New Mold on the way

[megasupermagnum]

No doubt it is possible, I'm just still trying to figure out what the right load is. My ideas to try next are to try the hard card under the slug, rather than the fiber wad. Every slug I've recovered had something stuck to it. At first it was the cork wad I used, then I tried overshot cards, then with fiber wads, the slug has little fiber bits that stuck. Maybe with a dry tumble lube that would be eliminated all together. I'm thinking with 100 grains of RE17, it would eliminate most of the wadding, which may be a good thing. I'd be pulling the trigger with a string the first time though.

[SuperBlazingSabots]

Greetings MegaSuperMagnum, here is your ideal nitro card, very hard and stiff.
https://www.ballisticproducts.com/12...uctinfo/NC12X/
Hope it helps.

Ajay Madan
Super Blazing Sabots

[bikerbeans]

Mega,

Have you checked the groove diameter of your USH.? My Marlin 512 has a 0.727" groove. The hastings rifled barrel I just bought measures 0.732" in the groove. Once I get my H&R Tracker II back I will see what the groove measures. The slugs that my 512 likes are all at least 0.005" over groove diameter.

BB

[megasupermagnum]

groove on the USH is very close to .731", and slugs are .732" I think. Maybe some powder coating would be a good thing.

[longbow]

I tend to agree with mega on the forcing cone issue but more on the fact that it gives the slug an opportunity to tip. I found that some of my recovered ribbed slugs had flattened ribs on one side at the nose and opposite side at the base. These were fairly long HB slugs. A short fat slug would have more opportunity to tip.

I found that a hard card wad column worked best for me under those slugs.

I think your fiber wad may be too "squishy". Try a gas seal over the powder then 1/2" hard card wad with a nitro card wad or two on top to get to crimp height. Even those 1/2" hard card wads will give quite a bit under compression but under a flat based slug they should be good.

BB is absolutely correct... there are lots of variables and lots of things to try to get the kinks worked out... usually anyway.

Hah! I'm currently up to my butt in "kinks" with slug loading in different hulls. Its almost like relearning! Well, I guess it is relearning to find what these hulls like.

On that note, I just found out that my home made roll crimper was slightly tight for the Federal hulls I am now using and it was not producing the best roll crimps. If the roll crimp doesn't open evenly I am sure that could tip the slug as it leaves the hull unless it is a tight fit into hull and I don't think many are as I can chamber 0.735" RB's in my guns and the slugs aren't that big!

I re-machined my roll crimper and crimps are now quite nice with the Federal hulls. Yay!

So, the moral of the story is to make sure crimps are good. It's another variable!

Longbow

[megasupermagnum]

No doubt there are more variables in shotguns, than any other firearm. Have you been roll crimping round balls? I have been thinking a slug without a shoulder may center in the rifling better, but I'm not sure how that will work with a roll crimp. I think the beauty of a roll crimp is that it forms to the load, where with a star crimp you have to load to the crimp. I still have more experimenting to do with full bore slugs.

[longbow]

I was hesitant at first thinking a round ball might run over the crimp but they do not seem to even in a shotcup. Not sure if it is just that there is so much compression and rapid movement all at once that the roll crimp simply opens or if some escaping gas helps but so far I have not had a problem with round balls (full bore or in shotcups) or round nose slugs running over the crimp.

Hahahaha! Now that I've said that, I have some Lee 7/8 oz. slugs roll crimped so we'll see if my luck holds out. I am planning on loading some more 0.678" RB's in shotcups to so will roll crimp those as well. In the past no problem but....

I do prefer a flat shoulder around the nose of the slug though and my home made slugs have that (well, most of them).

I think a good roll crimp does help center the slugs as they leave the hull too... as long as it unrolls nice and even like that is!

Longbow

[bikerbeans]

Mega,

I load .69 RBs in a shot cup for 12ga smoothbore and .54 and .58 RBs in a bpi brush wad for a 24ga rifled slug gun (converted 58 cal mz). All are roll crimped and work well. Just make sure the RB loads the way out of the hull. Petals first does work so well.

A side note. The .54 RB is way under bore diameter but it shoots as well as the .58 RB. I am guessing that the ball is "stuck" in the brush wad cup by the force of the combustion gas and the wad imparts spin to the ball. Both loads will shoot 4 to 5 inch groups at 100 yards.

BB

[longbow]

BB:

If you are getting consistent 4" to 5" groups at 100 yards I am way behind! I have shot some 4" to maybe 6" groups at 100 yards with 0.735" Rb's but I wouldn't say they were consistent. I got quite a few fliers. Usually one or two in each group would be out by several inches. Sometimes nice and tight groups, sometimes quite large groups, but usually 3 or 4 in a nice group and one or two a ways out. Not good enough for me anyway.

Wait a minute... is that in rifled gun or smoothbore? I'm talking smoothbore. If you are talking rifled gun I don't feel quite so bad.

Longbow

Oh look! my reading skills must be diminished! You did say rifled gun. DOH!

[bikerbeans]

In the PO Box today.

BB