12 gage slugs

bandit86

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I saved up a few magnum shells, I'd like to try reloading with slugs. How different is the process from metallic cartridge? Is the powder compressed? How is slug depth established?
 
Buy a shotgun manual and read it.
Loading shotgun shells is totally different from rifle or pistol. Starting with a completely different, but far less expensive press. There's no seating depth or any of that to deal with. Shotgun loading has the shot or slug sitting in a wad and that gets loaded.
Don't think you need magnum shells though.
 
what type of slug are you wanting to load lee 1oz ? 7/8oz ? lyman slug custom sabot slug? I have loaded a bunch of buck and slug for shotgun its actually what got me started in reloading so I am more then willing to help you out anyway I can.
 
I would like some 1 oz (rifled). I only saved the magnum shells because I liked the extra long brass, I might reload target shells if they're good enough. I need to go to the range and fire off some winchester high speed 7.5 target to make empties for reloading
 
I reload slugs into high brass shells, you just don't get enough powder into a low brass shell.

the "brass" on the outside of a shell has nothing o do with how much powder it can hold the base wad dose and its different with different brands/types of hulls. with shotshell its best to fallow data to a t as there is no easy way to tell pressure go get the newest edition of the Lyman shotshell manual it will show you the different hull types and help id them from there you can get proper data
 
If possible I use aa for reloading. I think the cheap Remmys are pretty close anyway shotgun reloading is pretty much a formula you use this powder with this wad with this hull and this weight of shot = working shotshell. Wherever you get your slugs or molds from should give you the appropriate data as well.
 
Use the data exactly as listed in a manual, including primers...reloading for shotgun isn't as forgiving as the metallic stuff
That's pretty much it.
Shotshell load data will list the specific hull, primer, powder, wad, spacers or sleeves, shot/slug, and what type of crimp to use.
Generally I'll just use a star crimp on everything, including those that say roll crimp, and I've never had any issues. I don't have a roll crimper and don't want to carry all my shells into the garage to use my drill press when I have a perfectly good star crimping press at my reloading desk.

If you aren't casting your own slugs you will loose a lot of the savings. Budget Shooter Supply started selling Lee key drive cast slugs a little while ago for a decent price ($13/50) but prior to that you could only find premium slugs for reloading unless you knew someone who cast. With the Lee slugs from BSS you are still looking at $.50-.60/shell depending on your other components (and assuming you have free hulls and already have a press). Factory slugs can be found for sometimes as low as $.75/each (the Winchester 15rnd boxes). I can reload shells with slugs I cast myself for ~$.25 each if I use free lead and even if I need to buy lead at $2/lbs it's only up to $.40 each.
 
"Rifled" are just a selling gimmick. The "rifling" is only there for looks, because the slug does not rotate when it is fired.
It is stabilized the same, by means of a thin skirt at the rear and solid lead at the nose, whether it has a smooth outer surface or so called rifling.
 
"Rifled" are just a selling gimmick. The "rifling" is only there for looks, because the slug does not rotate when it is fired.
It is stabilized the same, by means of a thin skirt at the rear and solid lead at the nose, whether it has a smooth outer surface or so called rifling.

That's what I thought. Deep down I was hoping the large rifled part acts like a propeller blade and spins the bullet stabilizing it
 
"Rifled" are just a selling gimmick. The "rifling" is only there for looks, because the slug does not rotate when it is fired.
It is stabilized the same, by means of a thin skirt at the rear and solid lead at the nose, whether it has a smooth outer surface or so called rifling.

the rifling does do one thing that's give somewhere for extra lead to go while its being squeezed through a choke
 
That's what I thought. Deep down I was hoping the large rifled part acts like a propeller blade and spins the bullet stabilizing it

no it stabilizes by using a weight forward sort of like a shuttlecock a hollow base with a thin skirt and a solid lead nose these are called foster slugs smooth or riffled
 
So is powder in a shell compressed?

get a manual and read it Lyman is one of the better ones for shotshell it will help you out big time. I will tell you this you can sub a lee 1oz slug for 1oz of shot its what I do but I don't like pushing my slugs too fast as they tend to break up at high velocity's
 

my first video ever so please cut me some slack but this will give you an idea of how I load one of my slugs, Honestly I have ever slug mold I could lay my hands on and the lee 1oz slugs are hard to get any accuracy out of. Your best bet is to jump over to the cast boolits forum under shotgun reloading and read threads there, If you have any questions I will be happy to help answer them.
 
my first video ever so please cut me some slack but this will give you an idea of how I load one of my slugs, Honestly I have ever slug mold I could lay my hands on and the lee 1oz slugs are hard to get any accuracy out of. Your best bet is to jump over to the cast boolits forum under shotgun reloading and read threads there, If you have any questions I will be happy to help answer them.

looks like your slugs are for a rifled shotgun rather then a smooth bore I get all the accuracy I need out of lee 1oz slugs in my smoothbore guns I can get in a deer's vital area out to 100 yards. I really don't see a point in a rifled shotgun barrel when I have actual rifles
 
with the slugs in question I can shoot a 2" group at 220 yards all day long. I would be interested in your load data for your lee slugs I have yet to get a decent grouping with them at 100 yards from my smooth bore barrel.
 
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