410 vs. 20 Gauge: Pheasant, Quail, and Whitetail ... Beware!

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There’s no doubt that the 12-gauge shotgun is the most popular shotgun caliber in the United States. It is extremely versatile and can handle a wide range of payloads for hunting anything North America has to offer. Furthermore, the 12 gauge is the de facto choice of military and law enforcement for all their tactical shotgun needs.

There is little question that 12-gauge shells are extremely powerful, but sadly all those ballistic capabilities come at the cost of savage recoil that some shooters simply can’t handle effectively.

For those who need something with a little less recoil but still plenty of stopping power, the 20-gauge and .410 shotgun shells are worth considering.

In this article we will compare the 20-gauge shotshell to the 410 and examine how each cartridge can best fit your needs as a hunter, concerned citizen, sporting clays shooter, or weekend plinker.

What’s the Difference Between 20 Gauge vs 410?

The difference between 20-gauge vs 410 is that the 20-gauge shotshell is larger and carries a heavier powder charge and payload compared to the 410.

20 Gauge vs 410: Understanding Shotgun Gauges

If you’re familiar with shotguns, you’ll know that a lower gauge means a bigger caliber. However, if you’re new to shotguns or firearms in general, this can be a confusing concept to grasp.

Handgun and rifle calibers are defined by their internal bore diameter. A 40-caliber handgun has 0.40 inch diameter bore. This means the larger the number, the larger the bullet the gun fires.

However, shotgun gauges are determined by a more archaic system.

Gauge is determined by the number of lead balls with the same diameter as the barrel adding up to one pound of lead.

For a 20-gauge shotgun with a bore diameter of 0.615” it would require 20 identical lead balls to add up to one pound of lead.

The 410 is unique as it goes by the more traditional measuring system of bore diameter. A 410 is the smallest gauge shotgun and has a true 0.410” bore diameter. This begs the question:

What gauge is a 410 shotgun? A 410 bore shotgun is close to 67 ½ gauge.

A Special Note On 20-Gauge Shells: Yellow is the New Black

If you’re new to shotguns you might not be aware that all 20-gauge shotgun shells are colored yellow.

This is to ensure that a shooter does not mistakenly load a 20-gauge shell into a 12-gauge shotgun as these are the most popular shotgun gauges on the market.

Were this to happen, it is possible that a 20 gauge shell could be loaded into the chamber and fall into the barrel since the 20 ga is smaller than the 12 ga. If this were to happen, the 20-gauge shell could become a barrel obstruction a might cause a critical failure that could damage the firearm and the shooter.

For this reason, manufacturers color all 20-gauge loads yellow to make them easily distinguishable from other shotgun shells.

Continue reading 410 vs. 20 Gauge: Pheasant, Quail, and Whitetail … Beware! on Ammo.com

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at least that’s clear :no_mouth:

sounds massive

an industry standard? I did not know that

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I just got done reading the article and will agree 410 makes a great squirrel gun. It was my first shotgun … took many squirrel with it also. But honestly used my dads 20gauge savage over/under alot … I always qas able to reach up into taller trees or further away with that 20 shotgun. Me and my brothers liked using 410 to shoot skeet really challenging and fun

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an industry standard? I did not know that

Honestly, I don’t think that rule is written on vellum and protected by eunuchs. It’s just standard practice within the industry, even if SAAMI doesn’t insist on it. Alternative is letting some poor dope unthinkingly load a 20ga and then a 12ga shell into his shotgun.

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Tough to see that as a concern IMO

but…

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When I go to the range or hunting only one type of ammo comes out on the bench at a time and when hunting 1 weapon & 1 matching ammo.
Apathy and laziness usually from being out of shape after a long day afield upland bird hunting or squirrel hunting and neglecting to clean out hunting vest and then having went afield with a different weapon than from a previous outting is literally inviting a disaster.
An Good Cop, IDPAP, or in my case revolver shooter/hunter learns to load without staring at the weapon, just watch Jerry Miculek. I started as a Leo with a revolver and we trained on revolvers at the academy ( they were cheap for the state to use/ old turned in weapons when all the rage was the new 40s&w ) we would shoot thousands of rounds per week was a lot of fun. So after hitting the streets I always practiced reloads at home with my speedloaders without looking at the weapon. Thats possibly where the habit start 1 gun-1 ammo on my person.

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