Thinking About a 410 AR for home defense

[November Sierra]

My training is 23 years in the Air Force (retired in 1992) with quite a few trips to the bush in Vietnam. I was an intel collector and was never supposed to be involved in the front line but there were a few trips to the forward to collect low power radio communications. The last time I was out I had collected and was in the process of decrypting the message that they were coming now so had very little time to get the word out. I had an M16 and 1 20 round magazine and was told to destroy my gear and classified materials. Naturally that didn't take long and I went out and they were coming and not being combat hardened I really added to the clusterf***. Anyway, empty rifle and the knife fight ensued. I won that one but it was close.

I didn't volunteer to go out to bushes after that.

That's awesome. Sounds like you've got a solid foundation with tactics. I wish you well in your endeavors. I've had this conversation with a lot of people over the past several years. it's always fascinating to hear other people's thought process and procedure. All I can do is add my two cents and maybe a different point of view with different experiences. I especially find it neat to hear from retired mil guys from before I was born to soak up things from today and add it to their personal doctrine. I would encourage you to update this thread later on down the road if you go down this rabbit hole further and let us know what you've changed and learned. Good luck!

 

[kuduman]

Unreliable. Unreliable. Unreliable.

Plus .410 sucks, is expensive, and limited defense ammo options, most optimized for those revolvers (and I won't comment on how terrible those are).

Get a pump .410. At least it will be reliable.

 

[payneed]

I have the usual home defense weapons, locked and loaded, and ready to be deployed. But, the more I study on how best to defend the home place the question of how to not kill the next door neighbor with pass through pellets, slugs or bullets, comes in to focus.

I have always relied on a pump 12 gauge and a back up pump 20 gauge. I have seen how many sheets of sheetrock the flying pellets or slugs will pass through before they stop and it is impressive and given the walls from one end of my house to the other, the neighbors would be in peril if I unloaded on someone who has breached the doors. This goes extra for the 45 ACP, .38, 9mm, 44 Rem Mag and 22 mag that also serve as backup.

So, given that, I've been thinking of one of the 410 AR, like the ATI or even a home built on a 410 upper and some sort of lower. I just don't know enough about building an AR, even with a 410 upper to consider doing it myself. None of the ATI 410 are available at a reasonable price. Best price I've found is 679 or so on guns.com plus tax and maybe shipping (they might have free shipping right now).

410 with buckshot will pass through several walls so probably looking at loading with 8 or 9 shot as they will do the job and probably not endanger the neighbors.

So, what do you think? AR 410? Crossbow? Keep shopping the pawn shops? Try to find one cheap on gunbroker.com (not likely with the shill bidding going on there). Build it myself and then take it to someone to rebuild, correct, fix what ever I do wrong?

Anyone having one of the 410s that they can speak of and provide some guidance? One of the issues I've seen on you tube is that they have feed issues until you've put about 100 bucks worth of shells through them (something strange about the way the shells stack and the way the magazines are made). I don't have time, extra shells or a place currently to shoot 100 shells just to try and make sure it doesn't fail during a home invasion.

I'm old, have shot for a long time and this is a new avenue for me so any good direction and wise counsel will be greatly appreciated.

Klif I moved into a 55+ community where I share two walls with two different neighbors, much like when I had kids in the house I don't want wall penetrating rounds.
I do have a bull pup .410 which is a hoot to shoot and has never jammed on me, but it is my secondary choice when things go bump in the night.
I opted for the S&W Governor with the .410 PDX defender discs in it close at hand. The Taurus Judge (5 shot) upstairs in case the wife makes me sleep in the other room. lol
a BRIGHT flashlight with both of them, just be sure to close your eyes when you first flick on the flashlight - white walls will blind you and him at 2:00 am.
That's how it plays out in my head anyways.

 

[Gimmebackmybullets]

Id just go outside about midnight. On about July 6 and empty a mag in the dirt in the backyard out of the AR. Be sure not to shoot your toes off. The neighbors might just relocate. But seriously, if your worried about the neighbors get some frangible, and/or reduced recoil loads in #3 buck for the 20 ga. I have pondered the same concerns you have. I bought a shockwave in 20ga. And it stays loaded with reduced recoil #3 buck. Below is a pic of an aluminum diesel fuel tank at about 30-40 feet. Only about 3 pellets actually penetrated the metal(approx 8 ga in thickness) the larger holes are 45acp

 

[Gimmebackmybullets]

 

[RiverBend]

Get a Judge so you can shoot 410 and 45LC and it'll handle better than a rifle, in the house.

 

[ReservoirDawg10]

In short, no. Don't do it.

Choose the proper 223 round

 

[Huey Deer Processing]

Get a Judge so you can shoot 410 and 45LC and it'll handle better than a rifle, in the house.

Keep mine on the nightstand loaded up with hornady critcials (I’ve patterned it myself and it’s DEADLY under 10 yards) have other stuff nearby that’ll leave a bigger hole but if I have to fire a quick shot in the dark the judge would always be my go to.

 

[gyppo]

If you are worried about wall penetration use the biggest shot you feel comfortable with in a 12 gauge. I wouldn’t go smaller than BBB. That is not going to deliver a reliable kill shot to a big thick man in most situations. #4 Buck up close with a magnum load is going to be a devastating dose of stopping power but those pellets are going to bleed energy pretty quickly with distance.

 

[Huey Deer Processing]

If you are worried about wall penetration use the biggest shot you feel comfortable with in a 12 gauge. I wouldn’t go smaller than BBB. That is not going to deliver a reliable kill shot to a big thick man in most situations. #4 Buck up close with a magnum load is going to be a devastating dose of stopping power but those pellets are going to bleed energy pretty quickly with distance.

Good advice on shot size, I love when people say “just use birdshot so you don’t over penetrate” …. Birdshot is made for birds not burgalers…