .22 rifle to deal with future critter incursions. I cautioned him about bullet carry (they do have neighbors) and suggested a .410 as an alternative. She would probably have a better chance of hitting her target and less of a chance of hitting, well, a "non-target".

I welcome any comments on my recommendation as well as specific model choices.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[deadeye72]

I think I would go with at least a 20 gauge, if not a 12 gauge. .410 is just too small for my liking. With 12 or 20 gauge you can get a wide selection of loads for many different purposes. They would just be a lot more versatile.

[StevePVB]

In general, .410 sounds good.

But...what kind of critters? Coyotes? Possums? Snakes? Raccoons? Mad Rapist?

What is the problem? Does she want/need to kill them or just scare them away?

[JJTGlock17]

I would definately look past the .410 and get the 12ga. I have both and for me the cost of .410 shells is very discouraging. Just a thought.

[K4Kimber]

Her problems have been with the furry, four-legged guys: racoons; possum; skunk...

Scaring them would work in some cases. Stopping an attack on their sub-compact dog might require COM contact

[Knuckledrager]

The .410 youth Remington 870 is a handy little shot gun.

[Plan B]

I'd look for a good 20 ga. youth model. A .410 is a false sense of security - what if the noise doesn't do it (the shot probably won't)? A 20 will end the conversation with reduced recoil and predictable results. You can add a recoil pad and pick the right ammo to go with it.

Plan B

[Superhouse 15]

The Mossberg .410 HD is a neat and handy little gun. The wife uses it as her preferred HD long arm. There are a lot of them around my area used. For somebody not dedicated enough for a pump though, how about one of the H&R single shots? Can't get much simpler than that and they sell for less than $90 around here used.

[cphilip]

I have a old Stevens .22 - 410 that I think a lot of as a critter gun. Over under with .22LR upper and .410 down below.

Later on Savage (who bought out Stevens) also made this gun in same 22/410 configuration later on as the Model 24 and made it also in .22 and 22mag over 20 gauge, 30-30 over 12 guage and some other various configurations. Including the 24C model with ammo storage in the butt stock.

This is a great choice for versatile critter gun plus for a survival or camp meat gun.

These were the precursors to survival models and used as such early on.

[Cap'n]

The Mossberg .410 HD is a neat and handy little gun. The wife uses it as her preferred HD long arm. There are a lot of them around my area used. For somebody not dedicated enough for a pump though, how about one of the H&R single shots? Can't get much simpler than that and they sell for less than $90 around here used.

+1 with Superhouse. A Mossberg .410 pump or a single shot is good for critter control around the homestead. Just keep several different shot sizes for the critter at hand. The recoil of the .410 will be a lot less on your friends wifes' shoulder than a 12 ga.

[aus71383]

A 12 gauge with trap loads should do the job - my little sister shot a couple rounds when she was 12 and never complained. The recoil isn't bad, and ammo is easier to find (Wal-Mart). I would get a pump just because they are cheap and easy to find.

Austin

[K4Kimber]

Thank you everyone. I'll share your feedback with my friend and let you guys know what he and his wife decide to do.

[Fast Cloud]

I'd look for a good 20 ga. youth model. A .410 is a false sense of security - what if the noise doesn't do it (the shot probably won't)? A 20 will end the conversation with reduced recoil and predictable results. You can add a recoil pad and pick the right ammo to go with it.

Plan B

You took the words right out of my keyboard...definately a 20 gauge for her...and a 12 gauge for him.