I loaded little shells. .410 bp.

[Dick Dastardly]

Ok, I'm a warthog.

I love the roar, recoil and smoke.  But for killin' lil fuzzy and furry varmints around the ranch, I want somethin', kind of, minimalist.  In other words, I hate killin' bunnys with my 10ga.  So, I resolved to load me up some lil pip squeek .410 shells with Holy Black.

Turns out, bp and the .410 is a love affair.  It's a death ray.  A simple balanced square load of 1/2 oz shot and the same VOLUME of FFFg with the rite size fiber wad column to leave room for a nice firm roll crimp is a lethal recipe.  The thing holds all the pellets inside a 20" circle at 25 yards.  That's the same, or better, than a 12ga with the same size shot at 40 yards.  Annnnnd, they are moving a lot faster at 25 yards.

I'm going to order me a sack of #8 nickel plated over coper plate shot for this lil bugger.  I'm thinkn' that for the price of a poof I kin prang some local pests.

DD-DLoS

P.S. I may even buffer the shot.   It's the gamer in me. . .

[Steel Horse Bailey]

  !!!!!

[Four-Eyed Buck]

Careful, DD, the gamer police might visit ya.....................Buck

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

DiDi;  What about the smoke rule?   Have you ever tried .444 Marlin cases?

[Dick Dastardly]

Ho Sir Charles,

I don't use the pip squeek gun for SASS, so I don't care about the smoke rule.  But, it does make a good deal of smoke.  No, I've not tried the .444 Marlin cases, but now I'll look into it.

Thanks,

DD-DLoS

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

My club in Victoria have a class for Lit'l uns called "Rimfire Wrangler.  2 x .22 revolvers, a .22 levergun and a SxS .410.  One Dad made .410 handloads for his kids with .444 Marlin cases.  i've heard stories of folks using .30-40 Krag, or .303Brit

[Delmonico]

Dick, folks should never look down their noses at Little Shotguns, although I fire mine with Nitro, I gave up on big guns for up-land years ago.  My 5.5 pound 870 Remmie in 28 is a hittin' dream.  Fact is I hope this week for it to hunt again in my hands, been loaned out a lot the last couple of years.  But I got a pup to work so I will keep it in my vault this year.

BTW, yesterday was opening day for the long tails here, Friday night was takin' with my nephew, he was askin' how far his 12 would work with the skeet chokes.  I said a lot further than my 28 with a skeet choke and didn't you kill a couple at 35-49 yards with it when you used it?  

[Dick Dastardly]

Ho Pards,

Yer on to somethin' here.  Fineshot moving at 1200 fps hits as hard from a lil gun as it does from the mighty 10.  There's just less of it and a killing pattern doesn't reach as far.  But, within it's effective range, a .410 will do as well as a 10ga and wreck a lot less meat.  I've blind sided green heads with the .410 and dropped 'em flat.  Partridge, bunnys, squirrels and ferral cats are fair game for the .410.  Don't ask for a recipe for cats.   The report doesn't bother the neighbors as much either. .

DD-DLoS

[Delmonico]

DD, I prefer the 22 Hornet fer feral cats.   Not as much noise as a high-power or shotgun, kills better than a 22 LR and reaches at least 200.  Shot one at the farm with one about 3 am one time and woke no one up that was sleeping 20 yards away in the house.

Perhaps a Savage 24 in 22 Hornet over 20 ga would be the untimate cat gun.     Might have to see if I can get one, maybe "Coon Dog and Cane Pole' or some other outdoor rag would buy the story.   Bee far more interestin' than the "Best Deer Rifle" dripple they is printin' right now.

[Stump Water]

A Savage 24, 22 mag. over 410, sits in the safe right now. First gun I ever owned... was my dads.  Hard to beat that gun for a day afield huntin' whatever jumps up.

[Delmonico]

Wouln't be a bad cat gun either, the one we boughtmy dad years ago, 22Lr over 20 ain't bad either if you use CCI Stingers in it.

Hey Stump, make sure yer wife don't read this thread.

[Dick Dastardly]

Many moons ago I had a Ruger Super Blackhawk 44 Magnum.  Lost interest in it and got a Vaquero 44 Magnum.  Anyway, I  traded that Super Blackhawk to a guy at a gun show.  He was luggin' around a .222/20ga Savage.  Makes a great do anything gun.  The lil .222 can be loaded down to subsonic or up darn near to .222 Mag velocities.  A gunsmith friend threaded the 20ga barrel for choke tubes.  Yup, it's a great combo gun and I wouldn't part with it.

DD-DLoS

[Delmonico]

One with a 30-30 barrel would be nice also.

[Dick Dastardly]

I think they made one of 'em with a 30-30 barrel, but I don't think it was offered in a 20ga.  Must be the warthog in 'em savages. . .

DD-DLoS

[Delmonico]

Yep, they offered them, always figured it would be a good truck gun, could shoot a deer or pheasant with the same gun.   Which of course brings up the question I always asked, why could not the gun industry in this county build an affordable drilling?  Don't have to be cheap, just affordable.

[Stump Water]

They still do.  But they have them blam plastic stocks.  http://www.savagearms.com/24f12.htm

[Dick Dastardly]

FWIW, they are all takedowns.  Makes 'em small enough to fit in small places. . .  Good truck gun.

DD-DLoS

[Delmonico]

No I mean a Drilling, 2 shotgun barrels and a rifle barrel.   The Germans have a name for all the combo guns.  Some had a big game barrel below the shot barrels and a small, often 5.6X35R (22 Hornet) on top in the rib.  Heck, most shotguns barrels on the German Guns were 16 and add say  9.3x72R and you can on the world with one of these.  The kept the weight to around 8 pounds.

[Stump Water]

I kno'd what ya meant about a drilling Del.  You said, "they offered them" about the Savage.  I was just pointing out that they still do.

[Delmonico]

OK, I wasn't sure, still wish someone had them affordable, Drillings I mean.