Mossberg HS410

[Jake2U]

I'm new here and just thought I'd post about my first firearm: the Mossberg HS410. There doesn't seem to be a great deal of information out there about this firearm, and so I thought I'd write up what I know.

http://www.mossberg.com/product/shotguns-pump-action-500-special-purpose-500-hs410/50359

I picked it up for home defense -- it is easy to shoot, and something that even my wife is willing to practice with at the range.

After a lot of consideration, I have opted to go with #4 buckshot in 3" shells for its intended home defense purposes. I have found this to be a great load:

http://www.federalpremium.com/products/details/shotshell.aspx?id=912

Mr. Horman over at 410handguns has put up some very interesting pattern and penetration testing results for various kinds of 410 ammo and firearms, including the HS410:

http://410handguns.com/mossberg_spd_text.html#Mossberg_SPD_HS410

It seems that the HS410 is the black sheep of the Mossberg 500 series, and I haven't found many accessories that fit it. So I'll post what I have found so far.

I can recommend this case, which accommodates the HS410's forearm grip:

http://www.amazon.com/Allen-Company-Assault-Shotgun-Rectangular/dp/B0010KHN90

Updated 11/14/2014:

I can recommend this buttstock ammo holder (Allen Company Buttstock Rifle Cartridge Holder - ASIN: B000LC655Q - model 206), which fits the Mossberg HS410 stock and also holds .410 shells securely:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000LC655Q

I can also recommend the SOE Bungee Single Point Sling (w/standard adapter) as a good single point sling that is compatible with the HS410:

http://www.originalsoegear.com/collections/belts-slings-1/products/bungee-single-point-sling

 

[Bobster]

So what exactly is a "spreader" choke?

 

[LAZY EYED SNIPER]

Two types of "spreader chokes",

The older "duck bill" or "oval chokes" essentially flattened the muzzle along the horizontal axis then opened back up into a duck bill shape. This spread the pellets further out laterally and produced an oval shaped impact pattern. The idea was to keep the pellets tightly grouped along the vertical axis while maximizing shot spread along the horizontal.

Modern spreader chokes or "diffusion" chokes use rifling to impart a spin on the shot as it leaves the muzzle. In theory, this offers an advantage for targets in close proximity by opening up the shot spread more over short distances compared to a cylinder bore...

 

[Jake2U]

So what exactly is a "spreader" choke?

I confess I really don't know exactly how it does it (Lazy Eyed Sniper mentioned rifling, which is the first time I heard that explanation) but it's supposed to be a modified choke that provides greater spread at short distances. I had assumed that there was a slight widening of the barrel (i.e., the exact opposite of a "choke") toward the end, but whether that's the case or whether it uses rifling, the result is a greater shot spread at shorter distances.

For example, at that website I linked to, they have tested shot spread for various types of 410 shot shells out of two 410 Mossberg shotguns: the HS410 and a 410 Cruiser (which has a cylinder-bore choke). You can see the table of results and how it differs between these two 410 shotguns:

410 Cruiser (w/cylinder-bore barrel)
http://410handguns.com/mossberg_spd_text.html#Mossberg_SPD_M185

HS410 (w/spreader choke)
http://410handguns.com/mossberg_spd_text.html#Mossberg_SPD_HS410

As one example, the #4 buckshot that I use as my HD load patterns at approximately 2" at 15 feet when shot from the 410 Cruiser with the cylinder-bore, but it patterns roughly 7" at 15 feet when fired from HS410. It would seem that the spreader choke does a pretty good job of opening up the shot pattern for in-home distances.

 

[LAZY EYED SNIPER]

There is also a "negative" choke that I guess might be referred to as a spreader choke as well. This type choke extends past the muzzle and simply flares out to a greater diameter than the bore to produce a wider pattern...

 

[Jake2U]

There is also a "negative" choke that I guess might be referred to as a spreader choke as well. This type choke extends past the muzzle and simply flares out to a greater diameter than the bore to produce a wider pattern...

I read somewhere that this is how the spreader choke on the HS410 is implemented. I'm not sure it's flared enough to be perceptible to the eye, however.

 

[LAZY EYED SNIPER]

It wouldn't be.

Not sure of the dimensions for .410 caliber, but for 12ga a negative choke typically opens to .005" in diameter larger than the bore. Hence the "negative", as chokes are measured in restriction this equates to a -.005". Not nearly enough to be visible...

 

[John A.]

Nice writeup guys.

I admit that I had never heard of a negative choke until now.