I am in the early stages of testing the LEE 1 oz. key driven slug in my smoothbore 12 Ga and I thought I would post some results. In my opinion the groups are OK, they could be better or they could be worse.
My gun is a Squires Bingham Model 30DG with 20" barrel and a muzzle of about 0.729" - 0.730"
My load is based on the LEE data included with the mould.
-Remington Gun Club 12 ga 2 3/4" hull
-Win 209 primer
-32.0 grs Winchester 540 (data lists HS-6 which is supposedly the same)
-WAA12SL Claybuster clone (with shortened petals)
-16 ga mini-N/C in bottom of shotcup
-LEE 1 oz slug cast from pure lead
-fold crimp
I shortened the wad petals so they don't extend up over the end of the slug. I prefer the 16 ga. card over the 20 ga. as it gives a wider base for the slug to sit on to. The wad/slug assembly seats in the hull a little hard due to the 16 ga. card expanding the wads petals slightly but there are no other issues.
Wad/card/slug ready to load:
The wad/slug assembly fit in the barrel is just snug and can be pushed through the entire length with my finger.
The crimps turned out pretty good:
I shoot at 40 yards as this is my average distance for deer hunting.I use a Black & Decker Workmate for a rest. The 5 shot group:
I was able to recover 4 of 5 wads and are a little rough but complete:
Recoil is medium.
I was able to recover 2 of the slugs. They penetrated approximately 6" into North American Red spruce.
The slug on the left is new for reference:
All comments good or bad are welcome.