PP 12 gauge slugs

[wmitty]

Will the usual "size to land/bore diameter and patch to groove diameter" apply to a cylindrical 12 gauge slug fired from a Savage 212? What about a round ball?

[wmitty]

Sorry if I posted this in the wrong location but I was looking for the usual PP folks opinion on this. It may be a ludicrous idea since I can't seat the slug into the rifling.

[longbow]

I wouldn't expect that you would be seating the patched slug into the rifling unless it was patched to bore and you were expecting it to slug up at firing which it may well do if hollow base but likely not if solid.

What slug are you loading for?

I've shot paper patched Lyman Foster slugs in my Browning smoothbore and when patched up to bore diameter they shot not badly... way better than naked anyway. No experience with PP'd slug in rifled guns though.

As for round ball, I would go with ball in shotcup (at groove diameter) or groove diameter naked ball. I've had good results with groove diameter ball (actually 0.735") in a rifled gun.

Not sure if anyone here has PP'd slugs for rifled guns or not but if so they'll likely have some advice.

Longbow

[wmitty]

I was looking at using the Lee one oz. with the projections on the base pin removed to make the slug solid rather than a "drive key". I realize the slug will be well under bore diameter; I figured I'd open the mould by lapping and patching the enlarged slug as I approached bore diameter.

[longbow]

I think you will find no satisfaction with a slug that undersize. They run about 0.685" so you will be patching up by about 0.030" to 0.035". That's a lot of paper and thick paper at that.

They are designed for loading into shotcups so why not make a solid and use the shotcup? Quicker, easier and most likely better results.

If you were to get driving bands machined into the mould or just get it all opened up to at least land diameter then paper patching might stand a chance.

But I could be wrong too.

Just my $0.02.

Longbow

[wmitty]

You are right; that's too much to try and lap out. Well, I'll have to punt on this one. Maybe a full size N.O.E. mould in the future...

[303Guy]

A friend of mine once made a slug mold for his cheap single barrel. It was an octagonal socket that was undersized but he squeezed them up in his vice. He then screwed a felt wad under it. As I recall, it shot pretty well.

This gives me an idea for patching a wadded slug, something I've been interested in ever since I bought my cheap single barrel. I have debated chopping off the choke so I can shoot bore size slugs in it. A splined slug would make it unnecessary to remove the choke. But would the patch come off properly?

[Old Coot]

303 Guy;
I have followed your posts since before this subject was a seperate forum and have enjoyed your experiments both triumphal and not so good immensely. Normally the patch comes off due to the cutting action of the lands. In my Whitworth muzzle loader which has a hexagonal bore that twist to 1 turn in 20 inches the patch comes off because the bullet (round in my case) has expanded to fit that six sided bore and split the paper in the process. For the patch to come off a round shotgun slug in a smooth bore I think you would have to take a razor blade or some such and cut the patch along long axis of the slug so that it could come off. Without some such I can't imagine the patch unraveling as the slug travel down range. Or, I suppose you could load the slug into a case with strips of paper criscrossing across the mouth of the case so that the proper thickness of paper was achieved. Brodie

[303Guy]

Thanks for that, Brodie.

With the size of the slug that should be quite easy to do. Well, now I have no excuse not to get on with it!
Now to come up with a mold (and get some soft lead).

[Goatwhiskers]

Well you could do like I did back when I was young and stupid, tho I wouldn't recommend it. An old gentleman gave me an old single barrel 12 with a looong barrel, which I cut off to 20". A "friend" and I measured the bore and found a drill bit that matched pretty close and drilled some 1" deep pockets in a bar of steel. We scrapped up some lead and poured some slugs. The slugs wouldn't stay in an old paper shell so we wrapped the slugs with enough black electrical tape--several wraps-- to stay in a shell. I actually fired the thing--once. Darn gun jumped out of my hands and cracked me across the forehead, why it stayed together I dunno. Ah, the ignorance of youth. GW

[longbow]

Hah! That brings back some memories!

I followed a similar route in early slug loads except my friend and I opened the crimp of factory shotshells, poured out the shot, melted it then poured it into a cut off CO2 cylinder as a crude mould. We popped out th elead slugs and dropped them back into the shotshell and plastic wad. So the payload was the same but form changed from shot to solid slug.

Results up close were pretty spectacular but of course crude conicals didn't stabilize at any distance from the muzzle so accuracy beyond a few feet was pretty dismal. Nonetheless we had fun and didn't blow up any guns... that came later when I got smarter(?).

Longbow

[nekshot]

reading this inspired me to dig out a brand new lee slug mold under the junk. Cleaned it with alcohol, ran a scribe around in it and warmed it up with a butane burner and by the 4th slug they were perfectly formed. I did use a pliars to take it off the stem but I don't mind doing that rather than wacking it. I do like Lee molds, not perfect for others but fine for me. Now out comes that win 1300 defender and gonna try these so I can talk intelligently with you all.

[dogrunner]

Damn, but you fella's are probably gonna cause me some pain....that patched slug is an idea I contemplated some time back and never got around to.

Seems I have an A/5 Browning and also a Hastings rifled bbl for it. I also have a Lyman hollow based slug mould that I've had reasonable success with in a smooth tube....the Hastings has always been just a sabot launcher. (tho a doggone accurate one!)

I did cobble up some patched hollow based slugs but never got around to trying out a load....guess this thread will push me that way. Any suggestions are welcome.....let you all know what I've come up with......can't see why it wouldn't work tho!!