No FHE, but it has to be better in a smoothbore shotgun than any rifled barrel.

Will those tiny pellets have enough energy to do the job at 10 yds?

 

I guess I'm going to find out. At 5-7 yds they are devastating on chipmunk when they connect. By 25 ish yds, they won't embed in wood. My deck is thankfully for that.

 

I have one of the Henry's just for this reason.
I do hate them $400 or more.
You beat my record of 30 though.
I have been looking for the Marlin Garden Gun 22 mag for years, but like you said, they end up going for stupid money.
Latest tool is a stray cat we adopted.
Chipmunk killing machine. Fun to watch too. He doesn't limit himself to chipmunks either. Many mice and meadow voles too. One bunny and one bird.
Bibby got 20 in 2024. Humans 4. (My son got one, I got 3.)
Plus he starts as soon as they are out, limiting the breeding spikes.
My favorite tool is a Marlin 25 with 22 longs. Quiet, fun and accurate.

Do you reload for .410?
If you do, a 1/4 oz of #11 would do the trick especially in a full choke.


Jim

 

I have not started loading for .410 yet. Hoping to find a yard sale mec 600jr. I didn't know you could buy #11 shot. Only thing I see around here is 7.5, 8, or 9. As to the cat, we think a yote got him 2 years ago and wife can't bring g herself to get another.

 

These guys have 10, 11, and 12.
I need to buy a beater 410.
Chilled Lead Shot #11 1.5mm (11 lb)

Jim

 

We have cats. They eat whether they catch critters, or not.

The plus side is they drive the dog nuts. 🤣

 

I wouldn't broadcast this very much. Chipmunks are a protected species in most states no matter the damage they do.

 

They fall under nuisance animal here for property owners.

 

OP,
Do an advanced search on this forum in the gunsmithing sub-forum "Project - 22 caliber scattergun"
I (Kentuckycook) converted an old mil-surp .22 into a smoothbore.....
Worked great!.....Maybe buy an old pawn shop clunker and ream out the rifling, as I did, for an economical/ fun answer to your rodent issues.
Good luck!
Kentuckycook

 

That's good. They can be destructive. We don't get that option. Thankfully the California ground squirrel and Western grays are listed as non native species and not protected so far where I live. I make my own 38 special shot loads. They would be much louder than the 22 shot loads but cheaper. 100 gr of shot with 3 gr E3 or Red dot.

 

You should google “Reverse Paradox Ammoland” and read about the results obtained by the author with his approach. He produces dense patterns from rifled guns using his invention. I know the author from another forum, and provided him patterns from several of my .22 smoothbore guns (Remington 510, Mossberg Targo 26T, A weird German semi, and a Remington 510 with the Routledge bore). His set up performed considerably better using both CCI capsule shells and the old school crimped shells. Plus it’s apparently pretty quiet, although not considered a suppressor, more like the long metro barrels.

 

Reverse Paradox Ammoland = very interesting!
Thanks for that.

Jim

 

So reading that, the adapter inside my 26" .410 barrel, should function similarly.

 

I have a Shortlane 20 gauge to .22 lr adapter. Accuracy sucks. Of course what did I expect. Bought it for the novelty I guess. Used it once. Now it sits in a drawer. The adapter is rifled.

 

What ammo were you using?

 

SK. CCI Standard velocity. My statement was unfair because I was comparing shooting the Shortlane to my rimfire rifles. I’ll admit it was fun, but if my purpose is to take critters humanely I would use a rimfire rifle, pistol or a shotgun with a shotshell.

 

Yeah, I have no intention of using solid ammo. I have probably too many .22 rifles. I am looking only at using .22 shot shells around the house and barn for pest control. Goal is to kill pests and minimize collateral damage. A .410 shotshell is beyond overkill in this role.

 

Arriving today. If it's not too cold to get a shoot n see to stick to cardboard, I'll test when I get home.

 

So I did get it. Well machined stainless, fit perfectly in my NEF pardner single shot full choke. Pattern at 10yds about the same as my revolver at 5 yds. Hit a bit high left. Will test more when it's a bit warmer without wind blowing.

 

To report practical results, they to work. Tuesday I shot one at 10 yards. It keeled over and died.

Today I fired at another fatty. Measured distance 18yds. Far more than I would have expected. I almost switched to the .410 reload in my pocket, but I had to know. I fired, he dropped, blood all over the ground. He was down and dying, but not done. I gave him the coup de gras with my .22 pistol, 5c vs 50c for shotshells.