The third Federal load was the 3-inch shell with five 000 pellets. Although more than 400 fps slower than the other big buckshot load, the dispersion was much the same, with 17 of the 25 pellets in the center circle and the other eight inside the eight ring. Even dispersion, indeed.

Remington’s nominal 00 load was the fastest of any tested and produced significant recoil. On the target only three of the pellets found the center circle, but 15 were in the 8-inch ring and only two more strayed outside to the 12-inch circle. This simply means that the Remington offering stays inside the 8-inch circle just like the others, but spreads more evenly within that space. Because of the load’s velocity, it delivers a harder blow than any other load tested.

Winchester Ammunition, you will recall, used a completely different approach when crafting loads for the .410 handgun. It offers two loads in this series, both with a combination of their “Defense Discs” and BB shot. A 2½-inch load works with three discs and 12 BBs, and its 3-inch version uses four discs and 16 BBs. Since the discs are .40 caliber, they are supposed to engage the rifling in the bore and become stabilized, leaving the following column of BBs to spread over a greater area. In my five-round group with each of the two versions, that appears to be exactly what happened. The discs tend to produce small patterns, but the BBs that follow them create an even pattern that is centered around the Discs’ points of impact.

Conclusions
These new .410 loads are a curious development driven by the current interest in ever-more efficient self-defense guns and ammunition. Close-range use of multiple-projectile firearms is a valid concept. As far as the six tested loads are concerned, two are the efficient, 3-inch type. The Judge revolver that takes them is significantly larger and heavier, so some handgunners will choose the shorter, lighter Judge for concealed carry. Of the four remaining, one is better suited to pests than criminals. The three remaining are the ones most likely to be used. There’s one from each maker and they are all effective man-stoppers.

Other makers may be entering the .45/.410 ammunition arena. I have heard of new .410 handgun loads from off-shore makers, but I lacked samples to include in this shoot. It’s also interesting that Smith & Wesson recently announced a .410 revolver called the Governor that also shoots both .45 Colt and .45 ACP with moon clips. It isn’t out in quantity yet. We are bound to see more variations in both guns and ammunition in the future. I would offer one cautionary note: Multiple projectile systems work on the basis of terminal effect, not hit probability. In other words, you shoot in the hopes of striking a decisive blow, not to increase your chances of a hit. For that reason, I like buckshot loads that pattern tightly. But the tighter the group, the easier it is to miss. Hardware, no matter how cleverly contrived, will never make up for sloppy shooting. Shot placement matters.