Who casts their own shotgun slugs?

ironduke

I know someone on here started casting slugs with the Lee moulds. I have some questions about that.
1. Are the slugs rifled on the outside?
2. How do they shoot?
3. What loads are used?
etc.

jbohio

It's CPJ. I'm sure he'll be along.

I can answer #2, though. They shoot great. I drilled Paul's armored knock down target with them, 4 of 4 times, at 80 yards.

NyGunowner

Chris, try 3 parts WW to 1 or1.25 parts lead. Heat the MOLD up HOT, keep the alloy really hot, (so they end up a slight bit frosty) and they will cast well. Ya can't let the mold cool. as soon as the sprue is cool enough so it don't smear, repeat....

tennmike

I cast slugs with a Lyman mold, which is a lot like the Lee in use. I use a Lee Production Pot for pouring, and run the temp. control wide open max. heat. Mold release is your friend; this can be anything from blackening the innards over a candle flame or the flame of a kerosene lamp, to the commercially sold spray on stuff like Midway sells.

I get the mold hot by letting it sit just shy of touching the lead when I plug in the lead pot. I pour mine from pure lead. Since mine are full bore diameter, they require reloading with the old fiber wads (I bought the mold in the 1970s during the big transition from fiber wads to plastic). Accuracy is pretty much what CPJ said; I use a Rem. 870 with a Hastings rifled barrel. Like him, I could do more better with a scope or red dot; my eyesight doesn't like the rifle sights on the barrel. For what it's worth, I get the same accuracy from the slugs I mold as I do with the store bought lead rifled slugs. The Hastings barrel is more accurate than I am shooting with open sights.

One more thing; I use some of the Lee liquid alox thinned down to apply it to the outside of the slugs. I pour it out on some wax paper, and roll the slugs across it with a wooden dowel. It cuts down on barrel leading.

Fisheadgib

I started casting them with the Lyman mold about 20 years ago when I was pretty heavily into USPSA matches and three gun stuff. The shotgun stages were always either shot at steel plates or slugs at IPSC targets and practicing with and just shooting slugs at about a buck apiece got expensive. Not to mention that there was no power factor requirement for slugs and there was no reason to subject yourself to deer slaying recoil to make holes in cardboard. I started making my own low powered slugs just for three gun shooting. These cast 473gr and at around 1000fps will group around 4" at 75yds. Good enough for "A" zone hits. You might notice soumething unusual about them also.

tv_racin_fan

Fisheadgib wrote: »

I started casting them with the Lyman mold about 20 years ago when I was pretty heavily into USPSA matches and three gun stuff. The shotgun stages were always either shot at steel plates or slugs at IPSC targets and practicing with and just shooting slugs at about a buck apiece got expensive. Not to mention that there was no power factor requirement for slugs and there was no reason to subject yourself to deer slaying recoil to make holes in cardboard. I started making my own low powered slugs just for three gun shooting. These cast 473gr and at around 1000fps will group around 4" at 75yds. Good enough for "A" zone hits. You might notice soumething unusual about them also.

Mini Shells ??? Wonder how many will fit in the 10 round mag extension...

Fisheadgib

My modified 1100 holds 13 of them and my techloaders hold four. The black shotshells hold 1-1/8 oz of #4 shot steppin out at 1300fps.

ironduke

Fisheadgib wrote: »

I started casting them with the Lyman mold about 20 years ago when I was pretty heavily into USPSA matches and three gun stuff. The shotgun stages were always either shot at steel plates or slugs at IPSC targets and practicing with and just shooting slugs at about a buck apiece got expensive. Not to mention that there was no power factor requirement for slugs and there was no reason to subject yourself to deer slaying recoil to make holes in cardboard. I started making my own low powered slugs just for three gun shooting. These cast 473gr and at around 1000fps will group around 4" at 75yds. Good enough for "A" zone hits. You might notice soumething unusual about them also.

Oh. That's just cool. I may have an actual NEED now. My only issue is my gun is smooth bore witha fixed cylinder bore barrel. Ihave to have some method of stabilizing the slugs in the air. If they don't have riflingon them, I'm screwed. Maybe something fin stabilized or like a really big pellet gun pellet with a skirt would do??

Fisheadgib

ironduke wrote: »

Oh. That's just cool. I may have an actual NEED now. My only issue is my gun is smooth bore witha fixed cylinder bore barrel. Ihave to have some method of stabilizing the slugs in the air. If they don't have riflingon them, I'm screwed. Maybe something fin stabilized or like a really big pellet gun pellet with a skirt would do??

Lyman now makes a mold for that very slug. It's a sabot style slug that looks like a big pellet gun pellet and is designed to load in a conventional wad with a star crimp. (they're in the Midway catalog)

bullsi1911

After buying a pile of Slugs and buckshot last night to feed the Saiga, I am watching this thread with interest.

tennmike

Say, Bullsi, if you want buckshot on the cheap, buy a Lee .310 or .320 round ball mold and roll your own. With 00 Buck at near $50 dollars for a 25# bag, the price of the mold will pay for itself quick. As in the first box of 25 rounds you reload! Scrounge up some wheel weights or other scrap lead and have at it.

I'd forgotten about that newer Lyman slug mold. If I didn't already have about 35# of slugs already molded, I'd give it a serious look.