Anyone on the board ever harvest a gobbler with a .410? Is it a realistic option for a turkey gun? I ask because I'm having a tough time finding a larger gauge gun that my 9 year old son can shoot. Hard to find any kind of 28, and most youth 20's are too heavy and length of pull is too long. Trying to avoid cutting a gun down to miniature size for one, maybe two seasons. Thoughts?

Are they legal for turkeys in VA? They aren't legal in many states anymore.

Just went to the VDGIF website. No restrictions on .410s. Just on shot size - no larger the #2s.

hello, a 4/10 gauge shotgun will do the trick on an old tom, however you must treat this caliber a little differently than the others, first you need to find some 3" no's 4 which is not an easy feet these days. then you need to pattern your gun, not many 4/10's come with a full choke and the maxium distance should not exceed 20 yards. i do not know of any choke tubes for the gun. now to suggest something that i never suggest to anyone have you considered a small cal. rifle with little or no recoil? i do not like the use of rifles by adults as i am a firm beleaver that if you cant call them in then let them walk. however i have used these with kids in the past. a nice scope helps them . just call them in close, no cheating

I patterned my ol' Savage/Stevens single shot fixed full choke .410 the other year to see what she could do. With Remington 3" #6 she was good to 20 yards. After that it went to pieces. I was quiet suprised with the pattern at 15 and 20 yards though. Wish I had saved the target. Might have to take it back out and pattern again and post some information.

I'm not looking to start an argument but if he is not physically able to handle a youth model 20 gauge yet then maybe he's not ready to tote a gun on a trip. I have a little boy who is always asking when he can go along to "shoot a turkey" and I keep telling him "when your big enough". I'm probably not going to let my son carry a gun on a turkey hunt until he is 11 or 12...but that's just my opinion. I know that every kid is different, but does a nine year old really know what he's accomplished if he happens to shoot a gobbler? I'm planning on taking my son along on some hunts to just get him introduced to the sport, hopefully hear or see a turkey and possibly to get him to sit still for 5 minutes at a time. I was eight years old before my dad let me tag along and it was at least 3 or 4 years after that before he would let me carry a gun.

Anyway, if you decide to take him, have him practice handling a gun at the range and shoot many shots from simulated hunting positions. I'm all about hunting and introducing kids to the sport but I think they need to be physically mature enough to handle a gun and emotionally mature enough to understand what it's all about.

I had the hair-brained idea of carrying my Grandfather's little .410 a couple times during the year! I patterned a 3" #6 shot and felt that it was good to about 15 yards. I may still try it!

I have several friends that have taken toms with a .410, one took his at 7 yards.
Thought about trying it myself for a challenge, but will probably just take my crossbow.
Gotta gettem' close either way. Prefer about a 12-16 yard shot.

barry

I took my first 2 gobbler's with an old Iver Johnson .410.

Of course they were inside of 20 yards... but isn't that what it's all about anyway?

like any gun, spend some time punching holes in paper to see what it will do. i have a rossi .410/.22 combo...interchangeable barrels. .410 is full choke. i shot 3" 6's and 4's and learned 3 things.
1 - the magnum loads kick like a dang mule out of that little gun
2 - 6's better than 4's
3 - don't shoot over 20 yards

just my 2 cents

Last year I patterned two .410s with various shells looking for a load I felt comfortable for my 9 year old daughter to shoot a gobbler with. I felt pretty good with most of the loads out to 15 yards or so but after that they got pretty spotty.

I finally settled on an old Winchester single shot 16 for her to hunt with. Coupled with Remington 2 3/4 express #6 I feel confident at under 25 long paces if she can keep her mind in order and she gets to pull the trigger I will be toten a bird back to the truck.

I hope my daughter and I get to try the 16 gauge out saturday.

Did I say Im pumped for saturday!
iisabigone

Turkenator, just the name Iver Johnson brings back soooo many memories. About the 410, a friend of mine has a pacemaker he kills a gobbler or two every year with a TC Contender. It comes down to the ability to get the turkey close enough.
Keep em Gobblin!
Struttinbird