Remington low decible .410 "garden gun" loads

A couple of Shot Shows ago, this correspondent suggested to ammunition manufacturers a low powered, small shot cartridge could fill a “garden gun” nitche for Americans.

The idea of a garden gun is a gun firing a low velocity, low powered shot load which is not very loud, but can efficiently dispatch small pests out to about 20 yards. People at Remington must have been thinking along the same lines. They have introduced a “Low Decibel” .410 load which is very close to old garden gun loads.  Many people already have .410 shotguns. They do not need to purchase a dedicated “garden gun” to have garden gun performance. .22 shotshells work pretty well, but have very limited range out of rifled barrels. With a smoothbore gun, such as a Henry Garden Gun, the range can be stretched to about 12 -15 yards. The .410 low decibel load, starting at 650 fps with number nine shot, should be good to 20 yards. The number nine pellet, at that range, will be traveling a tad more than 400 fps. By 40 yards it has dropped to under 300 fps, about the same velocity of a BB gun, but with a much lighter pellet. It should bounce off of most clothes.

It is a real cartridge. At ranges of a few feet, it can be deadly. Shooters have to use good judgement and caution, and understand backstops and ranges. At 25 yards, a half inch pine board should be an effective back stop for #9 pellets traveling under 400 fps.

Sound of the shot will be minimized out of a long barrel. Many .410 shot guns have 28″ barrels, which should work well. There is no sonic crack with these loads.

Handloaders can duplicate these results with low powder charges.  It is important to have a good crimp to provide enough resistance for a complete powder burn. Low powered loads will not operate most semi-automatic actions. It is difficult to obtain consistent ignition below 600 fps. The Remington factory ammunition solves the problem of load development if only a few shots are needed.

Ammoseek lists the low decibel shells at about $20 a box of 25. .22 Shot shells on Ammoseek list from about $15 for 50 rounds to $6 for 20 rounds.  Handloading is not a practical option for .22 shot shells.

This correspondent’s brother claims 12 gauge loads at about 600 fps have been very effective on pests up to rabbit sized, and are much quieter than a regular cartridge, albeit out of a 36 inch barrel. As American households become more suburban, and “horse properties” of 2 acres on up expand into rural America, the market for garden guns to control pests expands as well. Even if your neighbor is more than a 1/4 mile away, quiet loads prevent disturbing the neighbors when a pest shows up just after a summer sunrise.

Before 1930, backyard gunfire was common in the United States. After WWII, ordinances outlawing gunfire inside city limits proliferated. It all depends on local ordinances, so research in specific locations is called for. Some backward municipalities even ban the shooting of air guns and bows and arrows in the back yard!

Texas prevents municipal ordinances banning the firing of shotguns if you have 10 acres of property, and the shot does not pass the property boundaries. If you are on unincorporated land, counties can regulate shooting on parcels of less than 10 acres. They are not required to do so. Florida allows backyard shooting if the shooter acts prudently.  Shooting on properties of more than 1 acre has fewer restrictions. A low powered garden gun with small shot and a backstop would probably meet the requirements of the law.

Garden guns reached their peak interest between the World Wars. They were popular in Europe between 1900 and 1935.  Because of their low power, they were generally unregulated. More recently, hoplophobia has generated severe ordinances to regulate even the low powered, inoffensive garden gun.

©2025 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch 

Eley Brothers came out with a 2 inch .410 load in 1857.  

Midway case of .410 low decible ammo for $149.

Maybe can have some sent to me. Might need to find a shotgun. 

Special on Kel-Tec .410 shotgun $349

 Palmetto state guns  

.22 shot shells cost  at about 24 cents vs 60 -120 for the .410.

Seen online as low as $17.33 a box.  70 cents per round. 

 Description on Remington site 

 In 1857 Eley Brothers in London introduced the .410 in a 2 inch shell. 

 Wikipedia lists a 9mm garden gun load as 1/4 ounce of 9 shot at 600 fps. 

Source: http://gunwatch.blogspot.com/2025/09/remington-low-decible-410-garden-gun.html