I found this ballistic testing of several 410 slugs. The guy may have a point looks like the 410 has about the same muzzle energy as a 44mag or a 41mag. I would like to see some down range testing. Don’t get me wrong I’m not advocating using a 410 for deer just found the ballistics interesting.
Ballistic Testing of Select 410 slugs.Remington Sluggers, Winchester Rifled Slug, Federal Rifled Slug, Modified Brenneke Silver Slug*
Testing 410 slugs in the Winchester 9410.
The shooting bench (click to enlarge)
The targets (click to enlarge)Condition and Equipment Used.
Firearm: Winchester 9410 2.5 inch 410 shotgun with a 24inch cylinder bore.
Range: 25yards to target and phone books
Targets: For chronograph was simply targets for aim, all shot were pumpkin on a fence post. The phone books were three Cleveland phone books taped together with several wraps of duck tape and then soaked overnight in bucket full of water. Redneck ballistic gel. Where far from a perfect target wet phone books do usually cause bullets to expand and makes slug recovery fairly straight forward.
Conditions: Beautiful morning, sunny and about 72F little or no wind.
Chronograph: Alpha Chony with passive sky screen and remote interface (not in picture)
Remington Sluggers
5 shot group at 25 yards (click to enlarge)Chrono Testing 5 shots
Low Velocity:1809fpsHight Velocity:1827fpsAverage velocity: 1817fpsExtreme Spreed:17.75Std. Deviation:6.32Manufacture Spec: 1830fpsMeasure Mass: 96.1grManufacture Spec 1/5oz (87.5gr)Calculated Muzzle Energy: 704.3ft-lbs
Notes: Very consistent velocity. Also probably the tightest grouping slug fired from my Winchester 9410.
slug impact with wet phone books. (click to enlarge)
slug impact with wet phone books. (click to enlarge)Impact with wet phone books
Penetration: ~2.5inchesThese were the shallowest penetration of all the slugs. As you can see in the pictures they made a very nasty entrance hole and were stopped at the about the back cover of the first phone book.
slug impact with wet phone books. (click to enlarge)
Slug 1: 96.5gr (100%)Slug 2: 95.7gr (99%)
Notes: Slug 1 actually weight slightly more than the sampled slugs I had weighted. Just a few tenth of a grain but this indicates that there may be some variability in Remington slug manufacturing. The slugs broke up pretty good on impact but had penetrated very straight into the phone books.
Winchester Rifled Slug 2.5 inch shell
5 shot group at 25 yards (click to enlarge)Chrono Testing 5 shots
Low Velocity:1792fpsHight Velocity:1917fpsAverage velocity: 1855fpsExtreme Spreed:124.0Std. Deviation:44.84Manufacture Spec: 1830fpsMeasure Mass: 92.8grManufacture Spec 1/5oz (87.5gr)Calculated Muzzle Energy: 708.9ft-lbs
Notes: The lightest slug tested and the worst for velocity consistency of the three unmodified loads tested.
slug impact with wet phone books. (click to enlarge)
slug impact with wet phone books. (click to enlarge)Impact with wet phone books
Penetration: ~3.0inchesThese were the second shallowest penetration of all the slugs. As you can see in the pictures they made much smaller entrance holes compared to the Remington Sluggers and were stopped just into the second phone book.
slug impact with wet phone books. (click to enlarge)
Slug 1: 90.9gr (98%)Slug 2: 91.7gr (99%)
Notes: These slugs expanded the poorest, as you can see from the pictures they broke into two pieces and expanded very unsymmetrical and thus their penetration deviated as they went into the phone books.
Federal Rifled Slug2.5 inch shell
5 shot group at 25 yards (click to enlarge)Chrono Testing 5 shots
Low Velocity:1714fpsHight Velocity:1742fpsAverage velocity: 1728fpsExtreme Spreed:27.64Std. Deviation:10.77Manufacture Spec: 1775fpsMeasure Mass: 109.0grManufacture Spec 1/4oz (109.4gr)Calculated Muzzle Energy: 722.5ft-lbs
Notes: Good consistent velocity and the heaviest of the true foster slugs tested. Unfortunately the worse grouping out of my Winchester 9410. Also note the wad in the lower right hole in target spot. Also in the extreme right bottom you can see were another one of the wads went through the target. I think this heavy plastic wad Federal uses make be the reason the accuracy suffers, likely cause by the way the was and slug separate at the muzzle.
slug impact with wet phone books. (click to enlarge)
slug impact with wet phone books. (click to enlarge)Impact with wet phone books
Penetration: ~4.0inchesThese slug penetrated best of the true foster slugs tested. They penetrated to the center of the second phone book.
slug impact with wet phone books. (click to enlarge)
Slug 1: 106.4gr (97.6%)Slug 2: 91.7gr (96.7%)
Notes: These slugs expanded very nice. Unlike the Remington sluggers that produce the small slug the detaches in the center the Federal slug due to a reasonable large hollow point turn into rings and produce large internal holes in the phone book with good penetration.
Modified Brenneke Silver Slug*3.0 inches shells modified down to 2.5 inch shell*
5 shot group at 25 yards (click to enlarge)Chrono Testing 5 shots
Low Velocity:1985fpsHight Velocity:2103fpsAverage velocity: 2043fpsExtreme Spreed:118.0Std. Deviation:55.33Manufacture Spec: 1755fpsMeasure Mass: 114.9grManufacture Spec (114gr)Calculated Muzzle Energy: 1065ft-lbs
Notes: Tremendous amount of Kinetic energy compared to the other slugs tested. The inconsistency in velocity is likely due to the after market role crimps I do after modifying them to work in the Winchester 9410.
slug impact with wet phone books. (click to enlarge)
slug impact with wet phone books. (click to enlarge)Impact with wet phone books
Penetration: ~6.0+ inchesThe energy and hardness of these slugs gave them the best penetration. Only one was recover almost through the third phone book. The other slug exited the third phone book and was lost, like due to weakening of the phone book due to a near by hit.
slug impact with wet phone books. (click to enlarge)
Slug 1: 106.4gr (97.6%)
Notes: The slug recovered did not expand hardly at all. Unlike the other foster slugs the Brenneke slug with its attached gas seal appears to be made of a much harder alloy. The combination of the highest Kinetic energy, heavies slug and hard alloy gave this slug the best penetration of the slugs tested.
*Details on modified Brenneke Slugs for use in Winchester 9410.
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