Need help with Lee 1 oz slug loads

[leadhead 500]

I am casting my Lee 1 oz slugs from pure lead and loading them in a Federal 3" hull. My load consists of fed. 209 primer, Claybuster aa12 replacement wad, (2) 1/8" card wads inside the aa12 wad, 47.5 grains of blue dot, and a roll crimp. I am shooting this thru a H&R slug gun with the 24" rifled barrel. The best I can get is a 3" group at 50 yards. I have tried adjusting the powder charge from 45-50 grains and around 3 inch groups is the best I can get. The AA12 wads have no pedels on them after being fired and the barrel has some unburned powder. What can I do to the load to get better groups?

[turmech]

They claybuster wads would not work well for me. Even though they are suppose to be a replacement for the WAA12 they are not exactly the same. My load is 2 3/4 rem gun club hulls, win 209, WAA12 wad, no nitro cards (many do use those however) with 48 gr blue dot. I am using a standard fold crimp. It does well in my HR slug gun.

You may already be aware but the fed hulls are straight not tapered like the rem and win hulls. The win wads and rem wads are made for tapered hulls. It is possible you are getting powder migration that may not help the accuracy.

[44man]

I am going to tell you something. I have every mold for the shotgun and every wad made. Even RB's. I have smooth bore and a rifled barrel. I have fooled with the stuff for years and never matched factory slugs. The Lee is no better even though the key is supposed to keep wads from blowing into the slug.
I bought Hammer Head slug kits and did 1" at 100 but it is expensive.
I need help big time with slugs, tried special slugs sent to me and they were better but nothing has shot like factory slugs. I went through everything from Ballistic Products without buying the special slugs, money you know.
The very best is a tough wad attached to the slug and goes the distance or a factory sabot.
Shot wads just plain suck with slugs.
I look sideways at anyone that claims the Lee is accurate, same with the Lyman.

[dondiego]

Three inches at 50 yards is a fairly accurate slug load. The consensus of the people on the shotgun casting forum here is that the Claybuster wads are no good. You should check out the shotgun casting forum here.

[Hardcast416taylor]

I have tried both the LEE 1oz. slug using both pure lead and a semi soft alloy, results were medicore to down right poor. I tried the Lyman flat nosed slug with about the same results. I tried, if memory serves, 6 different powders and wads combos, still nothing really showed promise. I then tried a 5 count box of Winchester 1 oz lead forster style slugs, accuraccy was a 4" group at 100 yds from a bench rest with all 5 shots in the group using just a Rem. choke insert barrel in my old Rem. 870! At $4.00 for 5 shells or $10 for a 15 count box, I bought an ammo can full! I figure these will out last me and whoever gets them from my estate.Robert

[leadhead 500]

Thanks for the replies guys. I am going mess with the load some more in other hulls and see what happens. I have shot some very accurate factory slugs and I don't think the Lee will shoot as good as what you can buy but time will tell.

[44man]

Three inches at 50 yards is a fairly accurate slug load. The consensus of the people on the shotgun casting forum here is that the Claybuster wads are no good. You should check out the shotgun casting forum here.
I will but no hurry. I don't hunt with the shotgun since I left Ohio 27 years ago but have wanted to shoot for fun. I do it on and off, have every book on slug loading but I admit failure. Wads get shredded or are driven into the hollow base.
3" at 50 would be OK but I shot plain old WW slugs into a tea cup from a smooth bore. I have torn them down and tried to duplicate them with no luck.
I remember shooting Brenneke slugs back then and missing the whole target----BIG target.

[turmech]

These are some shot through a smooth bore. I could not find the pic of one of the groups from a rifle barrel HR but they were 4 touching and one flyer at 50 yards in that group I had a pic of.

[44man]

I would be happy with that. I have had a few good groups but can never duplicate them.

[jmort]

Like most everything on this site, all the info you need is here. Just between Ed and Ajay, you have a complete education.