Jimmy, I do not do that with a .410 every time. I do not shoot much Skeet or Trap anymore. But when I am in a groove I am able to. I'd bet 41-42 out of 50 for money. People get hung up on the .410 and just fail to understand that the center of my .410 pattern hits bird well and is that same as the center of a 12, just slightly less dense there is no edges beyond it. The center of a 12 gauge pattern is overkill. I have a 20-22" pattern when I shoot trap at 16 yards, the way I shoot. Your 30" pattern is not even 30" if you shoot quickly but can still kill birds long after I can, at ranges a .410 runs out of pattern. I shoot fast and when in the groove as we use to say can break birds. What I can not do is ride birds out or shoot deliberately with a .410. It runs out of gas past 30-33 yards. My sweet spot is about 25-27 yards, and on straight away birds that is no problem. But angle birds are a real issue, so I am very aggressive with them. Most angled birds are like Skeet low six or high two type angles if you shoot faster. At Skeet I shoot low five and low six before it is half way to the center stake. A hit at 25-30 yards, on angled bird is more likely with a .410 than one at 30-35 yards. Past that it is a hail mary. Put another way I struggle with angled birds past 25-27 yards and past 30 yards any hits are miracles as much as skill.
If you shot a .410 a lot you would see some of what I am saying. I suspect Stan does. Can you get within 20" of the bird? If so you can break birds with a .410. You can do it with 30" pattern with a 12, and if you shoot 7/8 or 3/4 ounce your pattern is nearer 25" than 30". So your 25" 3/4 ounce load will break birds at 16 yards. I am just a step or two lower at 1/2 ounce and 20".
What you can not do with a .410 is think too much. Never cut open a shell and see how few pellets are in 1/2 ounce load. Never pattern a .410 and count pellets. If you must pattern one, then see where the POI is and see how nicely is covers the target, or how wide the pattern is. I look for a pattern which has no "holes" in it for a target to fly through edge ways. A good one will cover about 22" at the ranges I want to shoot. A bad one gets spotty and is really just a 16-18" pattern, best only used closer. And much as I have tried I have never found a 40 yard .410 load but I might if I could afford Tungsten shot. Some guys kill geese at stupid ranges with that stuff.
