1) Since these slugs are designed to be used in standard wads, can I use loads designed for 1-1/8oz of shot and simply substitute the slug for a shot load? I am wanting reduced recoil loads, around a 3 dram equivalent, and am not looking for firebreathing 1500fps bear stoppers
In my experience, yes.
Many people say absolutely not.
I find using load data for the same weight of shot produces much reduced recoil loads. True slug loads have a bit more powder and a higher muzzle velocity.
2) The Load All came with a sheet of load data based on generic parameters, such as "plastic shells with plastic base wad". Is there any reason not to use name brand plastic hulls with name brand wads and use the Lee data as it sits?
The Lee loads are generally quite tame so it's pretty safe. No Lee loads I have heard of go past even 80% of maximum CIP pressure. You may run into issues with different hulls having different internal volumes which can effect the crimp. Some people warn about straight walled vs. tapered hulls but I have only ever even heard of tapered hulls in 28ga and .410. Some hulls do have different internal diameters though so some wads are overly tight in some hulls and others are going to be loose. With the Lee data you generally just have to worry about matching wad height (to get a good crimp) and wad diameter (to get a good gas seal). Other than that brands don't matter too much.
----------------------------------------------------------
The Lyman shotgun reloading manual is a great book to have in your library if you want to reload slugs. It unfortunately includes a lot of components that are not easy to get in Canada and professes that you cannot substitute components ever. A lot of people say you have to follow published data exactly and not vary even a single component but I have done quite a bit of experimenting without anything even approaching catastrophic. The worst I've had are some hard extracts and primers starting to work their way out of the hulls. Both these situations didn't occur until I was at least at 120% powder loads of published data. I have gone up to 178% loads of Bluedot (very slow magnum shotshell powder) with the only difference being massive muzzle blasts. 178% loads of faster powders could be catastrophic though so I'm not recommending it.
My current pet load for 1oz Lee keydrive slugs is:
40gr Bluedot
CCI 209M primers
Winchester orange wads (1-3/8oz?)
Chronies around 1520fps out of a 24" rifled 870 barrel. This one tends to kick a bit so not recommended for those sensitive to recoil.
My other load for plinking is:
20gr Reddot
Cheddite 209 primers
Winchester orange wads (same as above)
Chronies an average of 1230fps out of the same gun. One note on this load is it is
very clean. After a 5 shot group I can barely tell the gun has been fired after removing the barrel and looking down it. This load kicks just like 1-1/8oz trap/skeet loads so is quite easy on the shoulder. I don't think it would cycle a semi though.
I have tried them in Remington, Winchester, and Federal high brass hulls as well as (new and old) AA, Federal Top Gun, Challenger target load, and Remington Gun Club hulls. There is very little muzzle velocity fluctuation and no problems with over pressure (no hard extracts, no popped primers, no ripped hulls, no extractor indents, nothing.) Some of them may be going above maximum CIP pressure (the Bluedot ones) but modern pump shotguns are significantly overbuilt compared to the bare minimum shotguns of past years. The old standard for "proofing" of a gun was firing 3 max pressure cartridges (or so I've read.) Modern manufacturers often fire proof cartridges at the factory of 140-160% of max pressure before they deem a firearm "safe". These are fired in the gun
before it's sold to you; not as an extreme failure test.
Since you are just looking for lower recoil slugs I'm guessing for plinking or really even white tail hunting there isn't as much worry. Try out some of the Lee loads that have easy to get components for you and see what they do.
