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Thread: Lyman - 12 GA Slug Making Kit

  1. #1
    Boolit Master

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    Lyman - 12 GA Slug Making Kit

    I finally got my hands on one of these kits.., well it was actually a partial kit and I was able to produce a couple of slugs with it.


    Not at all what I expected. The information I had, lead me to believe that this kit made a full bore size slug using the 475gr foster slug.

    As it turns out, this kit (mine at least) makes a rifled slug(s) right at .682-.683 diameter, these should fit nicely into shot cups.

    I've done a lot of research on this kit, it was supposed to be used in both the EZY Loader and the AA turret press. After playing with it for a couple of hours, I will determine it would tear up the AA turret press. I have a Comet press and it wouldn't even begin to swage these slugs, my EZY Loader did the job nicely.

    Check out the pictures and let me know what you think.

    Scott
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Resized_20180706_114958_3137.jpg   Resized_20180706_115004_5683.jpg   Resized_20180706_115011_2490.jpg  
    Scott

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  2. #2
    Boolit Master

    Rcmaveric's Avatar
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    Following. Curious if you could explain this kit. Maybe it fits a shot cup.

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  3. #3
    Boolit Master gpidaho's Avatar
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    Scott: It all seems to make a little more sense now that I see your pictures. I wondered how a swage die could make a slug larger (bore size) I can also see how one would need a sturdy press. My Foster mould drops about .706-.707 so about .025 swage. I'd like to find one of those kits. Nice find. Gp

  4. #4
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    Hello Dsh1106, thanks for sharing the pictures, it was a mystery now we know why Lyman stopped making them.
    How hard was it to push the slug through, no point using pure lead after knowing that only WW.
    My Rock Chucker or Lyman Orange press should be able to do it.
    You can find these around $100 if you watch out for it but knowing what we know now. ( Throwing good money after what it does not worth $100 )
    All that glitters is not Gold.
    They do impart around 600 RPM spin just to help a bit stay on course, tho ! !

    Longbow, thanks for the explanation.

    Ajay Madan
    Super Blazing Sabots
    Last edited by SuperBlazingSabots; 07-07-2018 at 09:04 AM.

  5. #5
    Boolit Master

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    Rcm - These fit into federal wads pefectly, sitting on a 20 gauge hard card these are just over 7/8 oz.

    My foster mold drops these at .689-.691 diameter using pure lead @ 431 - 433 grains.

    GP - I'm not sure I'd want to run anything larger through the swagging die it takes quite a bit of force to cycle the press with what I have on hand. I'm removing these from the die manually, pushing them all the way through. I'm missing the part of the setup pushes the slug out, I'm not sure how well the original setup works but it was made to push the slug back out of the swagging die.
    GP - PM me your info again and once I get a couple more made up I'll send you a few to load up and try, you'll probably make it to the range before I do.

    Ajay - My EZY Loader is the aluminum version, I'm not sure I'd want to try swagging these from COWW in my press. Maybe if I had the cast iron version, but I'm afraid that COWW would be to much for the aluminum frame to handle.

    Scott
    Scott

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  6. #6
    Boolit Grand Master


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    Very cool. How is it made? Is it just a machined piece of steel or is it a collet? It seems strange that nobody ever made a full diameter rifled slug kit. I've wanted to contact Corbins about a swage die for a copy of a Brenneke slug, but never did. I played around with press mounted swage kits for making jacketed bullets, and they are surprisingly easy to use and simple.

  7. #7
    Boolit Grand Master

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    The Lyman Foster is too thin as it is and that system appears to make the skirt even thinner. In my experience that skirt will collapse unless filled with hot melt glue or similar.

    Yes, the slugs can be swaged up in diameter. The old system that Ideal made swaged up as I understand it. Also SluggerDoug wrote a post about how he used helical gears to "knurl" rifling into the skirt of Lyman Fosters over a mandrel and that produced lead flow outwards enlarging the slug to bore diameter. He claimed much improved accuracy with bore diameter slugs versus undersize slugs... you don't say!?!

    I am surprised Lyman hasn't figured that out yet! Either make the mould to cast bore diameter or shotcup diameter but not too big for shotcup and too small for the bore!

    Ajay:

    I made a sizer to take the taper out of my Lee slugs so they were straight sided. I tried to go down to 0.662" with wheelweight slugs... total failure! The slugs broke up going through the sizer. I opened it up to 0.670" and that worked so I can patch with one wrap of paper to get snug fit in the shotcups... better fit than naked tapered slugs. So far they seem to be more accurate but I'm still playing with them so the jury is out. Its easy to do though just knocking about 0.012" off them.

    Possibly a 50/50 mix of WW and pure lead would size better but straight wheelweights being sized down over 0.020" was a no go, for me anyway. The Lyman Foster would be worse since they cast at around 0.705" (or mine do anyway). That's a lot to size.

    I can imagine these were a tough push through that EZY sizer... maybe not so EZY?

    Longbow

  8. #8
    Boolit Master

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    Quote Originally Posted by megasupermagnum View Post
    Very cool. How is it made? Is it just a machined piece of steel or is it a collet? It seems strange that nobody ever made a full diameter rifled slug kit. I've wanted to contact Corbins about a swage die for a copy of a Brenneke slug, but never did. I played around with press mounted swage kits for making jacketed bullets, and they are surprisingly easy to use and simple.
    msm
    The swage die is actually two pieces, the swage die itself screws on to the 7/8-14 body. I'm sure someone could make one full size, but I'm not sure it would be cheap.

    Scott
    Scott

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  9. #9
    Boolit Master Blood Trail's Avatar
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    Man, they sure look good!

  10. #10
    Boolit Master

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    BT

    Did you want to try a few of these? They fit into a shot cup well and I would think they would perform well from either a smooth bore or riffled barrel. I sent a handful off to gpidaho try already.

    PM me your info if you want to give these a try.

    Scott
    Scott

    You can easily judge the character of others by how they treat those who they think can do nothing for them.

  11. #11
    Boolit Master Blood Trail's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by dsh1106 View Post
    BT

    Did you want to try a few of these? They fit into a shot cup well and I would think they would perform well from either a smooth bore or riffled barrel. I sent a handful off to gpidaho try already.

    PM me your info if you want to give these a try.

    Scott
    That would be awesome! I can test with some slugs LB sent me.


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  12. #12
    Boolit Master gpidaho's Avatar
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    I received a few samples of these slugs in today's mail. Thank you Scott. Pushing them through the cylinder choke (.730) a Federal 12S3 and a WAA12 wad seems a real good fit. The Claybuster #CB 1100-12 is a bit loose. I might try the CB's through my .720 rifled choke. As soon as I get a range chance I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks for all the help I receive here on these threads. Gp

  13. #13
    Boolit Master

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    Quote Originally Posted by gpidaho View Post
    I received a few samples of these slugs in today's mail. Thank you Scott. Pushing them through the cylinder choke (.730) a Federal 12S3 and a WAA12 wad seems a real good fit. The Claybuster #CB 1100-12 is a bit loose. I might try the CB's through my .720 rifled choke. As soon as I get a range chance I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks for all the help I receive here on these threads. Gp
    Awesome !!!

    Don't forget to fill the cavity or at least use a hard card under the slug.

    Scott
    Scott

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  14. #14
    Boolit Master Drm50's Avatar
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    When I was a kid someone gave me some old 12g loading tools. They were the old cast iron with
    table top clamps on each tool. I think they were ideal but not sure. There was a slug mold and
    a die with a crank handle that pushed it through by screw and cut the riflings. There was also a
    hand cranked roll crimper. There were tools for depriming, priming and sizing but nothing for
    convention folded crimp. My dad would cast some slugs so I could rifle them but that's all I ever
    did with them. It was a nice set in a wooden case I don't know what happened to it.

    I don't load any shotgun shells except for Slugs. I spent considerable time trying to best factory
    slugs. I never got it done and gave up. I have never had a slug loaded in a shot cup give good
    accuracy. Slugs & Slug Guns were a full time project for me, my brother and a couple buddies.
    One was a machinist and die maker so we got a lot of stuff made up custom. Our rifling die was
    set up in a small Aframe type press. We made slug guns out of every model shotgun that looked
    like it might have advantages over removable barrel guns. We finally came to the conclusion that
    we couldn't beat Brenneke factory slugs. This was before rifled barrels came out.

    We had guns that would shoot 3" at 100yds with Brenneke, 23/4" mags. I still have a couple but
    will not be using them because we have rifle season now. The best stock slug guns were Ithaca
    37s in smooth barrel days. The best ones we made were on solid frame guns that were FC barrels.
    I haven't much experience with the rifled barrels and sabots but have seen groups from them that
    looked like rifle groups.

  15. #15
    Boolit Master gpidaho's Avatar
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    Yep Scott, I already filled the bases of four of the slugs with hot glue and I have about every card and wad BPI offers (That's a big exaggeration, just seems like it.) First try will be with a nitro card in the wad under the filled slug. I wish it would cool down to about 90 around here. It would make it easier to talk myself into a range session. !00 is just too dang hot. Gp

  16. #16
    Boolit Master

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    BT - Slugs are on the way

    BT

    I put a package in the mail this morning, you should have it Tuesday.
    Let me know how these perform.

    UPDATED pics of the Lyman swagged Slugs
    - Big thanks to Pressman for the info, I made the knock out rod for the press and everything works great.

    Notice the slugs have nice even swagged base, these actually look really nice. The 1st batch I ran all the way thru the die, and the riffling was cut off the back of the slug leaving a jagged edge that needed trimmed.

    Scott
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails 20180721_111414.jpg   20180721_111421.jpg   20180721_111428.jpg  
    Scott

    You can easily judge the character of others by how they treat those who they think can do nothing for them.

  17. #17
    Boolit Master Blood Trail's Avatar
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    Dang, those look factory!


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  18. #18
    Boolit Master gpidaho's Avatar
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    Nice job Scott. Those do look GOOD! I'm anxious to see what B.T. does with these. Gp

  19. #19
    Boolit Bub
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    wow i would love to try those in my 12g blackpowder shotgun them look nice!!

  20. #20
    Boolit Master Blood Trail's Avatar
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    Lyman - 12 GA Slug Making Kit

    Scott,

    The slugs arrived today! They look just as good in person as the do online.

    My wheels are already tuning. I got for different wads they sit pretty in with a niitrocard or two under the slug.

    I’m thinking about filling the base with paraffin wax to keep the nitrocards and wad from pushing up in the cavity of the slug without adding a lot of weight.


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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check