Survival Arms
The small size of the .410 bore makes it popular for use in compact firearms carried for emergency use. Commonly these are combination guns, with a .22 Hornet or .22 rimfire rifle barrel mounted over a .410 bore shotgun barrel. The most famous of these is the M6 survival rifle made by Springfield Armory, Inc. for the US Air Force, and a number of copies are made by other makers. The original has a 14-inch (360 mm) barrel, the same length as the stock, and folds in half for storage, making a compact package. With the short barrel, this is classified as a short barreled shotgun in the United States, so 18.5-inch (470 mm) barreled models are made for civilian sales, as well as a 16-inch (410 mm) pistol version in .22 over .45 Colt. Special flare cartridges in .410 were issued with the USAF model.
The Thompson Center Arms Contender pistols are commonly encountered with a special .45 Colt/.410 bore barrel. The barrel is rifled for the .45 Colt, but has a special choke and vent rib to make it function as a shotgun. Due to the rifled barrel, the assembled firearm is considered a rifle or pistol (depending on barrel length) and thus is not subject to the National Firearms Act 18-inch (460 mm) minimum barrel length.
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