Newbie 12 ga Slug Questions

[Ironduke]

Howdy everyone.

I got some basic bullet casting equipment for Christmas, and I want to get going in the right direction. First, I am an experienced handloader and shooter, but I have never cast bullets. I have loaded many thousands of cast boolits before; I have just never cast them myself.

My specific application is shotgun slugs initially. I have a Lee 1oz key slug mold and some casting lead--like 94% Pb with some tin and antimony. This Pb was billed as a good general purpose alloy. I also have a 25lb bag of West Coast magnum shot I can melt down as well if i choose, but I can't tell what the alloy is on it. It should be fine for making slugs though, right?

I searched this site and found a big thread on the Lee slug, but here is what I have: Win AA hulls, the silver colored ones, CB 1118-12 wads, Win 209 primers and Universal powder. Basically I have all I need according to Hodgdon's data center, except the wads. The wads they want are the WAA12R (or CB1138-12, which is equivalent).

All I know about shot shell loading is you don't mess with the load combination. But I don't see much difference with these wads. I'll be shooting them from a smooth bore, so it seems like if the slug fits in the wad and the wad in the hull, and the hull in the chamber, then it will shoot right out of the cylinder bore barrel, right?

Thanks in advance for your help. I will be buying more molds in the near future. I want to cast some 350-400 gr bullets for my 454 Cas, some 440-600 gr for my 500 S&W, 400-550 gr for my 45-70 guide gun, and some 500-720 gr for my 458 Lott. Further down the road, I'll want some cast bullets for some "normal' center fire rifle and pistol cartridges. For these applications I will need advice on lubes, alloys, molds, techniques etc. But for now, I just want to get some slugs loaded.

Thanks again.

Paul

[turmech]

The claybuster wads have thicker petals than the Winchester ones. The claybusters would not work well for me. The wad would not seat in the hull correctly every time. This gave me bulged hulls and erratic crimps.

[wwboolitmaker]

I would trade you some ww ignots for that magnum shot you have.

[Ironduke]

The claybuster wads have thicker petals than the Winchester ones. The claybusters would not work well for me. The wad would not seat in the hull correctly every time. This gave me bulged hulls and erratic crimps.

So I just need to break down and buy some of the waa12R wads. Dang. Oh well, i guess i can use these wads for the shot i bought. Surely I can find a load recipe that uses the hulls, wads and powder I have.

Thanks!

[turmech]

The data for the lee slugs comes with the mold. IIRC it can also be found on the Lee web page. A lot of folks will use data for 1 oz lead shot but I would suggest using the data lee has for the slugs.

[turmech]

You asked about alloys for the slugs. I use my mystery soft (melted scrap sinkers I bought at a yard sale). Being that the slug rides in the wad it alloy does not play as much into the slug as it would in a bullet. The alloy can matter once it hits the game if hunting with it.

Lee recommended using pure with the mold and IIRC specifically said not to use WW. I don't really know why. I never tried it as I had a good supply of soft which I did not have a use for unit the slugs. I have read others use WW and other alloys.

My load for the slugs is REM hulls, win 209, WAA12 wad, and 48 gr Blue dot. This is in the Lee data. This load also kills on both end if you know what I mean. Other report less charge and a nitro card under the slug.

It would be best to get the lee data as it has the receipts to follow. You can deviate and use 1 oz shot data but sometimes this gets expensive buying components that don't either preform well or don't fill the shot column to allow for good crimps.

I personally did not have much luck making good crimps with the lee load all for the slugs. Others have. I just never could repeatably seat the wad the same. With the lee this requires a feel for the machine. I found a used MEC loader which for me made all the difference. The MEC has a wad pressure gauge that I needed to seat the slugs correctly.

[Ironduke]

Thanks for the info. I will do some experimenting since I am a tinkerer by nature. I'll post my adventures with this project.

[turmech]

If you post in the casting for shotgun section I would bet someone will help you better with adapting lead shot data to lee slug data.

For the most part you will use the powder charge for shot but the slug will create a shorter load column. To fix that you would need to use a wad with less shot cup and more space above the powder than what is listed in the shot data. Winchester pink and gray wads do well with powders that take up less room in the hull.

For any wad you use you will need to trim any part of the wad petals that extend above the slugs.

[badboyparamedic]

I started casting with the 1ox Lee mold also. AA hulls, Winchester Pink Wads, 15 grains of 700X, Winchester 209 Primers. Has been working good, maybe this will help you.

[MtGun44]

Mag shot has a lot of antimony and trace arsenic, usually, to make it quite hard. Many
use it as an additive to add a bit of hardness to pure lead, for example.

Bill

[dverna]

You will likely find the CB wads give you trouble with shot loads too. The problem is not the petals but the wad cup base.

I load over 15k a year and use only AA and Downrange Windjammer wads for 1 1/8 loads. The Green Dusters and Downrange XL-1's are good for 1 oz loads. All in AA hulls

You should be able to use the CB wads in the old style AA (compression formed) if you can find them and with the Remington STS and Gun Club hulls.

Don

[35remington]

CB wads and other lower cost replacement wads don't hold up well to slugs. Petal loss and crush section fracturing are more severe than Winchester and Federal wads. Use OEM wads......you'll be happier. Be advised that "recommendations" of a particular wad based on use with birdshot have no validity when slugs are substituted. Slugs are much harder on wads than shot is. Don't be tempted to go too cheap, and don't buy a bunch until you know they work satisfactorily. If a particular advice giver hasn't tried his wad with this particular slug, the advice is suspect.

A nice lower power load for practice is as follows:

Lee 1 ounce slug
Winchester WAA12SL (pink) one ounce wad
16 to 18 grains Red Dot, Promo, Clays, or 700X
Tapered wall hull (Winchester or Remington, with the Winchester allowing easier slug insertion)
Winchester or milder primer
Around 1150 to 1200 fps and mild recoil. Good accuracy in smoothbores as well.

Believe it or not, the really cheap Winchester "Universal" shell found in the dumpster at public trap and skeet ranges loads very well and smoothly with this combination listed above. Toss 'em after a couple of reloads, as they are too cheap to do otherwise.

[kostner]

I started casting with the 1ox Lee mold also. AA hulls, Winchester Pink Wads, 15 grains of 700X, Winchester 209 Primers. Has been working good, maybe this will help you.
Have had the same results using 19 grains of Red Dot and have just ordered the rolled crimp die from MidwayUSA for my drill press.

[Cmm_3940]

FYI the Lee slug data is available as a .pdf on their website. I've been loading the 1oz slugs in 2.75" AA HS hulls, Win 209 primer, WAA12L (gray) wad, or CB equiv. Winchester wad does fit better. 37gr. AA#5 (Lee says 38.5). Recoil is 'brisk'.

[243winxb]

The Lee needs pure soft lead like the instruction say. Harder alloy makes it very hard for the slug to release from the mold. You will need to cast at maximum temperature of a Lee pot to get fill out. The bottom pour spout needs to be in contact with the mould, pressure casting. Use Lee data to load. The 2 3/4" Win. AA shell is more accurate when reloading once fired the 2nd time. The case better fits the chamber. May not matter at all with a smooth bore.

[35remington]

Plain wheelweights work just fine also. The key is to get the mold smoking hot at the beginning of the casting session by dipping the corner in the lead. Thereafter cast quickly to keep the mould hot and not a single slug will stick. I don't have to pressure pour mine......they fill out just fine in such a hot mould by pouring into the mould conventionally.

Done it this way many times and continue to do so. Most of my slugs are fired through cylinder bore riot type guns.