I've seen all kinds of "experiments" done to/with cheap single shot .410s by country swains of all ages--shooting .30-30s and .44 Mags in them; reloading .444 shells with .410 components; reloading .410 shotshells with ball bearings, etc. Never saw one come apart, including some ancient "no-names" probably made by Stevens or IJ. Apparently there IS a guardian angel for farm boys and .410s.
Or maybe, the fact that all .410 guns are built to handle working pressures well above those of other common gauges gives them a greater margin of safety. Truth is, most all guns are built way stronger than necessary for the recommended loads, just to protect drunks and fools from themselves.
SRH
P.S. Not discounting the angel theory, either.
