Cheap Slugs - RANGE REPORT 50 yards added

The slug dimensions are as follows: Max Dia at top end = .688-.690" Dia of skirt= .670-.673" OAL of slug= .786"
I didn't have time to measure the BHN of these but they should be close to 10, pure lead is about 7. I added a bit of Tin (2-3%) to make casting easier. Pure lead requires a lot more heat to produce good fill out so the addition of some Tin makes the casting job much easier. (If I remember, pure lead requires almost 100 degrees more heat to melt over Wheel Weight alloy and a small amount of Tin lowers the melt/casting temp. and flows easier to fill out the mold.) The numbers are not spot on but you get the idea.
In my limited testing the softer slugs shoot better and fully rifled barrels are best. Having said that, quite a few guys on other forums report excellent accuracy from smooth bores with various chokes.
Thank you Ganderite for such an extensive test. It's encouraging to see what can be done with a Mexican Match setup and obtain very good results.
 
cement head said:
First of all thanks for the intresting post . not to sound stupid but somewhere in the post the use of a full choke barrel with slugs was mentioned ?? from what I have heard for many years was not to fire slugs out of a full choke barrel . Mod or cyl barrel are okay from what I have understood .

maybe someone can shed some light on this . I like the idea of Mex match slugs .
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Factory slugs are designed to shoot ok out of a full choke (although a more open choke might shoot better). Factory slugs are soft lead and have grooves in them, so they are not really solid, and can compress easily.

The air gun pellets I used only have thin sections at full width and these will easily compress in a choke.

If you were to cast round balls, they would not compress so easily, and if they were cast from hard lead, I can see them being hard on a choke.

If your only barrel is full choke, carry on. It will be ok (with soft lead slugs).
 
TedNugent said:
Have you got a supply of lead Ganderite? I recently came into a large quantity, will have to look at getting a couple of molds.
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No, I don't have lead. I recall melting scrap lead and wheel weights many years ago and casting weights for my scuba belt. Over the years, I think I melted them down into bullets. I have a piece of Linotype, which can be used for making rifle bullets and hardening lead for pistol bullets.

I am going to order a Lyman slug mold and a mold for casting buckshot. I have a furnace.
 
Ganderite said:
No, I don't have lead. I recall melting scrap lead and wheel weights many years ago and casting weights for my scuba belt. Over the years, I think I melted them down into bullets. I have a piece of Linotype, which can be used for making rifle bullets and hardening lead for pistol bullets.

I am going to order a Lyman slug mold and a mold for casting buckshot. I have a furnace.
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Maybe we'll make a casting day, I haven't had the chance to learn yet. I can bring whatever we need, it's already in puck form, not sure of the hardness though.
 
Thankyou again for the info Ganderite. I heard many years ago from a very good friend that your a good guy and you know your stuff . take care.
 
Ganderite said:
If you were to cast round balls, they would not compress so easily, and if they were cast from hard lead, I can see them being hard on a choke.
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Round ball loads for choked barrels should be sized such that the ball can pass freely through the choke, per W.W. Greener's The Gun and its Development.
 
Just got back from the range. Tested slugs with and without wax at 50 yards. Just sorting and evaluating the targets now. Will post pictures and results in a half hour.

I took a pair of shotguns to the range to try slugs that did not get shot on the last shoot. A Ithica 37 with a barrel cut back to 24" (so no choke). And a Stevens 77 cut back to 20".

Both shot good groups at 25 yards with the Mex Match Lyman slugs with no wax in the hollow base. Both have a problem of shooting at least 5" high. Need a taller bead.

Ithica 25 yards
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Stevens 77 25 yards
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Then I moved back to 50 yards and shot two of the guns that I shot earlier in the week - a Lever action with a rifled choke and a Rem 870 with a Imp. Cyl. choke. The lever has rifle sights; the 870 just has a front bead.

Lever, Rifled Choke 50 yards, No wax slugs on top
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Rem 879 Imp Cyl bead sight
IMG_2399.jpg


Given the crude sights on the 870, I am reluctant to draw any conclusions about wax filled base vs empty on this small test.

But, given the Lever results at 50, with the no wax doing well, and the no wax filled slugs doing well in the other guns at 25, my conclusion is that it is not worth the effort, for my shooting needs. I wanted 4" or better at 25 yards. All groups were about half that. Good enough for cheap slugs.
 
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Picked up a bottle of about 120 of these at the gun show in Woodstock on Sunday. Figured it was a good deal at $30.
Asked him if he was selling the mold, but no luck lol.

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Made up some slug loads with Lee key drive slugs. Used 1oz/#8 shot trap loads. Test fired some through an old S&W pump gun fitted with a rifled choke tube. Tested only for function, not accuracy. Gun has a scope base mounted, will install a sight for accuracy testing.

Thought occurred to me that this technique could also be used to make 2 1/2" shells for nitro proved vintage guns. Cut out the crimp "pie" and install a top wad. Had to discard a bit of shot to make the shot charge level with the edge of the turned over lip. Worked a card wad in and under the lip. Seems to retain the shot quite nicely.
 
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