Lee slug mold

[pls1911]

Just finished an initial casting session with the Lee 00 buckshot mold.
In some ways it contradicts conventional wisdom regarding casting techniques.

Did the normal cleaning, then the KROIL trick overnight.
Would not fill out until I was in excess of 800 degrees, using an alloy of about 80% pure, 20% WW.
Also, pressure fill turned out better pellets than flow fill, and well as better consistancy regarding fill for all 18 holes.
DON'T think you'll keep up with a 10 pound pot. The RCBS 20 barely kept pace, set at 800+ degrees.
Plan on casting slightly frosted buckshot .. HOT mold and HOT metal just make for frosting, and your production calls for a cadence and heat which will produce a slight frosting.
Considering how few I shoot of these, I should now have a life time supply, about 35 pounds, or about 500 rounds worth.
Will report and post pictures after some trials.

[JIMinPHX]

I'll probably get one of those when the price comes down.

Thanks for the post.

[turbo1889]

I figured it would have to be run "hot and ragged" to ensure fill out. Glad to hear it fills out good though when run that way. Nothing wrong with frosted buckshot should make the tumble lube stick better. I hot tumble lube my buckshot currently made for skiesunlimited molds in 3/1 JPW/X-lox lube since I load it so it runs naked in the bore with hard card wadding underneath it rather then try to put it inside the petals of a shot wad.

Looking forward to pictures.

[pls1911]

Jim in PHX, hopefully this helps...
Factory direct they're only $36, about the same as others. Retail was something like $62, which I refused to cough up.

Find 'em cheap at:

http://factorysales.com/html/xcart/L...-included.html

Planned load out is AA Hulls, 12AA wad, 19 grains green dot, 3x3 or4x2 or 5x2 stacks with a card over shot for crimp. Petals have one wrap of scotch tape to retard separation.... best I can tell it holds together at least 15 feet.
Wad disintegrates on impact, dead soft lead flattens and transfers lots of energy right now.
Velocity should be 1200 fps

[miestro_jerry]

I will probably order another one. When I cast I do a lot of each caliber or what ever size, so many times I have duplicate molds. My first one was $42.00 and shipping. I also have a Sharp Shooter USA buckshot mold, it is different but works well once you have figured it out. The Sharp Shooter does 20 pieces of shot once you get the rhythm of the mold. It casts 10 pieces on one side and then let cool then flip the mold over and fill the other side. Once cooled enough drop the shot in your bucket.

I have been using 25 grains of 800X with 12 pellets in a Rem Club hull, CB1138-12 wad, win 209 primer, 1" wide Teflon Tape around the wad. BPI overshot card, roll crimped with a GAEP N2 crimper.

I didn't have any old steel doors to put on the range, so I shot a 2 x 12 treated piece of lumber at 20 feet. The group was very tight, you would not want to be the target. The treated lumber isn't as impressive as the steel doors These are thesame kind of steel door you have at your house. So far I have found that 22 shorts don't go thru the door. Everything else seems to want to go thru, the 22 LR I used would go thru if fired at 5 feet.

Enjoy,
Jerry

[miestro_jerry]

I forgot to mention the sharp shooter mold comes with handles.

Jerry

[JIMinPHX]

Jim in PHX, hopefully this helps...
Factory direct they're only $36, about the same as others. Retail was something like $62, which I refused to cough up.

Find 'em cheap at:

http://factorysales.com/html/xcart/L...-included.html

Thank you. That's an eye opener. I had looked at the Lee website & also in Midway about a month ago. Both had substantially higher prices on that item. It seemed strange that Midway would mark that one up so high when they sell all the other 6-cav molds at better prices, but that's what I saw at the time.

Thanks again,
Jim

[longbow]

Got mine from Titan Reloading:

http://www.titanreloading.com/brand-new-in-2011

Like the add says $44.33.

As per what pls1911 found, I had to cast fast and keep lead hot but once going it sure made nice buckshot.

I did my usual mould prep which is little or nothing just pre-heated and cast. The lead wasn't quite hot enough when I started so only one or two pellets in each cavity filled properly but once the lead heated up more it went well and the strings of shot fell out like it was a custom mould.

I'm pretty happy with mine.

Longbow

[pls1911]

I can't seem to upload fotos, but it seems that 2 pellets x 4 high stack is perfect for WAA12 wads in AA hulls.
Sweet fit, all 8 pellets of 00 buck fit well in the hull, and very nice TIGHT crimp.
weight is right at 1 oz. (438grains)
19.5 grains green dot should provide about 1250 fps.
Will shoot for group Friday from a Cyl Bore and IC barrels at 15 and 25 feet (bed room & hall way distance) and post results.

[JIMinPHX]

I can't seem to upload fotos, but it seems that 2 pellets x 4 high stack is perfect for WAA12 wads in AA hulls.
Sweet fit, all 8 pellets of 00 buck fit well in the hull, and very nice TIGHT crimp.
weight is right at 1 oz. (438grains)
19.5 grains green dot should provide about 1250 fps.
Will shoot for group Friday from a Cyl Bore and IC barrels at 15 and 25 feet (bed room & hall way distance) and post results.

2 pellets per layer of 00 buck in a 12ga? I don't recall seeing that before. I thought that 00 in 12 gage was always 3 per layer. Are you using some kind of filler or spacer or something? is this not 12 ga? Am I missing something?

I don't have all that much experience with shotshells, so please pardon me if this is a stupid question.

Thanks,
Jim

[blaster]

3 to a layer usually fits well in the hull without wad petals. 2 to a layer is often max on 00 buck inside a wad. Many commercial 00 loads actually use 0 or actually slightly smaller at .317. SAAMI/ANSI spec for 00 is(.330" +/= .015") so they can call it 00.

[pls1911]

Ok, so I'm 90 degrees off, but you get the picture.
Loading tonight, shoong in the morning.

8 pellets of 00 is right at 440 graines... about 1 oz.... pushed at 1250 fps , muzzle energy isn't far behind a middlin' 45-70...
9 pellets at 1400 are just punishing on the gun and shooter, and can't see that the pain is worth the gain.
The pellets stack neatly 90 degrees to the next layer, the length is right and the crimp is nice and tight

[pls1911]

The attached photo are the results of a patterning session this afternoon with soft cast OO buck loaded as descibed in the above texts; about 5 inches at 25 feet through a Remington 870 , IC choke.
Several rounds were very consistent... so worries about "perfectly round" or very hard buckshot are ill founded.

[Tokarev]

When I have filling problems, I just sink the bottom of the closed mold in the alloy between the pours.

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

out 7"

[JIMinPHX]

Those are pretty useful sounding results. Would any of you care to post your recipe, including powder, hull, primer & wad?

[pls1911]

Jim,

You may have missed a few details of my earlier post.
My easy-on-your-body load is:

--- Winchester AA hulls
--- 19.5 grains Green Dot
--- WAA12 wads set firmly
--- 2 pellets x 4 high stack; all 8 pellets of 00 buck fit well in the hull, weight is right at 1 oz.
(438 grains)
--- Nice TIGHT crimp

This provides about 1250 fps and is very effective on every critter I've hit, all smaller than deer.

[JIMinPHX]

Thanks, I did miss the earlier details.

That's a nice load, & it uses powder & hulls that I already have. I don't think that I'll be buying anymore loaded buckshot shells.

[JIMinPHX]

Jim in PHX, hopefully this helps...
Factory direct they're only $36, about the same as others. Retail was something like $62, which I refused to cough up.

Find 'em cheap at:

http://factorysales.com/html/xcart/L...-included.html

Do those guys normally answer the phone? I tried calling them twice today but the phone just rang & rang.

[turbo1889]

I bought from "Factory Sales" once. That was enough, they may have gotten better since then but I am not willing to risk it myself.