I was watching the SWAT challenge on top shot and digged the chainsaw shotgun used to breach doors. I don't own a shotgun, but I have a Governor and was wondering if a .410 round would have the same effect on a door knob. Why would I want to know this? I have no clue....

Not all door breaching is done via the knob ... a lot is performed by blasting the hinges. A .410 round is certainly capable of doing damage to a hinge or knob mechanism, but not nearly as much as a .20 or .12 gauge round. Also, there are certain specialized shotgun rounds designed for breaching, though I've not seen them offered in .410. For the same price as a Gov, I'd much rather have a larger gauge pump gun if my sole purpose was to perform assorted breaching duties. I still like the concept of the Gov however ... always have ... and hope to pick one up sometime.

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I'm with the banned ...

Breaching loads are frangible rounds made of a dense sintered material, often metal powder in a binder such as wax, which can destroy a lock then immediately disperse. They are designed to destroy door deadbolts, locks and hinges without risking lives by ricocheting or by flying on at lethal speed through the door, as traditional buckshot can. There are not .410 breaching loads and they would not work very well if there were, you need the heavy mass impacting the target to be effective. Also the chainsaw like most other new firearms released from Mossburg is a joke, they seem to be taking their design ideas from zombie video games.

Safety!
Firing any handgun at a metal target at arms length is risky.
The type of projectile makes a difference, with a FMJ likely to hold together and go off at an unexpected angle.
Small soft lead shot would be less dangerous, but you still might wind up bouncing some back. Steel shot could be deadly.

I have small scars from hits by metal bits from 10yds away shooting and ROing USPSA matches with steel targets. One shooter had a TMJ hold together and hit his thigh hard enough to stick; unusual, but possible.

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Science plus Art

Haha! Probably no effect on a door knob. It would have an effect on the guy that tried it though. At the very least he'd be picking little pieces of lead out of his skin for months......

Don't forget splinters, too.

The only time I'd breech a door is if I gotta go real bad and both bathrooms are occupied. I'd just use my size 10 Wolverine boot.

Seriously,tho,backsplash of stuff is a real concern.I was shooting at two Bin Laden targets a couple of years ago with a revolver in each hand and one of them shot back.....I thought.
BIG splinter from the backstop board went through my T shirt and stuck in me. I was shooting 125gr. Golden Sabers. Says a lot about always having eye protection on.

Proportionally; Yes, it would have the same effect as a larger shotgun round.

Unfortunately, due to the close range, the doorknob, hinge, or whatever would become shrapnel, along with the pellets from your .410 round, and likely rip into you from head to toe. I'm just guessing here, but I don't think your original purpose for breaching the door would be well served subsequent to firing that shot... You'd likely be laying on the ground screaming for an ambulance!

But I have to say it's a great forum topic!

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But then, what do I know?

Maybe on a barbie doll house.

A 410 is pretty wimpy from a full-size shotgun. It doesn't get any better from a teeny-weeny little revolver.

The .410 load used in handguns is less effective than a normal .410 load, which is orders of magnitude less effective than a 12 gauge.

It would be useless in the role you are proposing for it.

000 buck in .410 from a full-size shotgun is a mankiller; from a two inch revolver, not so much...

Not sure that's the case; in fact, I don't know of any commonly available "normal" .410 that isn't birdshot, whereas the .410 load for handguns is usually 00 and 000 buck.

Please explain...

If it was something that worked I would imagine SWAT would be using it. .410 birdshot is best left for birds and revolvers that shoot them are best left for gangster and zombie movies.

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Vaya con Dios

If you notice most shotguns that are setup for breaching have a large "birdcage" on the muzzle. This is not a compensator in the usual sense but is designed specifically for breaching. The Governor would be putting your hands right up to the door and your face much closer than normal. In all not something I would suggest trying unless you are fully geared from head to toe.

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Son of a Gun...Smith

"Standard" size 3" .410 buckshot exists. It may not be carried at WalMart, and not every manufacturer might make it, but it exists, as does other non-bird loads.

BUCKSHOT - Super-X .410 Gauge 3 Inch 1135 FPS 5 Pellets 000 Buck The Guns and Gear Store - Quality Hunting, Reloading, Shooting, and Outerwear Supplies... the BEST Prices Always! Shop Here for Great Deals! The Guns and Gear Store is the Only and Orig

Some more stuff:
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/b...97&s=929&stk=1

Gee, the only door I ever breached I just ran through it, no firearm involved. Of course, my Mom wasn't too impressed that her front door frame was in shreds...

I did that when I was about 12 after I took my first puff of a cigarette. Ran plum through the house and through the screen tryin' to catch my breath. Did it again when I took my first shot of white lightnin'. I don't think any of that stuff agrees with me.

Me, I was sixteen, and my sister ALWAYS got home from school before I did so the front door was always unlocked. It was raining, I was running, and it was the one day she wasn't. I turned the knob as I hit the door at full speed - it was still deadbolted. Oops.

I never did try that tabacky or white lightnin' stuff. Mom didn't punish me for the door, but she'd a killed me for using that stuff.

Doors included right??

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Ogy

"not so much"? That's an understatement!

Nope, still no reason to own a governor.

Yes, that's what I was saying: handgun loads in .410 are buckshot -- they're for defensive applications. You said that .410 handgun loads are weaker than normal loads, but the vast majority of normal loads for .410 are birdshot.

.410 handgun loads (buckshot) are the harder hitting load, though certainly "weaker" coming out of a handgun versus a shotgun, if that's what you were saying and it wasn't clear to me.

Deliberately so -- I haven't seen any tests of the defensive .410 rounds coming out of a snubbie barrel penetrating the way you'd want a defensive round to.

Would I want to get hit by one at close range? Of course not. If I needed it would I take a Governor loaded with .410 over, say, a spoon? Naturally.

But my real point was that .410 buckshot is a very good defensive round, provided it's delivered from a full sized shotgun.

An extremely bad idea.
Period.

Door breaching with one would be idiotic.
Denis

I didn't watch the show, but door breaching generally is done at an angle. The idea is to hit the hinges with a high speed heavy mass and rip the hinge plates & screws out of the doors and drive them through the door frame. Properly done, it doesn't matter much what the door/frame is made of or how it's locked.

Birdshot will work, the dedicated rounds reduce the flying debris.

I doubt a .410 has enough weight of shot and velocity to do much beyond knocking a Kwik-Set lock out of a hollow core interior door. A well applied boot will do that.

Well, they should have called it the "Governator" but I suppose they didn't want to pay the license fees. I would prefer a Shield and a Sigma for that kind of money.
Geoff
Who would like to see how the Governor groups at 25 yards or meters.