The trialsof a NewBee slug shooter

[gpidaho]

Well friends, most of you who post in these threads know I'm pretty new to this shotgun slug shooting. I do read a lot here and am excited to be participating in a new to me adventure. There's a lot I don't know and a few things I don't even suspect. Case in point. I recently purchased a rifled barrel for my 11-87 Remington 20ga. and mounted up a Vortex Strikefire dot sight. "Let's get this bad boy sighted in" I think and off to the range I go with two boxes (five count) of Federal 3/4 oz. rifled slugs. WHAT A MESS I haven't leaded a bore so completely in years. Not flakes of lead, strips of lead. I've cleaning patched with Hoppe's, brass brushed and pushed patches of Birchwood Casey lead removing cloth down the bore ten times and not near cleaned out. You would think @ $1.25 a round Federal could build a better round. It took only seven rounds to make this mess. I've been powder coating most of my rifle and pistol bullets the last three years and I'm thinking it may be a good idea for shotgun slugs and round balls also. Done with the rant, back to the lead mine. Gp

[Smoke4320]

I'm thinking it may be a good idea for shotgun slugs and round balls also. Done with the rant, back to the lead mine. Gp

Funny you should say that I even PC my muzzleloader bullets ..

[Tripplebeards]

I have a stainless with camo stock savage 220 20 gauge that I bedded. It will shoot one big tear measuring .7" 100 yard groups using Remington 3 " accu tips. I tried a lot of different brand sabot type expensive slugs and would get anywhere from 1.5 to 2 3/4" groups. The 220 is probably one of the most accurate slug guns out there. I haven't tried cast through it and probably never will. I bought it to hunt out of state in shotgun only territory. They've since changed the rules so I can hunt with my 450 bushmaster so the 220 collects dust. Shame I have a whole case of 3" accutips.

[foesgth]

Well Mr. Smoke I just tried to tumble some Lee Keydrive slugs. They coat nicely with your powder(you knew they would). However the inside cavity packs with the powder. I tried to hold them in my tweezers and bang them to get the powder out, it is still there. I am hitting them as hard as I can without knocking them out of the tweezers. If you are coating slugs are you just leaving the powder in the cavity?

[dsh1106]

Well Mr. Smoke I just tried to tumble some Lee Keydrive slugs. They coat nicely with your powder(you knew they would). However the inside cavity packs with the powder. I tried to hold them in my tweezers and bang them to get the powder out, it is still there. I am hitting them as hard as I can without knocking them out of the tweezers. If you are coating slugs are you just leaving the powder in the cavity?

Did you try low pressure air ?

[Hogtamer]

You have a friend in Dennis aka Uncle Dino a VS here. His plastic base slugs are awesome, accurate killers. The lead slug is a few thou smaller than the plastic base solving your leading problem. At $25 per 50 order a hundred and they'll be there by the time you get your barrel clean. i drive my 20 ga from my savage 220 near 1700 fps with L'il Gun and they will shoot better than you with a red dot. My first excursion with them hunting last year netted 5 pigs, two of them in one shot. See thread Hamicide! http://www.furycustombullets.com/web.../shotgun-slugs.

[Tripplebeards]

Well Mr. Smoke I just tried to tumble some Lee Keydrive slugs. They coat nicely with your powder(you knew they would). However the inside cavity packs with the powder. I tried to hold them in my tweezers and bang them to get the powder out, it is still there. I am hitting them as hard as I can without knocking them out of the tweezers. If you are coating slugs are you just leaving the powder in the cavity?

After tumbling I drop the boolits in an empty Tupperware container and bounce a few times. It removes the excess PC build up.

[gpidaho]

Scott: Maybe some high pressure air while looking closely so not to blow the powder off the outer edges. LOL Seriously, a lot of PC problems can be overcome simply by applying the powder as it was designed to work, using the electrostatic gun. Base guns are not expensive and work very well. I've used my Eastwood basic for a couple of years and am very happy with the results. With the slugs sitting on their hollow bases little to no powder gets in the hollow base. Gp

[dsh1106]

Scott: Maybe some high pressure air while looking closely so not to blow the powder off the outer edges. LOL Seriously, a lot of PC problems can be overcome simply by applying the powder as it was designed to work, using the electrostatic gun. Base guns are not expensive and work very well. I've used my Eastwood basic for a couple of years and am very happy with the results. With the slugs sitting on their hollow bases little to no powder gets in the hollow base. Gp

I like my Eastwood setup as well, I think most here tumble for the ease of application.

[Blood Trail]

Well friends, most of you who post in these threads know I'm pretty new to this shotgun slug shooting. I do read a lot here and am excited to be participating in a new to me adventure. There's a lot I don't know and a few things I don't even suspect. Case in point. I recently purchased a rifled barrel for my 11-87 Remington 20ga. and mounted up a Vortex Strikefire dot sight. "Let's get this bad boy sighted in" I think and off to the range I go with two boxes (five count) of Federal 3/4 oz. rifled slugs. WHAT A MESS I haven't leaded a bore so completely in years. Not flakes of lead, strips of lead. I've cleaning patched with Hoppe's, brass brushed and pushed patches of Birchwood Casey lead removing cloth down the bore ten times and not near cleaned out. You would think @ $1.25 a round Federal could build a better round. It took only seven rounds to make this mess. I've been powder coating most of my rifle and pistol bullets the last three years and I'm thinking it may be a good idea for shotgun slugs and round balls also. Done with the rant, back to the lead mine. Gp

I think that's your problem. You're shooting soft lead foster slugs through a rifled barrel. That will do it every time. PC may indeed work. Looking forward to your results.

[W.R.Buchanan]

+1 for Eastwoods gun mine works very well. I havent't done any slugs or balls yet but it sounds like fun.

GP: were the slugs lubed? if not then PC would fix the problem, as nothing leads with PC on it.

Randy

[Smoke4320]

Well Mr. Smoke I just tried to tumble some Lee Keydrive slugs. They coat nicely with your powder(you knew they would). However the inside cavity packs with the powder. I tried to hold them in my tweezers and bang them to get the powder out, it is still there. I am hitting them as hard as I can without knocking them out of the tweezers. If you are coating slugs are you just leaving the powder in the cavity?

try 3 paper bowls or a Cool whip container with 1/4 inch holes drilled Inside to outside
Drop your slugs in there shake, rattle, and roll a few times and all the excess powder "should" come out

[gpidaho]

Randy; No, the slugs in my sight-in attempt were factory rifled slugs by Federal. They were soft lead and unlubed. It was just a dumb Donkey mistake on my part. Being new to this I didn't realize that shooting them out of a rifled barrel wasn't the best idea. Any future slugs that are full bore will be powder coated. I believe in the absence of a sabot or a shot wad covering the projectile that powder coating would be the best option to prevent leading. I've used powder coating on 90% of my rifle and pistol bullets for the past two or three years and am sold on the process. I'm starting to catch on with this RB and slug shooting. WHAT A HOOT! I had a great range day today, everything worked well. I picked up a Caldwell Lead Sled and that really takes the bite out of 12ga. loads. My light break barrel 12ga. will heard the slugs in the general direction but the new rifled 20ga. barrel for my Rem. 11-87 is something! It has a Strike Fire Vortex dot sight and I'm impressed. The Hammerhead slugs are accurate but expensive (They shoot real well) What stood out today were the .562 RB's. With the wad and nitro card stack posted by A.J. they shot as well as the hammerheads. THANK YOU A.J. I'll post a target next trip out. It took most of the rounds today fine tuning the sight. Thanks to all on this these shotgun threads. You've all been a big help. Gp

[Hogtamer]

And that wimpy little 20 ga RB load is equivalent to a full power 44 mag in weight and depending on your load, greater velocity. Serious medicine!

[gpidaho]

I got my slug order from Uncle Dino yesterday. The 20ga. slugs with the attached plastic wad. I weighed them and they are within a few grains of the Lyman sabot slugs. Could I use the Lyman slug powder charge minus a grain as a start load? Gp

[Hogtamer]

pm sent

[gpidaho]

Thanks for the PM's Hal. Your PM box is full. I'll give the load a try and let you know how it works out. Gp

[Hogtamer]

cleared now

[SuperBlazingSabots]

Hello Gpidaho, we had great fun developing the 20 ga RB load, nothing but fun yet deadly.

As we kept raising the charge by 1/2 gr the impact kept coming up like this, you can download to teach kids and your wife to learn to shoot and come up to 1600, 1700, 1800 and above fps.
Always aim for heavy bones, the RB loves to crush bones like a bulldozer ! !

Can you please post a picture of your load set-up.
Best regards,
Ajay Madan
Super Blazing Sabots

[gpidaho]

A.J. What is it you'd like in the picture? I'm using Mec 600 Jr.'s and a Lee Load All II I have a Lee Loader in 12 ga. and one in 20 on the way from ebay. My load stack in the 20 RB mirrors yours. Let me know and I'll try to get a picture posted. Thanks again for all your help. I'm hooked now. Gp