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Thread: Accuracy Improvement Using Hot Melt Glue

  1. #1
    Boolit Mold
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
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    29

    Accuracy Improvement Using Hot Melt Glue

    I am considering putting holt melt glue in my Lyman 525 12 gauge, and 350 20 gauge sabot slugs. I currently get about 2" groups with each at 50 yards. What kind of accuracy improvement should I expect with the addition of the hot melt glue in the hollow base. I currently just use a hard card in the shotcup. Should I expect the accuracy to improve at 50 yards, or doesn't it show up till 100 yards, or so?

  2. #2
    Boolit Master
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    I put it in the 525 sabot slugs and noticed a slight improvement . I haw ever was shooting these in WAA12 wads in a smooth bore side by side .
    Parker's , 6.5mm's and my family in the Philippines

  3. #3
    Boolit Master
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    In smooth bore side by sides I only fired the slugs at 25 and 50 yards .
    Parker's , 6.5mm's and my family in the Philippines

  4. #4
    Boolit Grand Master

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    I'd say if you are getting 2" groups you are doing pretty well if shot with smoothbore. With rifled gun maybe you could do better.

    I have not shot the Lyman sabot slugs but have recovered some others have shot and they all show somewhat crushed skirts. I have to think that a filler that would prevent the skirt crushing would help. As long as they crush the same every time then it should not matter but I do have to think that better support = less crushing so better overall accuracy.

    That is certainly my experience with smoothbores.

    Just my opinion.

    Longbow

  5. #5
    Boolit Mold
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    I am using Mossberg 500's with rifled barrels and Nikon 2-7X32 scopes in both 20 and 12 gauge. I have shot groups at 50 yards, but have not been able to do that at 100 yards yet. Someday I want to try them at 150 yards. I was just wondering if anyone has tried these slugs from a rifled barrel at the longer ranges (100+ yards) and if the hot melt glue actually improved the accuracy of the slugs.

  6. #6
    Boolit Buddy
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
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    I suppose hot melt glue is cheap and easy to find, but I would think that epoxy would be far more effective if you really want to stiffen up the base of a slug---just pour it in with the inverted slugs on a nice level surface and it will form an even, hard, strong plastic plug. Epoxy can get a little pricey at $30 and up per quart, but it wouldn't take much per slug. Polyester resins are much cheaper, and might work just as well, though they really stink (epoxy=no odor).

  7. #7
    Boolit Master

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    This is a pretty amazing result with the 525.....
    http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...h-at-100-yards

  8. #8
    Boolit Grand Master

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    His accuracy is certainly good but I would not put sandpaper in any of my guns. I know it is inside the shotcup but I still would not use sandpaper in any of my guns.

    I have to think that if the sandpaper is required to transmit twist to the base of the slug then side wall fit is a bit loose. Knurling or paper patching would tighten that up.

    Just my opinion of course.

    As for hot melt glue filling the cavity, that can be done by putting a bit more than required into the cavity then quickly inverting the glue filled slug and placing onto a cold piece of steel with a light film of grease or oil on it, then press down on the slug. The excess glue can be squeezed out and the base will be flat, flush and smooth when done. The excess glue can be peeled off the edge of the slug skirt after cooling.

    I think a benefit of hot melt glue is that it bonds pretty well even to shiny lead and is flexible so can distort along with the slug if there is any give. Epoxy or polyester resins are brittle and I suspect would not bond well so some plugs may release in flight. I think other flexible glues like Shoe Goo would be better choices as alternatives to hot melt glue (it is goopy and a bit of a pain to work with).

    I certainly agree that filling the cavity has a definite benefit.

    Longbow

  9. #9
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
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    While I no longer cast for the 525, I have done thousands of them... and tried a bunch of variations...I can't say that anyone has come on the absolute perfect solution as slug barrels vary tremendously... but what I settled on, was casting them out of soft lead, inverting them, covering the inside cavity with pledge, then filling with hotmelt.....I didn't really want the hotmelt to adhere to the slug, but fall out after exiting from the shotcup... I have seen them penetrate the target backing @ 100 yds, so they are moving pretty fast still... The theory behind the filling was to prevent the base from distorting upon firing to improve accuracy... I do think it helped... I also knurled the edges of the slug with a mill file so that it would get a better grip on the wad and dusted the wad with mica... I could routinely get 3-4" groups @ 100 yds... Lyman's advertised velocity with the load I used (Sr4756) was a healthy 1525 fps... I did notice that after 100 yds accuracy fell off drastically and I am assuming(I know, what that means) that was because the velocity was dropping and the stability of the pellet was reduced, causing it to wobble. I tried roll crimps, harder lead, different powders,primers and wads, but settled on Federal Gold Medal 2 3/4", Red Win wads(no longer made) and Sr4756 also no longer made.... guess I should open up a museum of slug reloading components... I think a have better than a thousand wads and an unopend 8lb jug of powder...I even have a bunch of the Fed two piece 12C wads that I used for a roll crimped version of the slug that are no longer made...
    Perhaps my learning skills have diminished in my senior years.. 50 years ago I could read something once and then "have it"... Now I read it about three times, do it a couple of times and then... "have it" only about half the time.

  10. #10
    Boolit Grand Master

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    I do not know for sure but have been told that the Lyman sabot slug loses stability as it goes transonic... at least from smoothbore. I suspect that even when shot from a rifled gun that big blunt nose would be an issue at longer ranges like most wadcutter designs.

    The velocity drop to transonic should be happening before 100 yards though and more like 50 or 60 yards depending on BC.

    I have always been curious about that but do not have that mould. I should buy some slugs (or the mould) just to try it out and for the learning experience.

    I almost bought into the Mihec version group buy and wish I had but I was told it is not the best slug out of smoothbores so didn't bother. I like the slug design but would prefer a TC or RNFP nose.

    Yeah, if you want the plug to drop out the Pledge is a good idea. Alternately I read that some people use Paraffin wax for the filler. Cheap, easy and it drops out.

    Longbow

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check