best powder for lee slugs

[steg]

I'm usiing Unique for both the slugs and buckshot loads, what do you use in yours?

[diehard]

My best loads have used Unique for 7/8 oz Lee slugs; 4756 and AA#5 for 1 oz slugs; Green Dot for 00 buckshot; Blue Dot for Tri-ball loads; Universal for .690 RB loads.

Can't seem to get one powder to do everything...could just be me(?).

[SuperBlazingSabots]

Hello Steg, HS-6 is agood powder for Lee Drive Key in 12 ga and most shooters stop around 33 to 34 grains as it starts to kick like a mule, its a known fact, you get best accuracy when you down-load a grain or two below Max load!

I like the Fed 12 S0 wad on the extreme left.

and if you were to put a .125 nitro card below the slug in wad you'll be giving it a firm base at launch and raising the slug a bit for a better fit!

Please be safe and use caution, for your safety comes first!
Ajay
Video Memories
VdoMemories-Blazing Sabots!
www.PreciousVideoMemories.com

[steg]

Thanks guys, I have a couple of those powders, I'll give em a try...........steg

[jmsj]

steg,
Unique os one of my favorite pistol powders but I have not tried it in shotshells.
HS-6 is my go to powder for slugs, 34.0 grains is my top load. I stopped at 34.0 grains because wads were getting distorted and accuracy was going away. When I load plinking slug loads, I have been using International Clays for velocities around 1000fps-1100fps. This has given a soft recoiling and accurate load.
Good luck, jmsj

[steg]

I've been seeing HS-6 cime up pretty often, going to try that and Green Dot, plus some of the other recomended powders that I have here.

[TRG3]

I've used Herco with good results for the Lee Key Drive as well as the Lyman 525 sabot.

[BIGT]

I've used the Accurate #5 load data that came with the mold. See VdoMemorie's post above. The powder is so fine that my lee loader spills it all over the place. I just use the dipper now. Performance has been great out of my 18 inch smoothbore. I was able to Mortor them into half a sheet of plywood at three hundred yards. Fun stuff. I take these loads bear hunting.

By the way this is my first post, thanks everyone for all the brain candy.

[SuperBlazingSabots]

Welcome BigT, to this wonderfull family of slug shooters,a lot of good experienced shooters who can help!
Ajay
Video Memories
VdoMemories-Blazing Sabots!
www.PreciousVideoMemories.com

[steg]

Thanks BIGT, and welcome to the assylum, It's a great place, Good people, and always someone out there to help out...........steg

[Moonie]

I use Unique for the light to medium and Bluedot for the heavy hitters.

[Four-Sixty]

I am getting some good results with Hogdon Clays using 1 oz load data. The recoil is very soft. I have tried HS-6, but the hot loads can make my glasses come off my head.

I get way better accuracy with a nitro card like substitue. I've recovered too many wads that have blown into the base or " key " of the slug when no card was used.

[35remington]

TRMD, as I recall, that's what Lee intends to happen so the slug rotates with the wad on the rifling.

Smoothbore probably doesn't matter.

[Four-Sixty]

Interesting 35 Remington. I've recovered wads with the petals blown backwards suggesting to me they are stuck on too long and causing drag. Also, causing acuracy to suffer. The "nitro card" I introduced, a crushed 00 buck pellet, really seems to help tighten the groups. I basically beat a 00 buck pellet flat and put it in the wad under the slug.

[GBertolet]

I have settled on 23gr of Unique for my Ithica. It gives me 1200 fps with a lengthened 1oz Lee slug (550gr). Shoots 2 inch groups or less, at 50 yards for me. Less muzzle blast, lower recoil, and burns clean.

[UNIQUEDOT]

Interesting 35 Remington. I've recovered wads with the petals blown backwards suggesting to me they are stuck on too long and causing drag. Also, causing acuracy to suffer. The "nitro card" I introduced, a crushed 00 buck pellet, really seems to help tighten the groups. I basically beat a 00 buck pellet flat and put it in the wad under the slug.

35 Remington is correct. That is the patented design of the "drive key" as the wad is supposed to flow around it into the base of the slug locking them together to guarantee rotation in rifled barrels, but some claim it hurts accuracy in smoothbore guns.

[35remington]

TRMD, most use a thin carboard wad to do the same thing.

I am not sure about the "petals blown backward" statement. All wads have the petals blown backward to some degree. The crease in the bottom of the wad does not seem so indented that it would still grip somehow despite what must be a fair amount of force trying to separate the wad from the slug.

I shoot them as well, and the groups seem decent in smoothbores as long as the wad fits and the range is not too great, and little difference with or without the cardboard.

In rifled barrels I shoot them with no cardboard below the slug, as that would be counterproductive. Just my experience, and YMMV.

[Muddydogs]

My slug load is; Win 209, Herco at 33 grains, WAA 12 wad, 1/8 cork spacer under slug, Lee 1 oz slug, 20ga OSC on top of slug, all in a Win AA new style red hull with fold crimp. Velocity is right around 1460. I tried the 36 grains of Herco as shown with the Lee slug mold data but at 36 grains and 1550 fps the load is a bit stiff coming out of my Rem 870 with 18" cylinder barrel. Far right hole in target is not a shot but a tear from the target stand. Target shot at 25 yards with just a bead front sight.



My Buck load is out of BPI's Buckshot manual; Win 209, Unique at 24 grains, HDC18 wad, 9 #0 bucks, 20ga OSC, in a Win AA red new style hull with fold crimp. I use a 20ga OSC instead of the 12 ga card as the 20 is easer to drop in. Upon testing this load I got 1280 fps out of the Rem 870 with 18" cylinder barrel but the center of the target had a hole void of shot. So I loaded up a few more rounds that included 9 #B pellets fit into the #0 buck voids. This combination tightened up the overall #0 pattern.

What the wads look like when stacked with #0 and #B.


Target shot at 25 yards. 5 rounds on target. My target is only 2 feet wide so I am not getting the full 30" circle but as I remember not having my data right in front of me I think there are 43 out of 45 pellet hits of the #0 buck on target and something like 32 hits of the #B. Still have a couple holes.

[dwdw]

Has anybody ever tried to uses Green Dot and load about 5 grains low from max and add 4 grains of corn meal to increase the burn time? I guy told me this and I don't know if he was pulling my leg

[35remington]

Corn meal does not increase the "burn time" but rather likely the pressure as the load is somewhat less compressible, and, depending upon the presence or absence of a wad, potentially affects the ballistics in some other way.

Cannot see why reducing the load five grains, or likely 25 percent from the usual charge weight has any degree of validity.

You need comments from sources that know what they are doing.

This "guy" is not one of them.