American & British 410 Shotguns. Ronald Gabriel

through 28 bore, but nothing for 410. The “United States Cartridge Company” catalogs of 1881, 1891, 1908, and 1917 make no mention of a 410 gauge. An 1885 and 1910 Remington gun and cartridge catalog makes no mention of the 410, and did not list the cartridge until 1915 when they advertised a 1 1/2-inch shell.

      Photo 17: A cartridge board of 410 and smaller cartridges by Ronnie Crowe.

       Ronnie Crowe photo

      A wide variety of makers, types, and labels of 410 cartridges have appeared on the American market. The “Western Super X” brand dominated the pre-World War II era (Photo 14) and illustrates the early use of non-corrosive primers in America. This has resulted in greater survivability of American 410 barrels over that seen in the British Isles. In Britain, the use of fulminate of mercury and potassium chlorate as primers in the 410 cartridge well beyond World War II into the early 1950s, unlike bigger bore cartridges, resulted in a high rate of destruction of 410 barrels due to the deposition of the highly corrosive mercury/potassium salts. Illustrated are pre- and post-World War II boxes of cartridges of different makers and types. Note Remington’s misuse of the 410 cartridge as a “36 ga” (Photos 15 and 16).

      Today, 410 cartridge collecting is a serious endeavor. A unique cartridge board, which includes many paper, brass, and pinfire 410 cartridges and a number of smaller cartridges such as the .36-inch shell, illustrates the remarkable variety and decorative beauty of the historical very small bore shell (Photo 17). This was made by Ronnie Crowe, an authority on the British cartridge, and once an owner of a European made pinfire 410.

       The 410 Cartridge References

1. O’Connor, Jack, The Shotgun Book, Alfred A. Knopf, 1965.

2. Boothroyd, Geoffrey, Boothroyd on British Shotguns, Sand Lake Press, 1993.

3. Crudgington, I.M. and Baker, D.J., The British Shotgun Vol II, 1871-1890, Ashford, Southampton 1989.

4. Boothroyd, Geoffrey, Shooting Times & Country Magazine, August 18-24, 1994.

5. Grange, Tom, 2001, Shooting Gazette, December.

6. Hedlung, Dale J., Kynoch, Spectrum Books, 2000.

7. Cox, Horace, Sporting Guns and Gunpowders, London 1897.

8. Grange, Tom, personal communication 2002.

9. Harding, C.W., personal communication 2002.

10. Personal communication 1990.

CHAPTER THREE

      BALLISTICS OF THE 410 CARTRIDGE

      History

      Although the 410 shotgun appears in British Proof House records as early as the 1870s, Greener did not mention this bore in 1884 [1]. He discussed Rook rifles from 295 through 380 caliber with box or back-action locks, hammer or hammerless, breech opening, usually single-barrel guns. He discussed the Express rifles up to 600 caliber. He discussed all smoothbores from 4 through 28, but not the 410. He discussed “walking stick guns” but not in the 410 bore.

      In 1891, Greener again reviewed in detail all bores up to the 28 and, once again, was essentially silent on the 410. However, he did list in a chart the 410 bore as requiring a 2-inch cartridge with 3/8-ounce shot and 3/4-dram powder [2].

      The “Archives of The Guild” at the London Proof House reveal a set of “Instructions to Proof Master” for the 410 bore [3]. A February 23, 1887, instruction ordered “the 410 bore for nitro proof to be proofed with 1-1/4 drams* (34 grains) of powder** and 1/2-ounce shot.” A September 29, 1903, document reports that the London Proof House proofed the walking stick 410 in the “same manner” as at the Birmingham House. The provisional proof used 2-1/4 drams with 3/8-ounce (164 grains) shot. The definitive proof used 3/4 dram with 3/8-ounce shot, and 1-1/2 drams (41 grains) with 1/2-ounce (218 grains) shot.

      An August 4, 1904, letter from Mr. Turner of the London Proof House to Mr. Athol Purdey, discussed the 410 being “bored up” from 400 to 405, 410, or 415 with the .005 allowance for this bore “quite enough.” A firm English directive typically couched in velvet. At this time, the 1904 Rules of Proof required for nitro proofing 1-1/4 drams (34 grains) of “T.S. No. 2 Powder” and 9/16-ounce (245 grains) shot. This is confirmed by Greener in 1910 in which proofing the 410 bore required 1-1/4 drams of powder for 9/16-ounce shot charge. This was modified November 2, 1911, when the drams were increased to 1-1/2 for both 2-inch and 2 1/2-inch cartridges for nitro proofing.

      Six days later, on November 8, 1911, perhaps after a bottle of claret plentifully stocked in the bowels of the London Proof House, the 2-inch cartridge proofing was changed back to 1-1/4 drams for the 9/16-ounce shot. The 2 1/2-inch cartridge was kept at 1-1/2 drams for a larger 11/16-ounce (302 grains) shot— clearly an empirical decision!

      It appears that in England the 410 cartridge is a direct descendant of the 44-40 rifle cartridge [6]. This cartridge is analogous to the American 44 XL pest cartridge that O’Connor claims is the progenitor of the 410 smoothbore cartridge [7]. Remember, the 410 bore is a caliber .41 inch and is equivalent to a 67 gauge. For example, the 12 gauge has a bore diameter of .729 inch, the 28 gauge .550 inch, and the 410 gauge .410 inch or 10.414 millimeters.

      Photo 1: Greener’s illustration of a cane 410 smoothbore.

       Glenn Campbell photo

      Originally a bottleneck configuration with a paper shot container, it was followed by a 2-inch straight brass case. This led to a 2-inch paper case with 3/8-ounce shot and by 1900 to a 2 1/2-inch case with 1/2-ounce shot. In early 20th century America, shotgun shooters were making 410 brass shot shell cases from 444 Marlin rifle cartridges [5].

      The smallest bore Greener discusses in his subchapter on “Small Bore” game guns is the 28 gauge. He recommends this bore as a first gun for boys or young women. It is “the smallest caliber of any practical use as a game gun” [6]. This observation may be the genesis, in part, for the 410 phobia retailed by the gun gurus of the middle third of the 20th century in America such as Askins, Keith, and O’Connor.

      Later gun writers described the 410 as a “misunderstood” gun, using the language of psychology to explain a utilitarian concept. Namely, that this gauge is not a beginner’s gun but one for the expert and its use is limited to taking game for the pot or for shooting clay targets [5].

      So, the 410 “hasn’t much use”? Did anyone not start with a 410 and bag plenty of game or clay targets? Even more recently, and by someone who knows better, McIntosh confesses to a “bad attitude” towards the 410 as a game gun. The cartridge is a “patchy-shooting, bird-crippling piece of ballistic crap.” In partial atonement, he admits that 410 skeet shooting is “great fun” [8].

      Greener’s one allusion to the 410, as late as 1910, is its use “by naturalists or for such weapons as walking