[pisgah]

I have recently come in to possession of my grandfather's 1935-made Winchester Model 42 .410 shotgun. This is a 3"-chambered gun, modified choke, and is the gun I used 52 years ago to kill my first game animal (an unlucky rabbit). The gun was seriously sorry cosmetically when I got it, rusty and filthy, and devoid of oil inside and out; but a 100% teardown/clean/lube revealed it to be mechanically perfect.

If I had the $$$, I might have this one professionally restored. It has pretty fair value as a collectible; but it's always been a shooter, and I want to keep it a shooter, and a professional rehab wouldn't make it any more of a shooter than it is right now. And besides, most of that use and abuse it has seen was Grandaddy's, and there's a good deal of sentiment there.

So what I did to it is what I call a "refresh". Enough cold blue was put on the metal to make the finish look a little less scabrous, and a few thin coats of Tru Oil were rubbed in and then buffed with 0000. Rather than a poorly-maintained 75-year-old shotgun, it looks like a well-maintained one.

If you wonder how it shoots, I'll just say that the #6 shot Remington Express 3" load patterned at 30 yards has me planning to take a Spring turkey with it next April. I have never seen a denser, more evenly-spaced shot pattern from any shotgun of any gauge. Most of my turkey hunting is done at close ranges, and I don't think this gun will give me any handicap whatsoever. And it sure will be a ton lighter to carry in rough country than the full-choked 12 ga. 30" Model 12 (1941) I have (that used to belong to my other grandfather!).

Has anyone here ever .410'd for turkey?

 

[Davers]

Here, in Kentucky, a .410 would be illegal for Turkey. Most here use a 3" 20 gauge or 12 gauge Turkey load. Some of the more "brave Hunters" use the 3 1/2" 12 gauge and endure it's heavy recoil!

 

[MikeG]

Shot my last one with a .270 but hey, I'm rooting for you. Get out and whack one for ol' Grandad......

 

[Hair smoker]

My youngest son started out turkey hunting with a Rossi stainless youth .410. He was too small for anything else. He killed his 1st three Toms with it. All one shot kills. I made sure they were under 20 yards. No. 6 shot in Rem. 3in. He now uses a Moss. Youth 20 pump but has also killed his biggest Tom with my 11/87 SPS. Keep the shots close and it will work great.

 

[pisgah]

Here, in Kentucky, a .410 would be illegal for Turkey. Most here use a 3" 20 gauge or 12 gauge Turkey load. Some of the more "brave Hunters" use the 3 1/2" 12 gauge and endure it's heavy recoil!

Perfectly legal here. Our only restriction on guns is no rifles for turkey hunting. I have killed many with #6 loads in a 12 ga. muzzleloader that doesn't pattern half as well as this gun, so I know it's "enough gun" for the job.

I know what you mean about those long magnums! I shot my cousin's Mossberg "assault shotgun" yesterday (complete with laser sight and AR15-style collapsible stock). All the ammo he had with him was some 3" magnum OO buck loads. No question about it, that gun is a killer at both ends!

 

[O'Connersun]

Pisgah, you've got enough gumption to know what your limitations will be with that 42 and whatever shell you choose. You certainly know what it takes to kill a turkey. If you think it'll work, try it!

 

[Combat Diver]

Pisgah,

Congrats on fixing the old gal up and good luck next season with it. You know your limitations so it should work fine.

CD

 

[Davers]

Shot my last one with a .270 but hey, I'm rooting for you. Get out and whack one for ol' Grandad......

Wish we could use rifles for Turkeys here in Ky. The ones I see are almost always out-of-range for shotguns. I got a Kimber .22 Hornet that would be perfect with the right load.

 

[Rubberduck]

Has to be 28 gauge or larger for turkeys here in Tennessee. Iv seen some people load down 20 ga shells that did a number on turkeys at around 15-20 yards. Keep your shots close and you should be good to go with the mighty .410

 

[unclepaddy]

Inside 30 yards or so I see nothing wrong with the .410 on turkey. I have a double SXS .410 and I stumbled onto turkey by accident one day. At about 20 yards I just pulled both triggers. Worked well, but would have been as good with one. Try some of the Winchester 3/4 oz #6 loads.

 

[pisgah]

I can't think of but one turkey I ever killed that was farther than 30 yards away. For the most part, our habitat won't allow shots much longer, and a #5 or #6 pellet at those ranges doesn't know whether it came out of a .410 or a 3 1/2" Magnum 12 ga. -- and neither does the turkey.

I definitely plan on doing more patterning between now and April. No matter the gun, a fraction tighter pattern is always an improvement.