The year 1934 marked a turning point. The era of potshooting game to supplement the family larder was being drawn to a close by increasingly restrictive seasons and bag limits. Also the National Firearms Act of 1934 declared possession of Marbles Game Getter, the Stevens Autoshot .410 pistol and similar guns illegal without registration and payment of a special tax.

Skeet shooting, by then organized on a national basis, created for the first time a target purpose for the small bore shotgun. Winchesters model 42 pump-action repeater had just reached the market . A better gun to lead the .410s new era can hardly be imagined. Its trim and racy lines give the impression of a refined Model 1912, Winchester’s original hammerless shotgun. The model 42’s slender barrel and magazine tube made its appearance so much like a rifle that the temptation to load rifled slugs for it could not be resisted. Bit weighing only 1/5 oz. the .410 slug was never recommended for big game.

The 3” shell also gave the hope for an effective .410 load for wingshooting game. It never quite made it. Although 50% heavier than the ½ oz. load and looking very potent in the long case, overextending the shot column canceled a substantial part of the ¾ oz. loads potential advantage. The original 3/8 oz. .410 load is comparatively longer than the 2 oz. load in a 12-ga barrel. A ½ oz load in a .410 barrel has the same ratio of diameter to length as 2.8 oz of shot in a 12-ga bore. To compare with a  ¾ oz .410 load, a 12-ga shell would carry a shot load weighing 4.2 oz. At 25 yards (the standard distance for patterning .410 guns), performance of ¾ oz. loads is best described as consistently inconsistent.