Can I Shoot Slugs Through my S-410

[Boba Debt 350]

I have read that 410s have an internal choke.

 

If that's true can I shoot slugs through it?

[vbrtrmn 167]

Mine does not have an internal choke, haven't fired slugs through it yet, though.

[russianblood 0]

I have read that 410s have an internal choke.

 

If that's true can I shoot slugs through it?

 

My .410 came with and external screw-on choke. It loves Silver Bear .410 slugs!

[3ac6ucb 24]

Measure your muzzle and see how choked it is. It's generally safe to shoot slugs through anything modified or wider.

[russianblood 0]

Measure your muzzle and see how choked it is. It's generally safe to shoot slugs through anything modified or wider.

 

The OP states he "has read" that the Saiga .410 has an internal choke. I thought all .410s came with external screw-on chokes.

[kresk 10,063]

Some S12's and maybe 20's (not sure of the latter) have internally choked barrels but never heard of a .410 having them. Maybe someone knows for certain.

[turbo1889 1]

Some of the older models of the S-410 did have barrels with a swaged in permanent fixed choke constriction. Sort of like what is used on El-Cheapo break action single shot guns. Most of these had a full choke constriction.

 

To my knowledge all present production S-410 guns come with a true cylinder bore barrel with external threads to accept interchangeable choke tubes. Normally the choke tubes are purchased separately and only a choke size #0 thread protection ring comes with the gun out of the box. In this configuration - with only the size #0 choke which is just a thread protector ring - the Saiga 410 has the best possible barrel set up for shooting slugs possible for a smooth bore gun (not counting rifled pyrodex choke as a true smooth bore).

 

Long story short, as long as your S-410 is a current production model, with the external threads on the end of the barrel and the thread protector size #0 unit in place it is actually one of the best possible platforms for shooting 410-bore slugs.

 

It is safe to shoot slugs through the old swaged in choke barrels and the newer barrels with the choke constriction units (#1, #2, & #3) in place as well but accuracy will be reduced compared to using just the thread protector #0 unit.

[Boba Debt 350]

I have an older 410

 

Here is a picture of the muzzle devise that came on it. I can take a better picture if you need to see it up close.

 

 

[Shandlanos 1,470]

I had an S-.410 for a while, had the same external choke shown in that image. I fired slugs a few times without removing the choke (yeah, dumb) and all it did was increase the recoil.

[turbo1889 1]

I have an older 410

 

Here is a picture of the muzzle devise that came on it. I can take a better picture if you need to see it up close.

 

 

 

 

That is actually an early threaded choke. Basically fixed swaged in choke guns were the first ones imported and then they started bringing in ones with threaded interchangeable chokes. First few shipments came with a ported full choke (that's what I see in your picture) and then after that they came with the #0 thread protector ring I spoke of.

 

So I have attached the following pictures (shamelessly stolen from other posts on this forum) - Early Ported Full Choke that Came on the Guns for First Few Shipments of New Style Threaded Choke Barrels / The Three Most Common S-410 Choke Tubes From Left to Right #1, #3, & #0 Normally most Newer Comes Come With The #0 Thread Protector Nut / Close up of a #3 S-410 Choke Tube as It Comes Ordered Separately. Cobra has one of the old style guns with the swaged in non-interchangeable chokes. I could not locate the photo; perhaps he will be kind enough to post it. There is also some very rare original Russian made #2 choke tubes, a flash hider unit, and a rifled paredox (Spelling ???) choke tube for the S-410. There are photos of them on this forum as well - I don't have all day to find them, they are buried deep inside posts going back several years and there may only be one or two photos on the whole forum of them.

 

Long Story short - Yes it is safe to shoot slugs out of the choke tube you have but accuracy probably isn't going to be that good. Of all the 410-bore slugs out there the Winchester brand name ones have the smallest diameter slug and they usually shoot the best from a tight choke gun and the worst from a cylinder bore gun that usually shoots slugs great. So if you do shoot slugs from the choke tube you have the Winchester brand slugs are probably your best bet. You would be much better off getting your hands on a #0 thread protector nut and using that to shoot slugs from. Brenneke, Silver/Gold Bear, and Remington slugs are usually the most accurate using the #0 thread protector. You could just take off your choke tube and shoot the gun without any thread protector nut and it would be just as good and just as accurate for slugs as using a #0 thread protector nut but you will have to be extra careful not to damage the exposed threads.

[Boba Debt 350]

Thanks for the info.

[Boba Debt 350]

I want to replace the choke with a brake of flash hider.

 

Will this be a problem when shooting slugs?

[turbo1889 1]

I see no problems with a brake or flash hider instead of a choke. Normally flash hiders and brakes have an internal bore which is just slightly larger then the guns barrel bore. A slug coming out of a 0.410" diameter barrel into a flash hider or brake that is probably going to have a bore diameter of between 0.430" and 0.450" should cause no problems. Just a little extra air space cushion around the sides of the slug between it and the flash hider or muzzle brake. It might even improve accuracy kind of like a false muzzle in a modern inline muzzle loader.

[Cobra 76 two 2,677]

Actually that one pic Turbo posted is my original extra full threaded choke that came on my old model 410. The photo was cropped so it got skewed there...

Here is a better pic. Got some serious mall ninja goin on here but forgive me, it was my very first conversion back in 04 or 05.

Boba yours looks to be the second or third generation of the older guns. You have what looks like the same gas plug mine has with no adjustments, made only for shooting 3" magnums. It should say that on the side. You may or may not have the old style hollow piston like mine has. They changed that somewhere along the line...I'd be interested to know when. The really old ones like mine had a fixed rib along the top of the gas tube, instead of a rear dovetail and front bead. Actually I don't see any dovetail or bead on yours either. Have they been removed or was there nothing there?

I like the UTG quad on there. Could you post a pic without the rail covers? I prefer ladder covers if I use any. Other kinds just look too bulky IMO.

 

I have shot over a hundred rds of Barnaul 94gr slugs (like the ones in the photo) through this gun with that choke on there. They are the same as silver Bear from what I understand. It had no ill effects on the barrel and the accuracy was quite good. I also have a regular unported full choke that screws on here but haven't even shot it with that. I have the Paradox too but need to try it with these slugs. I have found scrapings of the plastic wads inside the choke when unscrewing it for cleanings, but it doesn't seem to effect accuracy so I doubt if it's a safety issue having the full choke on there. (yeah I know everyone says NO slugs through full chokes....not true with Saigas and foster slugs)

Usually I shoot with the custom made 74 style brake I had Tony make me from an AK brake I sent him to change the threads in to fit the factory Saiga threads. It does great with everything I put through it.

[Boba Debt 350]

Yes, the side of my gun has "MAGNUM" on it so I guess they nover intended for it to shoot 2.5" shells. No worries

 

The H3 front sight is on top of where the front bead used to be and I filled in the rear dovetail.

 

 

I made 2 more changes to my UTG rail and posted a new image of it without the covers in my "Presenting" thread. to keep all of the different pictures consolidated to one thread. personally I love the way the covers handle, they feel perfect in my hand. I plan to add modified versions of the same rail and covers to my 7.62 and my S-12

Edited February 8, 2010 by Boba Debt

[3ac6ucb 24]

You can shoot 2.5" shells though a 3" chamber, no problems! The shot cup just has to jump half an inch before it hits the forcing cone. Same thing with 12 gauges: Saiga-12's have 3" chambers but ask anyone on this forum and they'll tell you 2-3/4" shells shoot just fine.

[turbo1889 1]

You can shoot 2.5" shells though a 3" chamber, no problems! The shot cup just has to jump half an inch before it hits the forcing cone. Same thing with 12 gauges: Saiga-12's have 3" chambers but ask anyone on this forum and they'll tell you 2-3/4" shells shoot just fine.

 

Sigh, . . .

 

Some of the older S-410 (we have established that Boba Debt's gun is such) do not have the adjustable gas valve and thus when fired with 2-1/2" shells instead of 3" shells the semi-auto action will "short stroke" and will not feed the next shell. If you’re lucky the stroke is either short enough that the mouth of the cartridge is not pulled clear of the chamber and just pops back in forth in the chamber or the bolt goes back far enough to throw the empty hull free of the action but not far enough back to strip the next round out of the mag. so the bolt closes on an empty chamber. Either way you can work the gun as a straight pull bolt action with the shorter shells. If you’re not so lucky and you get something in-between those two - well things don’t work very well at all in that situation even with trying to work the bolt manually.

 

It's not the chamber that is the problem its the fact his gun is old enough model that it doesn't have an adjustable gas system.

Edited February 8, 2010 by turbo1889

[poolingmyignorance 2,191]

[Smokewagonokc 3]

No you can not. You should box up all your slugs and mail them to me for immediate disposal.