I have a .410 I dont even think the slug will travel 200yds not to mention be accurate!

I have shot .410 slugs at plywood and would never take a shot at a deer out of bow range. Good for youth hunters who have close shots

quackaddict, are you saying you shot a deer with a slug gun at 300 yards? Or your rifle.

I think any shot over 150 yards with a shotgun is not a well advised shot. I know my slug gun is accurate at 100 yards with open sights, at least minute of deer accurate, but at 200+ yards, let it walk....

I have never shot a 410 slug but after looking at the velocity and foot pounds of energy, I would limit it to handgun range, 50yds or less.

That is just my opinion

A rifle- 30-06 bolt action.

As musky buck quoted "I rarely hear of a guy with a rifle downing deer in Minnesota at more than 200 yards ?"

I was referring to that.

That's what I thought, but I think others were assuming you were making amazing shots with you slug gun, thanks for clarifying

Two years ago my buddy was in a accident and broke his right arm. So he shot a .410 it was easy for hin to handle. The first doe he shot was at 80 yards and that slug left a perfect hole right through it. Doe didn't go 20 yards double lung shot. It is not the size of the slug it all boils down shot placement and how well you know your gun.

It isn't about the size of the slug but it is about energy down range and if he would have hit that deer in the shoulder, it my not have had enough energy to break the bone or it might have done that but not continued through to damage any vital organs.

As far as I know there is not a rifled barrel for .410's and at 80 yards, rifled slugs out a smooth bore gun get very unpredicatable. Not to say that you can't drill a deer that far away, but everything needs to be perfect, a larger gun would put more energy down range and could make up for a shot that hits the shouler blade.

I took my first deer ever with a 410. Did as good of job as any deer I have harvested with other firearms.

I've have never seen anyone take a deer with a .410. I've seen people try it, but majority of the time it just ends up a wounded deer.

Maybe a shot under 15yards and a small doe??

About 3-years back my father shot a fork buck at about 25-yards, perfect low and behind the shoulder shot. Needless to say upon cleaning the deer the slug went in one lung, hit near the heart area and stopped, didn't even do a pass through. The buck dropped about 40-yards away but after I saw that, I studied the ballistics and they just don't have the energy or velocity I'd say past 60-75 yards or so. But it did it's job though.

Good topic to stumble onto. I have been playing with my old Mossberg .410 and to be honest, I can not get it to pattern over 50yrds. Below 50yrs, not bad, over 50yrds it just sprays lead in every direction. I do know that this .410 is a full choke and most slug manufactures recommended a improved for slugs.

For those that are using .410 with slugs, what chokes are you using?

Think it is worth bringing it in and getting it opened up to an improved to increase my effective range?

Inside 50 a .410 will do the job and a great gun for a kid to start with, makes the first shot count.

to look at sheer facts the proectile being shot from a .410 is considerably bigger than the projectile being shot from a 30-.06. I would sooner hunt with a .410 than a 12 ga. I believe the lighter load could be more accurate. I myself use a 20 ga. that has a rifled barrel and when i shoot a quality sabot slug (winchester supreme gold-tips) i have no fear in taking a 250 yard shot. Knowing your gun and practicing is all that matters. Many hours spent at the range, not the large or small size of my gun, has given me the confidence i need to take deer.

I will disagree. I .410 is not a GOOD deer gun. It is adequate at close ranges. It does not have the ENERGY to be effective past about that 50 yard mark. That puts it on par with a modern bow. In my mind, that doesnt make it a "good" deer gun. I really wish people would take a look at the engergy their load has at certain distances to determine if it is an effective load. That goes for all gauges and calibers. People just dont understand ballistics and how that impacts whether how far they can shoot. As hunters, we should be about quick, clean, ethical shots. The easiest way to goof that up is to be shooting a gun that doesnt have the necessary energy to quickly kill the deer.

Not to pick on you SlabSlayKid, but how much energy do 20 ga Winchester gold tips have at 250 yards? What is the drop?

And as long as I am on my soapbox, I put 30/30s in the same "adequate" group. They may have their niche as being short and easy to carry, but purely as a caliber (ballistics), they dont compare well to most deer hunting rifles. They score high in the "tradition" category, thus they are verp popular. And most of them (other than the new ones with safeties) are the MOST dangerouse type of firearm out there.

All right have at it, I am ducking!

Codydawg, I can not argue with you at all. You hit on some points that I also believe in.

I am a bow and rifle hunter. Something that most people learn from bow hunting is that you must know your equipment and what it is capable of. One also learns to make every shot count. Without adequate practice and familiarization, you have now idea what is possible.

I am comfortable with a 50 yrd shot with a .410, if I know it will be accurate and it will kill the deer in a quick and humane way. (Kind of like bow hunting)

I am also a believer that the 30/30 is not the best rifle for deer. I know, it is the most popular firearm sold in the U.S.A. as well as it has taken the most deer in North America. Yes, it works and I have shot my fair share with one. There are just so many better out there, why settle?