Hansol's Slug Gun Part II

Wildfoot said:
thanks. i will be trying much lighter loads. and will have someone helpin me who has a bunch of experience with reloading. I will be getting a cyl bore choke as well. :)
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Take one of the slugs and drop it through the bbl you plan on using. It should slide right through. If the slug is to big and gets stuck in the bbl DO NOT USE it in that bbl.

This is test is mandatory!!!

Mark your reloads with paint or something to identify them. 10 years from now you or someone else may grab one and shoot it trough a choked gun. It will break stuff (maybe your face) so be sure they are clearly marked.
 
Range Report​

Hey guys,

Made it out to the range today to do some more testing on the slugs. Shot a few paper targets, but also did some penetration testing on hard-pack consisting of old Outdoor Life and Field & Stream magazines.

For this test, I used 3 rifles: a 45-70, my 375 Taylor, and my SxS slug gun. Approximate velocities of each (as I still don't have a chronograph) are 1800fps, 2450fps, and 1400fps. Distance to target was about 10 yards, and test medium was dry magazines.

Results

Penetration:

.729 cal 580 grain slug @ 1400fps = 3 3/4"
.458 cal 350gr Hornady FN @ 1800fps = 4 3/16"
.375 cal 300gr Hornady RN @ 2450fps = 5 3/16"

Weight Retention

580gr Slug @ 1400fps = (shot #1) 492gr (shot #2) 564gr
.458 350gr @ 1800fps = (shot #1) 99gr (shot #2) 144gr
.375 300gr @ 2450fps = (shot #1) 81gr (shot #2) 231gr

So the above are the results. Interesting thing is that the slugs penetrated almost as deeply as the 45-70, yet retained weight much better, AND caused a "wound trail" that was the size of a small fist. The 375 penetrated the deepest, and also made a very large wound trail. The 45-70 shed its jacket both times, and caused a wound trail that looked like a mouse chewed its way through the hole. Lots of little bits of paper compared to the other two.

Picture001.jpg

(Top left: slugs, middle: 375, right: 45-70. Bottom Left: Slug recovered at 50 yards in dirt backdrop (Weight Rentention = 568gr), Bottom right = .54cal Muzzleloader round ball)

Picture002.jpg

Close-up of slugs
 
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Actually I was pretty surprised as to the penetration, as I had hard-pack stacked close to 36" deep, and the bullets only penetrated a max of 5" or so.

The funny thing was that I had the bundles wrapped in duct tape to keep them together, and as soon as that first slug impacted, it wound up splitting the duct tape.

Next time out I'll try a wet-pack test, and maybe try and blow up a few milk jugs as well.
 
This is what you need if you want to measure chamber pressure:

http://www.shootingsoftware.com/pressure.htm

I think you may get better accuracy with round balls out of a smoothbore. Generally, non-spherical shotgun slugs are front-heavy to provide stability without rifling. Foster slugs do this with a hollow base; Brenneke slugs have an attached base wad, which functions like the fins on a badminton shuttle.

Your copper slugs certainly look impressive; I wonder how they would do out of a rifled barrel!
 
Dirtdigger said:
Have you tried them the other way?

Derek
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Not yet. I still have a lot to do on this project, like test the accuracy of the slugs with the wads still attached, as well as test them slugs turned around the opposite way. I think with that setup though, the lead would be more liable to shed the copper jacket, as seen with standard cup and core bullets.

That being said, maybe the velocities aren't enough to make it an issue. Still lots to play with. I'll also start fiddling around with some different powders as well, in hopes of getting more velocity without the pressure.
 
You should try a premium bullet in your .375 or a Brenneke in your shotgun, as a baseline

When I test bullets, I always pick a baseline that is proven- For instance when I tried out 139gr TTSX in my 300WSM, I tried a 180gr Nosler Partition as well as a few others. I figure if a bullet (or int his case, slug) will do the same as a proven performer, then it's pretty sure to work.:)
 
P.M. me the next time you go out to the range (Assuming you use the APRA public range from photos???)

I have fridays off due to the economic slowdown so have been out a time or two when it has been less busy. If it works out you can use my Chrony when I am there or if I can't make it I would be willing to loan it to you. (Just don't break it:D)

I have been following your story as I have a 12 gauge double that I have shortened the barrels and plan to put express sights on it as a poor mans double.
 
Hey all,

Yes, I'm still alive, and yes, I still have all my fingers. So nobody needs to speculate as to if my shotgun project blew up in my face and turned me into a drooling one-eyed pirate...

Anyways, on to more important things. Today was an excellent day. I finally scrounged a chronograph, and have some concrete data for my loads. I also had a chance to try out another "test" load based on a load from the "12 gauge from Hell" designer Ed Hubel.

So here we are:

Blue Dot load average: 1385fps.

Now onto my other load. I came upon data for black powder loads for old bore rifles, and decided I would stop being a girl and load some up. So I settled on 175grs of Pyrodex behind a .730 round ball of approx 550gr weight, mostly because that was all I could fit into a 3" hull. The math said that this should run at around 1550fps, with around 9750psi.

Black powder load average: 1450.

A note on this load: Holy **** does it recoil like a bugger. I think it's true that a guy can get the same velocities with smokeless powder, but with less recoil. This will kick the crap out of you and your gun, so make sure the wrist section of your stock is reinforced, or it might get exciting. It knocked the front sight out of its dovetail, so...

Also note that this black powder load isn't crimped: Just take a previously fired 3" hull, stuff it full of powder, seat a fiber wad, then the round ball. Use a dab of white glue to keep everything in place. A 3" crimped round isn't long enough to hold all that ball and powder, so I had to make due with this. It worked, but it isn't pretty. Eventually I will track down some 3" brass hulls and make those work instead.

Lastly, I made up some loads using my copper slugs in front of 62 grains of IMR 4759. Unfortunately, during testing these out, we were snowed out, and the chronograph wouldn't register any velocities (the photoreceptors were covered in snow previously, then fogged up after cleaning, and it still was blizzarding, so that was the end of that.) At the very least though, this load didn't blow me up, so at least I know that much. I'll post the results next time I'm out.

The math regarding the above round is based on Ed Hubel's load of 65 gr IMR 4759 behind a 600gr slug @ 11800psi for 1650fps. THIS IS OVER PRESSURE BASED ON SAAMI SPECS REMEMBER My load is slightly less with regards to slug weight and powder weight, so it's speculation at this point. Like I said, I didn't blow up, and there was no tough extracting, so it looks promising.

THESE LOADS ARE SAFE IN MY GUN. I DON'T RECOMMEND ANYONE ELSE USE THEM WITHOUT WORKING UP SAFELY. USE CAUTION ETC. AND REMEMBER NO CHOKES.

Black Powder Load:

Fed 3" Paper Base Wad Hull
Win 209 Primer
175 grains Pyrodex
Fiber Wad
550gr .730 round ball.
"Touch-of-white-glue" crimp
1450fps @ 9800psi

IMR 4759 Load
Fed 3" Hull
Win 209 Primer
62gr IMR 4759
WAA12 wad
580 Grain Copper Slug.
Estimated around 1480ish @ 10800psi. NOT CONFIRMED, BE CAUTIOUS


*AUTHORS NOTE: I just want to repeat here that I do these tests and report these velocities for myself only, and to inform others. I don't recommend that others follow in my path, as none of these loads are pressure tested, and are at best scientific speculation. I still have all my fingers and have had no accidents, so in my book that counts for something. But always remember to be safe, that these loads are tested in my gun and my gun only, and while I list these things for academic study only, you use this information at your own risk.

Anyways, I apologize for the legal nonsense, but there are always "those" people out there... Cheers!!
 
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Not yet. I take it out when I go hiking as a back-up rig, but have yet to fire it (a good thing). I'll be doing a few more penetration tests into hardpack, and comparing them to regular slugs here soon. And if all goes well, she might go out for spring bear with me.
 
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