I’m packing up guns and I thought I’d share a picture of my primary home defense shotgun.
It’s a Mossberg 500 youth in .410 gauge.
I had a gunsmith cut the barrel to 19 inches and crown it.
I added an adult size stock.
The shell holder on the stock is for rifle rounds and holds 10 spare shells. Six are 3 in 000 buck and four are Brenneke 2.5 in slugs.
The gun holds five total 3 in or six 2.5 in shells.
The 000 buck is five pellets at 1,200 fps so just over half the payload of a 12 gauge.
The slugs are 110 grains as 1,500 fps, so similar to a light bullet 357 magnum or 9mm +p+ load (580 ft-lbs).
True, it doesn’t have the knockdown of a 12 gauge but it also has half the recoil of a 12 gauge.
That is appealing for two reasons:
One, my wife can use it. In a pinch I can give her the 410 and break out with another gun for myself. My wife isn’t much of a shooter but she knows how to use a pump action shotgun.
Two, at dark o’clock in the morning, I don’t want to deal the recoil of a 12.
It’s plenty of knockdown for what I need and half the recoil.
This is a great idea. I’ve flirted with getting a 20 gauge pump for my wife to use but .410 is an even better idea.
I think I’d skip on the slugs though, though I understand completely why and how you have them loaded. In l our old neighborhood, where druggies we’re slowly flooding into, you may need those slugs to put them down when they are raging.
I wanted the ability to fire the length of my yard in a worst case scenario. With a smooth bore and a fiber optic bead sight, I can hit a B-29 target at 50 yards with slugs.
I can do that at 100 with my 12 gauge and ghost ring sights.
I do not believe a shotgun should be limited to 15 or 20 yards for home defense.
Nothing wrong with that .410. Id run maybe some big bird shot too. Lots n lots of holes in bad guy .. plus close in it wont spread much. Its on the list next year. Current scatter gun is a Franchi Law12, gas operation auto, 9 2-/3/4 #4buck. I live in the woods..
Needs a light, but that aside nothing wrong there. Both big name light outfits have aftermarket fore ends with lights. Not sure about .410 models though.
Excellent choice for home S-D and an even better choice after your preferred alterations, very nice. I’ve chosen the Mossberg 930 auto 12ga. SPX which holds nine with a ghost load plus a stock shell-holder similar to what you use. With some alterations it cycles the light recoil oo buck loads perfectly. Added a co-witness mounted Leupold Delta Pro red dot and an offset mounted camera & light.
Only critique I have, it should be a semi auto. This guy can explain better than I can https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid037DdaxUhAm6cMDTq5HEYzBqeuALfRWwE6Q9qpN4VwVhx7PAY834ZkQF1nVpvQ8QNal&id=100072087662260