Hi: I would like to know what everyone uses for cheap practice with slugs? I have a an 870 police 12ga 18" cyl bore for bear defence. I like to shoot it but commercial slugs cost too much. I do reload and also cast rifle and pistol bullets. Thank's
Shotgun Slugs
- Thread starter gunbug
- Start date
hvmetalhead
Regular
- Location
- St. Paul AB
Make poor mans slugs
Lee recommends using pure lead but for plinking/practise I'll throw in the wheelweights- just warm the mould get the lead good and hot, they cast nicely..
As in any form of reloading there's a sense of satisfaction- not to mention the big silly grin from these slugs.
As in any form of reloading there's a sense of satisfaction- not to mention the big silly grin from these slugs.
Elaborate?
I used the Lyman 1oz slugs in my Benelli M121. I cast them of wheelweights, dropped from the mould into cold water, so they were pretty hard. I paper-patched them for a nice, snug fit into the bore, and with my 4x scope would shoot into 6" @ 50m every time.
I launched them with a stiff charge of BlueDot (don't recall the exact charge) and never recovered one from any of the bears I shot.
Bear hunting on Vancouver Island was a pretty short range affair, the longest shot I recall was about 25m, down to about 2m.
I launched them with a stiff charge of BlueDot (don't recall the exact charge) and never recovered one from any of the bears I shot.
Bear hunting on Vancouver Island was a pretty short range affair, the longest shot I recall was about 25m, down to about 2m.
What are you doing, walking through the woods with your pockets full of hamburger?
When I first started buying those a few years ago they were quite cheap. I think maybe .40ish cents a pop. Last I checked they are running over a dollar a piece now
. I would like to know where the "Value" went.
How else are you supposed to get them to come nice and close for an easy shot?
Splatter, 2m is way too personal for my taste, even a 12ga would feel awfully small in my hands at that point
Mark
I was pretty surprised too! That's why I shot her 5 times (in truth I only remember pulling the trigger twice; but while I was waiting to see any movement (after running backwards about 5m and dropping over a little bank) and was reloading I just kept stuffing shells in, and it took 5 in the mag, and I know I was fully loaded when I left the truck)
For those that don't know, the bush on Vancouver Island is very dense. Once off the path, you're lucky to be able to see 3m, and even the paths with all the twists and turns have very short clear sightlines.
Usually if the bear is interested in something, like dead salmon, you'll hear and/or smell it before you actually see it.
