Range lead and casting for slugs

[TonyN]

If I remember correctly Range lead is soft enough for casting slugs?

[Wiley0717]

Yup sure is

[rancher1913]

not all range lead is the same, depends on the rounds that have been used. I would test it.

[longbow]

The range lead I get has enough antimony in it that it can be heat treated. Seems very much like clip on wheelweights all in all. But yes, I use if for slugs. Kinda depends on what slugs you are casting to an extend. Lyman and Lee both say to use soft lead but many don't. Some slugs do better soft, some hard and some don't care (like round balls).

I'd say give it a try. What slugs are you casting?

Longbow

[TonyN]

Lyman and lee

[longbow]

Of those two I have only shot the Lee cast from range scrap and it did okay from a smoothbore. Not as good as some of the slugs from my home made moulds but not too bad. I cast pretty much all slugs and round balls from range scrap or wheelweights. it works for me.

Are you shooting rifled or smoothbore?

[GoBig]

I've cast Lee slugs from range scrap and wheelweights and shot them from a rifled barrel and had good results.

[BNE]

I've tested a lot of range scrap. "Typically " it is 99% Pb and 1% Sb. I've seen it as low as 0.6%Sb.

[GrayTech]

Of those two I have only shot the Lee cast from range scrap and it did okay from a smoothbore. Not as good as some of the slugs from my home made moulds but not too bad. I cast pretty much all slugs and round balls from range scrap or wheelweights. it works for me.

Are you shooting rifled or smoothbore?

From what I understand, for slugs that use sabots or wad cups, COWW is OK for rifled barrels and smooth bores with cylinder bore choke. Soft lead is recommended for choked barrels. My experience has confirmed this.
Still haven't got definitive information on full bore slugs in this regard, so only ever used SOWW.

[longbow]

My opinion is that for general use range scrap is just fine and like for rifles and handguns, fit is king. The slug or slug/wad combo should push through the tightest constriction without a lot of force required. The general rule of thumb I have read and been told but not tested is that the slug or slug/wad combo should not be more than 0.003" larger than the tightest constriction in the bore.

Most of my slug shooting has been through cylinder bore smoothbore and some through slug barrel with improved cylinder bore at 0.710"

I think the only need for soft lead is where the slug is undersize and so obturates to fill the bore as in the case of the Lyman Foster slug which casts at 0.705"... or so my mould does and that is what Lyman says. Now why 0.705" for a 0.729" bore, who knows? But I do know that those 0.705" slugs do obturate to fill the bore because I have recovered them after shooting into soft snow. So, since they obturate to fill the bore they are no more choke friendly than the same slug at bore diameter. Makes no sense to me. Or if intentionally shooting through a choke beyond about I/C.

The Lyman sabot slug does shorten and fatten at firing if cast from soft lead but since the nose is solid it will not obturate to fill the bore where the skirt may to some extent. Here, I think wad/slug/bore fit is what is important in both smoothbore and rifled guns but likely most important in rifled guns.

The Lee slug may oburate some, I don't know not having cast any from soft lead and only having shot them from smoothbore. Others report good results using ACWW and again I suspect overall wad/slug/bore fit is what is important. If the wad has thin petals so loose fit then a hard slug may not work as well as a soft slug that will swell or obturate at firing.

Certainly soft lead would be preferable if the gun is choked but I suspect that even ACWW would swage down easily enough in typical thin skirt Foster designs and especially with wad slugs. Full bore slugs are a different ball game there and full bore thick skirted hard alloy slugs are something I wouldn't shoot through a gun with a choke of any sort... at least hand held. My opinion only.

Brenneke slugs are very hard alloy but have ribs designed to collapse if they are shot through a choke. Typical Foster style thin skirt slugs are also designed to collapse if they are shot through a choke. Full bore round balls, solid slugs and very thick skirted hard alloy slugs should not be shot through a choke.

One of my goals with slug design is that the slug should be safe to be shot through any gun and any choke.

Longbow

[TonyN]

I shoot out of a smooth bore. I can tell anything farther then 50 yards they start looking accuracy.