XM410x4

4 x .410 Multipurpose

40MM Reloadable Munition

From Scot Pace at ReloadableShells.com

The munition photographed above is the latest in the 40MM line of rounds created by Scot Pace from ReloadableShells.com, the 4 x.410 Multipurpose or XM410x4. This is a 3 component round that includes a barrel portion, a base, and an internal mechanism that uses the power of one large rifle or large magnum pistol primer to activate a plate that holds 4 firing pins in battery above the primers of your inserted .410 shotshells or slugs. Once loaded, the round can be used for room clearing, self defense in close range combat, or even small game hunting at close range and where allowed by law. The recoil of the XM410x4 is similar to a 20ga shotgun, so no big deal. It is loud, as the barrels are short, and the sound of 4 .410 rounds going off at the same time is rather cracking. I enjoyed firing the round, and found it easy to reload and clean. After firing it several times, it has become one of my favorite rounds to load and fire. Much easier than loading 10 or 18 .22 shells at a time, but still throwing out quite a bit of lead, it loads up quick with a minimal tool kit and extra primers. I have designed a simple tool, and submitted it to Scot for his consideration. The round is 4” in length, and chambers in any 40MM weapons system.

THE COMPONENTS OF THE SYSTEM:

In the above photo you see the three major components of the XM410x4 round. From L, anodized gold base with new primer inserted, firing pin mechanism with 4 hardened firing pins in battery, barrel portion anodized dark green with 4 barrels in squared profile. The rounded edges of the firing pin mechanism keep it inserted properly into the base. The mechanism has a base plate with a round portion that sits above the large pistol primer in the base to capture the power of the primer and activate all 4 firing pins at once. There is a compression spring between the top plate and the base plate, that keep the firing pins away from the .410 primers, to prevent accidental discharges if dropped on a hard surface. Scot has tested them to 8’ with no problems. I recommend treating all loaded rounds of this nature as loaded firearms, and do not drop them. I recommend not loading the round until you are ready to fire, or upon loading at the beginning of a patrol. Seat the primer with the base not screwed into the barrel portion. I also recommend lubricating the spring area of the squared insert that holds the primers with clear firearms grease. This will aid in functioning.

In the above photo, the 4 .410 shotshells have been loaded into the barrel portion of the munition. The center firing portion is then placed into the barrel portion, with firing pins on top of the primers of the shotshells.

Above, you can see the firing pin mechanism in place, in the barrel portion of the round. The circular portion sits into the gold base, above the large pistol magnum primer, and catches the force of the primer firing to initiate the 4 shotshell primers at the same time. After the mechanism is in place, you simply screw the base in to ready the round for firing. If you are in theater (combat zone) you can load this round before patrol, and keep it loaded or in a vest until it is needed. I recommend sealing the primer with a small drop of NC lacquer (clear fingernail polish) and sealing the threads of the base with a little blue loctite™ sealant if you are going to be storing the round for longer than a month without firing it, or if you are in a combat area where the round may get wet. The barrels of the munition should be left clear, except you can top them off with a piece of 100mph tape (duct tape for those not in the military), to keep moisture out of them. Remember to remove the tape before trying to stick it into a launcher.

You can load a multitude of .410 rounds in it, including buckshot (2 ¾” and 3” magnum), slugs, any shot from #12 to buck, CS/OC Muzzle blast, wood or rubber balls for less lethal, and flechettes. You can also load each barrel with a different round and have a bit of each coming out of the business end of your launcher, as well as a tracer to see where your pattern is going. I have a .410 reloading press, so I can load my own shotshells with different payloads. Flechettes, frangible buckshot, tracer stars, muzzle blast CS/OC, and so on. The only limit is your own imagination.

RANGE REPORT

I loaded up a box with a number of types of .410 shotshells, and headed out back to the range. I had a number of primers to test, and both the M79 and my new LMT M203 mounted on my FAS stand alone stock from Israel. The stock, while mostly heavy duty plastic, is a quality piece. It is easy to install on your standard mount launcher, and accepts rail mount sights as pictured below. I used the standard 12” 40MM barrel:

New targets were used for each test unless specified on the videos.

The rounds fired in this testing included:

1. 4 x 3” Remington Magnum #7 shot Turkey loads

2. 4 x 3” Winchester Slug

3. 4 x 2 ¾ Remington Game load #4 and #7 shot mix

When using magnim pistol primers, all four barrels fired, every time. I did have a couple failures to fire when using regular large pistol primers, but normally 3 barrels fired, and one did not. I fired the adapter at least 10 times with each loading, recorded a couple on video for the masses. I was impressed with the spread pattern, and the coverage of the target area (4’ x 4’) when using the shot rounds. The slugs had around a 3’ dia spread at 15 yards, best for inside buildings.

VIDEOS:

Firing the XM410 x 4

Firing the XM410 x 4 adapter 2

Reloading tutorial video: Reloading the XM410 x 40 adapter

Based on testing, the barrel material was changed to 7075 aluminum, which will keep the 410 bases from expanding, as they did in the above reloading video, making extraction of the 410 difficult. Since switching to the 7075, I have had no problems with 410 shell extraction.

Overall, I really enjoy firing the 410 x 4 – 40MM adapter. It is easy to clean, easy to reload, and easy to fire. It’s effectiveness is evident in the videos. It has a wide coverage over a shorter range, which is very good for room clearing when there is no danger of hitting someone who may be a hostage or non-combatant. It is a relaible munition when proper components are used, and the round is tested with the ammunition you will be using.

3LC Productions