>> How do 410 shotgun shells compare with .45 bullets? (cost wise) the one gun ‘my friend’ bought is made to shoot both.)
Ah, your friend bought himself a Judge. It’s a shame he wasn’t more careful with his new purchase. :-)
I used to have a Judge, too, before it fell off my truck.
.45LC is kinda pricey handgun ammo, and not always easy to find. I did notice that they at least had some on the shelf at my Academy, last time I looked. I have found dirty Mexican .45LC for about .65/shell. Most of the time it’s more than that.
But it’s not just cost, it’s also effectiveness.
While .410 small shot may be cheaper (50 cents) and is useful for some varmints, IMHO the .45LC is a better defense round. If you’re planning to shoot longer than about ten or fifteen feet, anyway. For defense, don’t even THINK about any shot size smaller than #4, and frankly, #4 is too small too. Think buck. Smaller shot just sprays every whichaway shortly after it leaves that little barrel.
Before I lost my judge, I preferred these for defense: http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/product/AMM-860.
Three 000 pellets. Price is okay relative to other .410, if you can find them. And the pattern is tight-ish out to a reasonable distance.
In fact, I keep ...er, *kept* the judge loaded with three of these (first) plus two Hornady JHP .45LC after those.
Your friend may have been tempted to try .410 slugs, but IMHO they aren’t worth their price ($1 each). If you want to throw just one piece o’ hot lead out of the Judge, use .45LC — cheaper, more accurate, and more effective.
The Judge certainly has its flaws (and plenty of detractors to point them out), but all in all I have... er, *had* a lot of fun with mine.
FRegards
I had a clerk at the gun counter say that you could also fire 45 cap through those but can’t find confirmation