I did manage to break 15 by the simple expedient of spot-shooting from a low-gun position. The problem with a featherweight, short-barreled shotgun for me is oddly counterintuitive. I don’t get too far ahead of the bird (which would seem to make sense). Instead, I overcompensate to slow things down and often shoot behind it. As always…

Besides this, the relatively short LOP, while great for defensive applications, didn’t quite allow me to avoid “seeing barrel” and over-shooting the birds. One way around this would be to wear a thick jacket or a well-padded anything. I was using 2-1/2-inch Federal and Fiocchi No. 8’s and thoroughly enjoying one of the few advantages enjoyed by .410 shooters. Namely, being able to dump a whole 25-round box into my pants pocket and not worry about shell vests or belt-bags.

But despite its obvious defensive applications, this super-lightweight little .410 would shine as a “garden gun.” Meaning, of course, a pest eradicator when a .22 LR might be unsafe in more densely populated areas. In this case, darn near any birdshot load would work, regardless of whether or not you want to send it out from a 2-1/2-inch or 3-inch shell. Putting a full charge of shot on a close-range pest seldom requires the kind of “pop him again” scenarios from even the most well-executed rimfire solutions. For venomous snakes it would be ideal with birdshot as well.