Generally speaking, the 2.5″ .410 is a mild recoiling load for this gun. The 3″ .410′s recoil is similar to shooting a .45ACP in a Commander sized 1911. Our experience over the years is that most of the people concerned about the recoil before their purchase were pleasantly surprised that the recoil was less than they expected.

Michael Bond, the owner’s son, was introduced to shooting the .410 Defender back in 2001 when he was eleven years old and weighed 75 lbs. and he did not find the recoil to be a problem.