[ribbonstone2]

Was playing with 3" paper cased (with the roll crimp) .410's and discovered that FIVE buck (000) would fit (with the 5th just at the roll crimp). Have no pressure equipment, but from all I could tell the load caused no grief in the guns I fired it in.

This was in the early 1980's, and at a local combat match, there was a flier for a shotgun-side-match. Read it carefully ( I knew the guy who was running it), and he neglected to add a gauge restriction....just so many rounds of buckshot and so many rounds of slug required. Deciede to take the .410 to the match.

He really didn't want to let me shoot, but after discussing it and showing him the paper he sent out (and he already signed me in), he let me shoot.

To really get him PO'ed, I had buffered the buck shot with GLITTER (wife is a K-teacher). Kind of pretty, all the multi-colored buffer mateial hangind in the afternoon sunlight.

End result...the slugs are WHIMPY, but as all we had to shoot with them were paper (the stop plate could be hit with any load) they worked for the match. Buckshot loads don't have to be whimpy...pretty much running at the same speed as a 12ga., just less shot.,

Nope...didn't win...came in 2nd out of 18 shooters who particdipated in the side match. Next side-match did have a minimum gauge requirment.
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At one point there was a bunch of Brit. SMLE single shot "forrager guns" for sale. ****ed strong action for a .410. (turned out to need to be .408" to pass the no-choke bore). With that, a case full of FFg, and a cast .41mag. bullet screwed to a fiber wad it got impressive. Wouldn't want to fire that in a normal shot gun, but moving 228gr. of lead/screw/wad out at 1250fps gets noticed (accuracy was a bit sucky...but that could be improved).

 

[ribbonstone2]

Kind of expadning on some things mentioned in an eaarlier post:

Had one of the Enfiled .410 smoothbores...figured that action would stand up to some foolishness and the barrels were almost chokeless (Almost becasue tehre was a slight restriction under ther ear sight, but that's not a choke).

Also have an old Lyman #41027...this is a 210gr. HBWC .410" bullet. Had to experiment with sizing them a bit, but at .408" they just barely wouldn't slide through the bore under gravity...407" fell straight through.

Feeling a bit cautious, used .444cases and FFFG. With the bullet supplying a bit of compression when seated 1/2 way into the case, gave them a try.


Velocity was just at 1150fps...they hit point foreward about 70% of the time. Attaching a fiber wad to the base seemed to help keeping them point forward, but didn't do accuarcy much good.

On to 3" shotshells (this version of the Enfield was reamed to 3" by the importer) full of FFFg and the bullet seated the same distance. Unfortunately, this one earned me my first set of sky screens on the first shot.

Jusging by the felt recoil and increased penetrtion, figure this one was good for about 100fps more...and even with black, probably WELL above anything a "normal" .410 should be subjected to. Hitting point on was random...seemed to hit that way about as often as they hit in anyother orientation, and made a devil of a "wizzzing" sound when fired over an open field.

Were I to do this kind of thing again, would probably (1) abandon the hard to case hollow base bullet (2) attach the bottom of a shot cup to a solid base bullet...give it that "sock in a rock" balance and (3) cut the powder charge back considerably if using somthing besides a 40K proofed action (and all the while I was goofing off with these, was keenly aware that the barrels weren't designed for this kind of abuse even if the action was).
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Best guess is that these loads earned about 18-22,000 CUP....how that would relat to LUP is debateable; it certainly would be over 60% more than the max. a .410 is rated for, and possibly as much as 120% higher than what most real-life loaded ammo produces.