Surprised at my home made 16ga slugs.

[Tackleberry41]

Was doing some test shooting this weekend. I had made a 16ga slug mold out of a socket, not like you can buy a mold I know of. Made it so it would fit in a shot cup like the Lee one. A plug in the bottom to make the skirt. But a bit long, to much weight to the middle. So didn't figure they would do to well out of a smoothbore 16ga with short barrels and no sights. I guess just luck on the recipe, they flew very straight. Once I figured out the aiming point little to one side with the rib 25yds, even 50 you could hit what you were aiming at. Gives a bit of life to my great grandfathers old shotgun. I had some pics of the slugs, but must have deleted them, try to make some more.

[DAVE A]

Tackleberry I have a 16g single barrel hammer gun that I was thinking of making slugs for so I am really looking forward to seeing pics of your mold and slugs.

Dave.

[Tackleberry41]

I will have to take some, I figured they would be more of area effect weapon as they tumbled.

[Tackleberry41]

The slugs and 'mold'.

[DAVE A]

Thanks for the picture, a simple but very effective mold , and if you machined a slot in the plug you could make drive key slugs ,
I think I may just have to get back to my lathe.

Dave.

[Tackleberry41]

I made this mold quite a while ago, gotten a bit better running the lathe since. Its slow as you have to clamp it in a vice and knock them out with a punch from the bottom. But I have no idea where I would get a 16ga slug mold.

[elvas]

Both Lee and Lyman Sabot slug could be used in 16ga when sized down with one or two (depending on slug's alloy hardness) easily made push through sizer dies with standard 7/8-14 threads.

[richhodg66]

What do the slugs weigh? I'm not much of a shotgunner, oddly, I own a 16 gauge slug gun (Ithaca 37 Deerslayer). It's pretty accurate for a smoothbore and 16 gauge slug loads weren't as hard to find as I'd have guessed, but I've always been curious about what it would take to load for it.

[Tackleberry41]

I made the slugs a while back, just seeing if they would work mostly. They tend to vary in weight as theres no sprue plate to give a consistent length so weight. I was messing with more of a survival thing of taking mostly useless birdshot and making it into something effective. Started out with a Lee .311 double ball mold, needless to say its slow to make much buck that way. Have since invested in a Sharpshooter 0 buck mold.

I have progressed considerably in my reloading since I made the slugs, theres still a few in a container on the shelf. Knowing what I do now, I would put them in the lathe for a nice flat front end, and consistent length. Its on my list, but have a pile of other projects I am working on to get to them. Might try to modify one of the Lee .575 Minie molds to fit a 16 ga. Be a bit quicker to cast.

I was just a bit surprised at how well they did with zero real design effort put into them. No special loading techniques. I have had alot more trouble with my 20ga slugs, something I have put effort into. They do not really group, where the 16ga, if you get the aiming point right, it will hit what you want it to. Bet they would do really well in something rifled, 16ga guns are just not as easy to find.

[OnHoPr]

Like elvas mentioned, just size down the pure lead Lee 7/8 oz slug. If it is .685 like the Lee 1 oz all you need is a 17 mm drill and bore a hole through round or square stock. Then hone a .001 with a chamfer one end and bore out the other end so the slug drops through and push it through with an arbor press or drill out a Lee .510 sizing kit and hone it smooth. All you would have to do is size down .015 of pure lead. That is if there is enough stock to do so on the sizing kit. They would be full bore but easy to reload and no plastic wad, just whatever type of cards on top of the powder and gas seal and a roll crimp. Hey, that sounds interesting, just a drill and a sizing kit.

[Tackleberry41]

Ill put it on top of my mountain of projects.