Was reading "Hansols " thread about 12 ga.copper jacketed slugs several days ago and did up some loads a few days ago and got to shoot them this morning.
Having gone the route load testing with Lee slugs and .662...and .715 round ball in the past months I also bought some "1/2 inch" copper pipe caps at the local hardware store.
My scales only register to 550 grains so it' s 135 grains for this pipe cap and the wheelweight "plug" I pulled out of one weighs about 494 grains...total 629 grains+/-. The Cap is about 0.704 inch diameter
Loads fired out of 870 Rem. cyl. bore with scope at 25 yards
Load # 1
Federal "Field and Range" 2 3/4 inch hulls with crimp section cut off flush.
Win. 209 Primer
35.0 grains Bluedot
Winchester one piece "pink" shotcup/wad with petals cut off flush
629 gr. Copper slug
rollcrimped
1002...971...991 fps.....2 shots 2.10 inch..3 shots 4.00 inch in vertical string and one slug keyholed sideways on the target.... at 25 yds.
Fired this at 25 yards into the endgrain of a piece of fir firewood at the range.....split the wood at home to recover the slug at about 7.5 inch depth....slug was unmarked and I will probably reload it again later.
Load #2... was the copper cap with about 320 grains of wheelwts. added to it....leaving a void at the rear of about 0.235 inch to make a "noseheavy" slug for smoothbores. Total weight is about 450 grains.
Same trimmed Fedreal 2 3/4 inch Hull
Win 209 primer
18.0 grains Reddot
2 x fibrewads
1 x 0.730 ish inch card cut from beer coasters
450 gr. Copper slug
roll crimped
939...946..902 fps.......3 shots/25 yds...2.10 inch
Load #3
Federal 2 3/4 inch hull trimmed
Win 209 Primer
38.0 grains Blueddot
Win. "pink" one piece shotcup/wad with petals cut off flush
450 gr. Copper slug
rollcrimped
910...946...899 fps.....2 shots touch and third keyholed to make it 2.68 inch/25 yd.
Tried various methods to fill and partially fill the copper caps and found the best way for me for the 450 grain slugs was to sit the caps about 3 at a time on a stove element and just added some pre cast up .357 158 grain bullets ( No GC..no lube ) one at a time to melt...took about 40 seconds per bullet melt. Removed same with long handled pliers and set them on an alum. sheet where the melt finds its own "level'' and cools/hardens.
With the 100% filled ones I will do it the same way next time..just adding the bullets and then enough pieces of "shot" into it to nearly fill the cap up. My first batch was filled using a Lee bottom pour pot...and results were a bit inconsistent .
As usual.........no recomendations here....just my testings.
...edit....all these slugs were shot with "roundish" copper end faceing forwards..
Having gone the route load testing with Lee slugs and .662...and .715 round ball in the past months I also bought some "1/2 inch" copper pipe caps at the local hardware store.
My scales only register to 550 grains so it' s 135 grains for this pipe cap and the wheelweight "plug" I pulled out of one weighs about 494 grains...total 629 grains+/-. The Cap is about 0.704 inch diameter
Loads fired out of 870 Rem. cyl. bore with scope at 25 yards
Load # 1
Federal "Field and Range" 2 3/4 inch hulls with crimp section cut off flush.
Win. 209 Primer
35.0 grains Bluedot
Winchester one piece "pink" shotcup/wad with petals cut off flush
629 gr. Copper slug
rollcrimped
1002...971...991 fps.....2 shots 2.10 inch..3 shots 4.00 inch in vertical string and one slug keyholed sideways on the target.... at 25 yds.
Fired this at 25 yards into the endgrain of a piece of fir firewood at the range.....split the wood at home to recover the slug at about 7.5 inch depth....slug was unmarked and I will probably reload it again later.
Load #2... was the copper cap with about 320 grains of wheelwts. added to it....leaving a void at the rear of about 0.235 inch to make a "noseheavy" slug for smoothbores. Total weight is about 450 grains.
Same trimmed Fedreal 2 3/4 inch Hull
Win 209 primer
18.0 grains Reddot
2 x fibrewads
1 x 0.730 ish inch card cut from beer coasters
450 gr. Copper slug
roll crimped
939...946..902 fps.......3 shots/25 yds...2.10 inch
Load #3
Federal 2 3/4 inch hull trimmed
Win 209 Primer
38.0 grains Blueddot
Win. "pink" one piece shotcup/wad with petals cut off flush
450 gr. Copper slug
rollcrimped
910...946...899 fps.....2 shots touch and third keyholed to make it 2.68 inch/25 yd.
Tried various methods to fill and partially fill the copper caps and found the best way for me for the 450 grain slugs was to sit the caps about 3 at a time on a stove element and just added some pre cast up .357 158 grain bullets ( No GC..no lube ) one at a time to melt...took about 40 seconds per bullet melt. Removed same with long handled pliers and set them on an alum. sheet where the melt finds its own "level'' and cools/hardens.
With the 100% filled ones I will do it the same way next time..just adding the bullets and then enough pieces of "shot" into it to nearly fill the cap up. My first batch was filled using a Lee bottom pour pot...and results were a bit inconsistent .
As usual.........no recomendations here....just my testings.
...edit....all these slugs were shot with "roundish" copper end faceing forwards..
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