Well, I've been debating for awhile now and finally said what the heck. Ordered the Russian Paradox Slug mold with 3 pins today. We'll see what I can do for accuracy without the tail wads but I sure hope to source some of those bad boys too. Hope Blood Trails connect comes through!
Kraken Fan #69
Last edited by KrakenFan69; 01-22-2018 at 08:37 PM.
That looks like an interesting mold, I'll be interested in your results for certain!
GoodOlBoy
Yes I can be long winded. Yes I follow rabbit trails. Yes I admit when I am wrong. Your mileage may vary.
Keep your powder dry. Watch yer Top knot.
"Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition!"
Yes there were "Short" 45 Colts! http://www.leverguns.com/articles/taylor/45_short_colt.htm
Not certain why I was so taken with this one. I think because it's so short looking in the pics. Still fairly beefy though.
Will post results for sure.
Kraken Fan #69
Are you planning on shooting those in rifled gun or smoothbore?
Both that one and the Tusker clone are on my "like" list. I may pick one up.
What does that one weigh?
Longbow
Longbow,
Smooth with and without a rifled choke. My primary interest is 3 Gun. 532, 536 or 615 depending on the pin used. Fatboys for sure. I'm near Brooks, Ab. When I get it I can spin some of each up and send them to you and you can check them out. Your results will likely carry more weight here anyway. lol
Kraken Fan #69
can't wait to hear the results , looking foward to it
Seller got back to me today. Sounds like it may not make it here before The Jolly Fat Man does. Oh Well, at least I'll have plenty to do during the Christmas break!
Kraken Fan #69
Me waiting on my new mold. Checking the tracking number every 5 minutes.
Kraken Fan #69
Well the 1,000 tail wads I ordered from TASWSNBN (The Auction Site Which Shall Not Be Named) a week AFTER I ordered this mold came in yesterday. Still waiting on the mold. *sigh*
Kraken Fan #69
Well my slug mold came in today. Spent the evening casting and prepping some test loads. Really excited to get to the range and start testing this. It's been -25 Deg C here lately so I may wait just a bit.
Kraken Fan #69
Last edited by KrakenFan69; 01-14-2018 at 01:07 AM.
Good morning
That looks like it should put a solid "Thwap" on what ever it connects with.
My interest with all these is how they stack up to the lowly old round ball. Same velocity, same diameter into the same material from the same barrel.
So far have not seen a lot of advantage especially from non-rifled barrels. But this one already has that beautiful flat nose ! What that would do to a corn cruncher ! Or a big piggy cast of WW air cooled plowed through the shoulders. That to me is the real tests.
But keep the info coming.
Mike in Peru
"Come unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28
Male Guanaco out in dry lakebed at 10,800 feet south of Arequipa.
Mike:
Good to see your post.
I'm in total agreement... the lowly round ball does as well as most if not all slugs out to about 50 yards in my experience. I've had a couple of slugs that might edge it out by a bit but that would take some extensive testing to prove.
It is downrange some that I find the round ball starts to "drift" most likely picking up a random spin due to drag on imperfections. By about 70 yards things are getting a little iffy with regards to consistent accuracy (again, in my experience).
I would expect that a well designed and fabricated drag stabilized slug should produce similar or maybe better accuracy at 50 yards but it should hold up to 100 yards or further where the round ball becomes a little unpredictable.
These Russian tail wads are very similar to the Gualandi DGS wads which I found to distort some and while in the limited testing I did accuracy was pretty good to 50 yards I did also get keyholes.
The best accuracy I have had to date at 100 yards is from Federal Foster slugs (pre Tru-Ball) and AQ slugs from BPI. Both produced 6" +/- a bit groups at 100 yards. I have not succeeded at duplicating that accuracy with home cast and loaded slugs... not consistently or predictably anyway.
Out to 50 yards it is indeed hard to beat the good 'ol round ball for ease of casting and loading, and accuracy running 3" to 4" groups.
My interest is in achieving similar accuracy at 100 yards but I would be tickled with 6" to 8" consistent groups at 100 yards at this point. I am thinking the Russian Paradox slug, Gualandi DGS clone or my favourite the Tusker clone are all good candidates for good accuracy.
Actually when I started this quest, my goal was a "poor man's" double rifle using a side by 12 ga. but I have about given up there because not only is it difficult to get 6" to 8" groups at 100 yards from a single barrel shotgun but now you have two barrels to worry about and I have to think regulation would be difficult to impossible. I refer to the Kodiak rifles which have sights for each barrel. If the factories can't provide a decently regulated production rifle then my chances are lower. With the right skill set and appropriate tools, and a lot of time it could be done I am sure but... for most of us not likely.
I will be very interested to see upcoming field reports on the Russian slugs for sure. Currently I am back to half time work so toy budget is gone again but I can window shop for now.
Longbow
Howdy Longbow
I read you well on the 50-55 yard thresh hold. All our hunting when up north in still in river bottoms and brushy stuff so it does not affect us much. The round ball is our simple and completely reliable choice. 12 and 20 bore doubles give all we need.
It is just that desire to maybe find that one possible combination...
Bought a Pedersoli double 12 rifled ML last time north. That is the 100 yard solution. .735 RB plus 100 grains 3F. Been thinking about adapting the barrels to a FOX B frame. But the idea of destroying the Pedersoli... ouch.
Mike in Peru
"Come unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28
Male Guanaco out in dry lakebed at 10,800 feet south of Arequipa.
Ooohhh! That would be nice! The Kodiak takes 0.715" patched balls I think. So the Pedersoli takes 0.735" Patched ball?
The problem with side by's is regulation. My understanding is the old CVA's and Kodiak double rifles use two sets of sights for that reason.
What about the Pedersoli?
Yeah, I'd leave that gun in one piece. You can buy barrels to put onto a side by receiver and it's been done and written up a few times on this site. It is a little beyond me to do though unfortunately.
I am currently thinking of rifled choke tubes possibly turned slightly offset so a lock nut or shims can be used to set rotation and so be used for regulation. Might just work if I ever get to it.
Longbow
Last edited by longbow; 01-13-2018 at 06:59 PM. Reason: Spelling... sites?
I got excited and loaded up 5 rounds in as many differnet powders and configurations. I didn't think about lube or Hi-Tek coating them as I have been running the Lyman in a CB111412 wad and those never touch the barrel. Think I'll have any trouble here with them unlubed? Should I pull them apart and rebuild? This wad style is new to me so I'm still learning. No great source for load data on them as of yet either so it's just kinda experimenting.
Kraken Fan #69
Longbow they are the Gualandi wads
KrakenFan69:
From what BT says the diameter of the slug should be under "most" smoothbore diameters by a few thou unless you have a tight smoothbore. I'm betting that for 5 shots you won't have any trouble.
So far I have not had any leading issues in my smoothbores shooting unlubed 0.735" RB's or soft lead Lyman Fosters though that one surprised me. The balls were hard and have little bore contact so that may be the answer there.
I'd say lube is a good idea but for a few slugs I wouldn't worry. Others may have different experience.
Longbow
Repost form the FB group for those who aren't members.
Got out to do some quick and dirty testing on the Russian Paradox slug. Shot from a smoothbore Rem 870 Express Tactical with an Intermediate Choke. I was not shooting from a rest, it was cold and the results are not definitive. Point of aim is the green pain on the full sized USPSA Steel. That said, 30 gn of WSF makes you feel it a bit more than the same charge under a Lyman 525 Gn Slug. This slug weighs 532 gn, 581 with the attached wad. It was -3 deg C out an shots were fired at 30 yards. First pic is the only recovered wad and slug out of some 25. I missed the steel plate. The expansion upon hitting the berm is impressive. 40 Grains of Blue Dot was not bad on the shoulder but a bit worse of a group. I did pull some of these in the cold, as I said, far from definitive but does show promise. I'd like to try a burn rate between WSF and Blue Dot. HS-6 Maybe. I will be redoing these tests more effeciently when it warms up but thought I'd give some idea of what I'm seeing.
Kraken Fan #69
Looking good so far!
I'd like to see those wads. Being the thrifty (read cheap) sort that I am I'm thinking I might be able to modify one of my home made moulds to take those wads.
I've got a slug I used turbo1889's design for (he posted the drawing) and all I'd have to do is change the HB pin to suit those wads. These slugs currently weigh 540 grs. as is but easy to change the pin and make other adjustments if necessary.
I've knurled up then sized back to 0.733" to suit my somewhat oversize bore since they cast exactly 0.729". I could lap or bore out the mould a few thou but easier to knurl slugs up then size back.
It would be interesting to try anyway and see how they compare to the Russian slugs.
Do you mind if I ask how much your mould was? I had seen those fairly inexpensive a while ago but I looked at that auction site on the weekend and buy now prices were as high as $105.00 US (shipping included). Some were more like $73.00 US but then another $20+ for shipping so about the same price in the end.
That seemed a bit high to me (but then I'm cheap).
Longbow
Last edited by longbow; 01-23-2018 at 08:48 PM. Reason: spelling
They are listed on the factory site for I think it was 2950 RUB or $52.33 for the exchange rate right now. I am not sure on shipping
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