Hiya guys!
For some time now, I have been able to achieve reasonably levels of accuracy with my Lyman 525 slugs: simple load replacement on Target [Birdshot] loads – getting as good as 4 inches out to 50 yards.
I’m happy.
I have had some difficulty finding right medium to fill-up the cavity to avoid wad ingress. Candle wax drips untidily all over the place when melting and pouring in cavity, and seems to lubricate the slug: so the wad does not grip the slug well enough when rotating in the rifling.
Hot Glue seems a bit better: but sometimes does not grip inside the cavity: you end up with these cavity-shaped plugs of glue even BEFORE loading the shells.
And Hot Glue needs a hot glue gun, electricity, time and all… Too long and boring…
So I came up with an idea to use sand. Yes, you all heard me right – SAND!
I pour a little FINE, dry sand in the cavity: up to half-full. Then drip some super-glue carefully all round to soak the sand. Then while that is hardening: I pour the remaining sand to fill up the cavity: then drip more super glue over it...
Finally: with the wet glue still soaking in, and drying: I sprinkle a little fine sand on top: it produces flat, neat cavity-filling.
Advantages:
· Fast.
· Neat
· The plug is frangible.
· After loading: all is held inside shot-cup: sand is not going to pour through your barrel * and get in your gun’s workings.
· The rough sandy surface at the bottom of slug grips the wad and helps with the right friction to impart spin.
* This sand and glue only adds 1 [ONE] gram of additional weight [0.035274 ounce] - which is negligible.
Also: I have been using some hard plastic disks INSIDE the Birdshot wads to raise my slugs to right height, which also helps the slugs seat ABOVE the ribs inside at the bottom of the shut-cup. They are from re-purposed Soda Bottle tops – punched out with 16mm punch. "Waste not... Want not..."
The last disk before the Slug in second pic below [Neon green] is from plastic disposable plates: the slug sits on top of this, it has a kid of semi-collapsible shock-absorbing quality. [Like using egg-packing to protect something, it protects the slug even more.]
I have also gone back to using the plastic over-shot frangible disk to roll-crimp: so I should have better wad petal behaviour.
All will tell as soon as I test in two weeks, hopefully.