12 gauge slugs

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freire

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Hello fellas
I was given a rifled barrel shotgun but i never casted slugs for a shotgun.
My question to you guys is what alloy are you guys using, WW or pure lead?
If you shooting harder alloy do you think i would benefit from powder coating them?
Thanks
 
I shoot my lee slugs through a rifled barrel. I use pure lead or close to pure. Some fiddling around finding a wad that work.

Hop over to Castboolits. There are better (more expensive) molds out there but i have had no issue shooting my lee slugs.

Some even powdercoat the slugs
 
The LEE slug has a "cross bar" across the rear of the slug and is suppose to prevent the wad from getting stuck there. I've filled the base of the LYMAN slug with wax for the same reason. With limited testing I found the LYMAN slugs filled with wax shot better. Not a lot better but a bit.
 
The moulds all seem to say to use pure lead but I cast a mixture of what I have since I use a rifled barrel and the lead works like a sabot inside the wad. I've had great success with them but the 525 grain Lyman Sabot 'pellet' slug has been the most accurate by far. The aerodynamics are great as the slug punches a perfect hole in paper at 100 yards, so it stays true in flight. You have to play around with the best hulls, wads, powder, and column fillers (I use cork), and I have even used hot glue in the cavity and knurled the the leading edge of the slug so it grips the wad better. I've also powder coated some but could see no difference in accuracy. Great fun to play with. My best accuracy has been with Unique powder, Federal Gold medal hulls or Remington STS Hulls.
 
I have the Lee 7/8 oz mold and I use stick-on wheel weights. So quite soft, but not pure lead. The Lee slugs are designed to use a shot-cup wad, the idea being that the wad engages with the rifled barrel and the slug is rotated from the rear as the wad is pressed into the back of it. Then the petals peel it away once it exits the barrel, same as the wad leaves a shot column when it is fired. I don't have a rifled shotgun, so I don't find them very accurate, but they are sure fun to shoot:)

I buy cases of heavy target loads for cheap, cut the tops off, and put the 7/8 oz slug in place of the shot. Cheap, light recoiling slugs that you can shoot all day. Plus then I have shot for loading black powder shells:)
 
I use the lee 7/8 slug. I tried soft lead had a lot of flyers. Then i tried wheel weight lead, I had less flyers. Lastly i tried water quenched wheel weight lead, I had the best groups with it. Maybe one flyer in 20. I am sending the slugs out of a mossberg 88 with the smooth short barrel and cylinder bore choke.
 
paw66 said:
I use the lee 7/8 slug. I tried soft lead had a lot of flyers. Then i tried wheel weight lead, I had less flyers. Lastly i tried water quenched wheel weight lead, I had the best groups with it. Maybe one flyer in 20. I am sending the slugs out of a mossberg 88 with the smooth short barrel and cylinder bore choke.
Click to expand...

So in your opinion the harder the slug the better?
Maybe I should powder coat them.
Thanks
Victor.
 
Ya id say harder the lead the better. What mold are you using? And how are you loading them. I am reloading them into target shells as leverboy said. I wouldnt powder coat if you go that way. Takes extra time and might add too much diameter to the slug.
 
Ok fellas, finally ordered some reloading stuff for shotgun slugs last friday.
Yesterday got a package in the mail from Santa, and off course today i had to cast some slugs, casted a couple hundred of Lee key 7/8 and a couple hundred Lyman 525 grains.
Have a bunch of AA hulls bought a bunch of waa12 , bought some Unique and believe it or not only $25.00 a pound.
Got another order on the way with Cheddite Shotshell Hulls 12 Ga 2 3/4 16mm and Maxi Nitro Card 20 Ga .125''.
Now what i gathered from some of your experiments is that some of you trim the wads, but in doing so don't you have to trim the hulls too?
By the way the Lee key slugs aren't nearly as purty as the Lyman slugs:stirthepot2:
Cheers.
 
Look up Fortunecookie on YouTube, he has a couple of great videos on WADS, and compares the Lymon 525, LEE 7/8 and 1 oz slugs. But it is WADS and shotgun hulls explanations that help with understanding capacities/performance, wads and how it all interrelates to SAMMI pressures. Next on YouTube Bubba Rountree, he does lots of load develop in both slugs and Buckshot, has some great recipes with video test results.

Lastly, pick up the Lymon 5th Edition Shotshell reloading manual. Good luck finding the components for reloading slugs and buckshot, it can be a bit difficult to source specific wads and powder. Have fun, because it sure is a lot of fun to shoot them.
 
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