Cheap Slugs - RANGE REPORT 50 yards added

Ganderite

Ganderite

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Location
Farm south of North Bay
I like shooting and I like re-loading. But I don't like loading shotgun shells. I have a MEC reloading machine but have not used it in 20 years.

I want to cast some slugs and make some cheap plinker ammo, but did not know which of 3 different slug molds to get. I thought it would be good to test a few before choosing.

Big Boar (CGN) PMd me and offered me some of his Lyman slugs to play with. He delivered 120 of these beauties.

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I filled the hollow base of half of them with wax. This is supposed to make them group better. I intend to test with and without and see what the difference is. I melted some canning paraffin in a dollar store meat pie dish on the stove and coloured it with 2 red Crayola crayons. Clear wax is a bit harder to work with because it is hard to see.

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I then took a 25 round box of 7/8 gr Extra Light loads and a box of 1 oz Field loads and cut vertically, to remove the folded over crimp. The slugs were then inserted. Half waxed and half hollow.

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To insert the slug, I used a ball peen hammer. A light tap of the hammer popped the skirt into the cup and then a tap with the round peen popped the slug beneath the crimp.

The result - cheap plinking slugs without the use of any special loading equipment.

Next step is to see how they shoot in 3 different shotguns.
 
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I am also experimenting with those slugs this up-coming season. Like you I filled some with wax and loaded them. I don't expect much from them due to the weight difference of one from another. I have also loaded some with silicon plugs. It will be interesting to compare notes once the shooting season gets going.
 
I too have been getting great results with the Lee 1 oz slugs as well. But it all comes down to the right wad. I have been testing both 20 inch smooth barrel and fully rifled 24 inch barrel. At 50 yards they are close, but 75 yards to 100 yards the fully rifled one does shine. And dam cheap fun, and a very good hunting load!
 
Perhaps I should have noted that when I fill the bases with wax, I also trim the base so the WAX IS FLUSH with the base. (Just to be picky). I also use a CB wad and seat them in an old MEC loader with a folded crimp. Using UNIQUE powder I get excellent results at 25 yds and good results at 50 (about 4"). Mostly we shoot these offhand for practice so I don't usually shoot from the bench but last year I got 5" groups at 75 yds, (benched and lucky?). Lots of fun, great practice and cheap. (Commercial Sabot loads can get 2" groups @100 (not me but I've seen friends targets) but at $4-$5 PER TRIGGER PULL, I think I'll pass.) Last year we also set up a moving deer target for 25yds. 2 rapid shots, moving at a fast walk, lots of cheap fun.
 
I have used the lyman Slug they Shoot good out of a 870 ic
what i did is I used win aa hulls in grey and used a fold crimp

I use red hulls for reg bird shot
 
Yes, all slugs have been Mex Mtchd into 3 different types of shells.

Have not yet shot them. I will shoot them through 3 different shotguns (rifled choke, Imp. Cyl and Skeet chokes) off a bench at 25 yards. I would have done tomorrow, but tomorrow is the ORA AGM.

I will take pictures and report when I do the test. I will probably Chrony them today.
 
MiG25 said:
You have any factory foster slugs to compare them too?
Click to expand...

Yes, I do, but how they compare does not matter much. For my purposes the cost and recoil are too high.

I just Chronied the cheap Mex Mtch slugs. Velocity (and recoil) was low, so that part of the equation worked out. All that remains is accuracy test.

Challenger Extra Light 7/8oz with Lyman slug (535gr) 1080 fps

Winchester Super Speed 1 oz with Lyman slug 1212 fps

Winchester Universal 1 1/8 oz with Lyman slug 1160

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Interesting. Never thought to Mexican match a slug. Those velocity numbers are quite reasonable.

What's the cost like though? I guess it all depends on how cheap you can get the slugs...?
 
Suther said:
Interesting. Never thought to Mexican match a slug. Those velocity numbers are quite reasonable.

What's the cost like though? I guess it all depends on how cheap you can get the slugs...?
Click to expand...

If I wanted more velocity, I would have used a hotter round like some kind of high base magnum load. These velocities are perfect for my purposes. All I need now is some decent accuracy. Stay tuned...

As for cost, I think the Challengers cost less than $7.00 a box of 25. Much less than slugs cost.

All I needed to make these was a knife and a hammer. And the slugs. I used to buy these at gunshows, but I guess I will have to buy a mold. I have a pot somewhere.
 
Very cool. I looked in my logbook, Winchester Super-X 1 Oz slugs at @ 1594 fps.

It is the accuracy vs store bought that really interests me.
 
I found no handloaded slugs gave me satisfactory accuracy. The best load I came up with was as Ganderite has done, pouring the shot out of cheap target loads (Winchester and Federal) and loading .690" round balls in the stock wads. I trimmed the petals back to just over half the "length of the ball. Then used wads punched out of foam egg carton lids under the wad to bring the column hieght back up and re folded the crimps with an old Lee Loader crimping tool. All my testing was with a fully rifled 870 barrel. Best with Lee and Lyman slugs was about 6" at 50 yards where as the .690" RB Mexi-Match loads were about 4" at 100 yards. Hmm... I wonder where that round ball mold is? Have not used it in a couple of years.
 
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