reloading 28 gauge slugs

stugatz

stugatz

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Anyone have any luck with reloading 28 gauge slugs?
someone told me that you can shoot a .500 to .520 lead
ball instead of a slug....anyone have any info on that?
anyway I have no luck finding any 28 gauge factory slugs
if anyone has any info.....please help.

cheers

John
 
the lyman shotshell reloading manual only has data for the 12 and 20 gauge I noticed, and buckshot information for the 12, 20 and 410 but not the 28
 
I've heard of people doing it over on the cast boolits forums; never owned a 28ga myself. Loading round balls was quite common in ages past but they aren't nearly as accurate as foster style slugs so are largely abandoned by manufacturers. Norinco currently makes some "slug" loads for 12ga that actually use round balls.

Loading .72-.73 round balls in a 12ga or .63ish in a 20ga are the most common. In a fully rifled barrel they actually aren't half bad from what I've read.

Out of a smooth bore, well, there's a reason the order "don't shoot until you see the whites of the eyes" was an actual order given on a somewhat regular basis. Round balls out of a smooth bore need to be that close for a chance of hitting. If you're looking for a short range slug equivalent, they work and can hit deer sized game at 25ish yards (for a good vital shot anyway). Past that you're praying. Some people use them out to 50yds from my reading but I wouldn't bother; you'd be shooting minute-of-newspaper.

Load data will of course be the issue. Some guys will use regular load data for the same weight as the slug or round ball. This can be dangerous but generally produces quite low velocities and pressures based on what digging I've done.

Anyway, I'd head over to the cast boolits forum and ask there. There are a lot of people doing odd or unconventional reloading that you don't see here on CGN.
 
LUTNIT said:
I've heard of people doing it over on the cast boolits forums; never owned a 28ga myself. Loading round balls was quite common in ages past but they aren't nearly as accurate as foster style slugs so are largely abandoned by manufacturers. Norinco currently makes some "slug" loads for 12ga that actually use round balls.

Loading .72-.73 round balls in a 12ga or .63ish in a 20ga are the most common. In a fully rifled barrel they actually aren't half bad from what I've read.

Out of a smooth bore, well, there's a reason the order "don't shoot until you see the whites of the eyes" was an actual order given on a somewhat regular basis. Round balls out of a smooth bore need to be that close for a chance of hitting. If you're looking for a short range slug equivalent, they work and can hit deer sized game at 25ish yards (for a good vital shot anyway). Past that you're praying. Some people use them out to 50yds from my reading but I wouldn't bother; you'd be shooting minute-of-newspaper.

Load data will of course be the issue. Some guys will use regular load data for the same weight as the slug or round ball. This can be dangerous but generally produces quite low velocities and pressures based on what digging I've done.

Anyway, I'd head over to the cast boolits forum and ask there. There are a lot of people doing odd or unconventional reloading that you don't see here on CGN.
Click to expand...
Has any one tried a threaded choke with rifling? Sort of like the old Paradox system.
 
Ballistic Products doesn't sell 28ga slugs but do sell the round balls with special wad columns. They have load data in their book:
ht tp://www.ballisticproducts.com/Small-Bore-Manual-24-28-32-410-5th-ed/productinfo/00MSB/

Personally, I would see about finding round balls of the same size for cheaper and try replacing the special wad with a stack of fibre wads from someplace like Track of the Wolf. I've used BP load data for 12ga swapping the special wads they make with fibre ones to good result.

silver 55 said:
Has any one tried a threaded choke with rifling? Sort of like the old Paradox system.
Click to expand...
I'm sure someone has with round balls but I don't recall reading any details reports about them. Reviews I've read on threaded chokes, even extended ones, with factory sabot slugs are mediocre at best. If you have no other option or keep a threaded choke around for certain situations and don't or can't have a spare fully rifled barrel with you, I can see its viability. In most situations I'd rather have a fully rifled barrel if possible. Last I checked a decent rifled choke was around $80 and a fully rifled barrel for an 870 can be found for $200 used. I'd rather get the barrel than buy the choke, not be satisfied and have to buy the barrel anyway. My 870 came with two barrels, one fully rifled, so from the get-go I've had my preferred setup.

Also remember that the round ball or slug needs to be of the correct diameter to engage the rifling. Many 12ga round balls for example are .69" to .71" but the groove diameter on rifled barrels are usually .72" to .73" (they vary). Some people do get away with a smaller ball in a shot cup to fill the extra space but they are sometimes erratic. Most people theorize that there is slippage between the ball and cup. Lee foster slugs have the "key drive" piece in the base to try to prevent this for use in cups in rifled barrels (but I still get mediocre at best results in rifled barrels).
 
Some reading here
Fix the link
Cheers
http://ww w.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?f=131&t=152553

Also the muzzle loading guys may be able to help out. Normally a .54 caliber round ball, .520/.530 should work very nicely as a slug in a .28 gauge.
 
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LUTNIT said:
Ballistic Products doesn't sell 28ga slugs but do sell the round balls with special wad columns. They have load data in their book:
ht tp://www.ballisticproducts.com/Small-Bore-Manual-24-28-32-410-5th-ed/productinfo/00MSB/

Personally, I would see about finding round balls of the same size for cheaper and try replacing the special wad with a stack of fibre wads from someplace like Track of the Wolf. I've used BP load data for 12ga swapping the special wads they make with fibre ones to good result.


I'm sure someone has with round balls but I don't recall reading any details reports about them. Reviews I've read on threaded chokes, even extended ones, with factory sabot slugs are mediocre at best. If you have no other option or keep a threaded choke around for certain situations and don't or can't have a spare fully rifled barrel with you, I can see its viability. In most situations I'd rather have a fully rifled barrel if possible. Last I checked a decent rifled choke was around $80 and a fully rifled barrel for an 870 can be found for $200 used. I'd rather get the barrel than buy the choke, not be satisfied and have to buy the barrel anyway. My 870 came with two barrels, one fully rifled, so from the get-go I've had my preferred setup.

Also remember that the round ball or slug needs to be of the correct diameter to engage the rifling. Many 12ga round balls for example are .69" to .71" but the groove diameter on rifled barrels are usually .72" to .73" (they vary). Some people do get away with a smaller ball in a shot cup to fill the extra space but they are sometimes erratic. Most people theorize that there is slippage between the ball and cup. Lee foster slugs have the "key drive" piece in the base to try to prevent this for use in cups in rifled barrels (but I still get mediocre at best results in rifled barrels).
Click to expand...
Ya thanx for the info...problem is I have a Italian made o/u folding style shotgun that has no chokes ....therefore I am s.o.l.
I just got a 28 gauge reloader and I would like a couples of slugs for my grouse hunts.....for coyotes or maybe the odd cougar.
 
If you are only talking a couple may be better off buying a box of these
Know they were available a few years ago in Ontario may be worth asking where you buy your ammo
Fix the link
Cheers
http://ww w.brennekeusa.com/cms/28-gauge.html
 
There's a couple threads about Brenneke ammo. Some say it isn't approved for sale in Canada by NRCan but they have popped up here and there on occasion for sale. I have no idea if it's true but the 12ga slugs are quite difficult to find; I can't imagine 28ga being any easier.
 
LUTNIT said:
There's a couple threads about Brenneke ammo. Some say it isn't approved for sale in Canada by NRCan but they have popped up here and there on occasion for sale. I have no idea if it's true but the 12ga slugs are quite difficult to find; I can't imagine 28ga being any easier.
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Seen some 28ga in Ontario a few years ago and it was not too crazy in price either. Another member said he seen some in NS in 28ga but I have no idea where
Cannot imagine why it would not be legal
 
3macs1 said:
Cannot imagine why it would not be legal
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It's not banned, it's just not approved. NRCan has apparently never received an application for testing for Brenneke ammo to get it approved for sale in Canada. They need something silly like 10,000 rounds for "testing" to approve a type of ammo and of course no one, neither the manufacturer nor the importer, want to pay for those rounds. At least that's what people said in the other threads about it.

A bunch has gotten in here and there, probably in smaller orders, but officially it's not approved for sale in Canada. At least according to the other threads about it; I haven't done much digging myself to verify anything.
One member reported getting a bunch into Canada through a broker in a private order.
 
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