No. Our state requires 20ga or larger slugs for deer.

Shot some .410 in the basement, felt like a cap gun, if that had enough power to take a deer, it would amaze me.

maybe on squirrel I'd suggest....

YES IT WILL WORK! but.... for it to work you must be sure of shot placement, and be a good shot... to become a good shot you must practice with your gun...to practice with .410 slugs is gonna cost $$$ in the end you would be cheaper to check around at local pawn shops, gun shops or gun shows and pick up a 20 gauge... I have seen them as low as forty dollars for an older single shot. to practice with .410's you would be way over forty dollars...

ill chime in here ive been testing my h&RTopper Model 88 3" chamber full choke with open bead sights.
with slugs and no matter whichbrand 40 yrds is about it.my gun gotgroups at less than 4 in with the rem sluggers in 2 1/2.but not so great with the others...on the other hand winchester makes (000 ought buck rounds for it)i get great groups at 50 yrds and all three shots are in the 4 in circle...in the 3 in mag (000 )4 out of 5 peices of shot were in the circle.the slugs were around 6 bucks for 5 rounds and the (000)buck was about the same price.

If you have a .410 that is designed for slugs, I would say that it would be more than adequate. The problem is that you don't have such a gun.

I imagine a rifled barreled .410 could be a tack driver at 100 yards using a scope. It still would not be legal here in Iowa but a .410 pistol would be OK. Go figure.

I agree with everyone who has said that 40 yards is about the max that you can expect for range with a .410 and 3" slugs when shot out of a full choke gun with a bead on the barrel. I have two single shot .410's and I would not use either on deer.

I'm a fan of the 12 gauge because of the variety of loads that are available. You can go with light loads for kids and still have plenty of power. I also think that you should have rifle sights or a scope. A smooth bore is OK though to around 100 yards.

Bob

DO NOT TAKE HEAD SHOTS!!!!!

ANY ONE THAT SAYS OTHER WISE IS CRUEL, AND UNETHICAL!

I HAVE HAD TO FINISH OFF 2 SMALL BUCKS AND A COUPLE OF DOE AS WELL THAT HAD THEIR JAWS SHOT OFF. IT IS DISCUSTING!
THERE IS NO NEED FOR SUCH A RISKY SHOT, THE KILL ZONE IN THE VITALS IS MUCH LARGER AND SHOULD BE THE ONLY PLACE AIMED AT FOR THE FIRST SHOT. IF YOU WALK UP TO YOUR ANIMAL AND IT IS STILL ALIVE, FINE A HEAD SHOT WOULD BE THE QUICKEST AND MOST HUMAIN SHOT.

DO IT RIGHT AND TEACH YOUR KIDS THE RIGHT WAY, PLEASE!

my 2 cents worth , A 410 will kill a deer as long as you are close enough and you put the slug where in needs to go . As with any gun shot placement is the key . so with practice I would say out to 40-50 yards it would do a fine job if you can hit the vitals.

The .410 is enough to get the job done with good placement and short range.

I checked 2 Ammo maker sites. They say 3" .410 slugs retain about 425 ft lbs of energy at 50 yds. That's nowhere close to what is recommended for deer.

Like I said before, I would use one if IHAD to, at basically bowhunting ranges, if the gun was accurate.

Since I'm in a shotgun area, I'd consider getting a new lever action .410 made by Marlin or Winchester if they could boost the performance. Maybe a sabot round with a .357 bullet, or something like that.

My first year hunting i used an old 410 my grandpa had and i was a pretty decent shot with it from 50 yeards. On the last day of the season i shota doe from about 40 yards... she fell and flopped around for a while before hobbling to the woods on her back legs. We had a great blood trail until we had tracked about 75 yards and the blood just stopped, no more blood at all. We searched the whole woods and didnt find the deer. The shot was a little high. So can you kill a deer with a 410? yes is there room for error on the shot? not at all