Accuracy testing of a couple full-bore slugs

[Blood Trail]

Finally got a break in this 100+ degree weather to do a little part one testing of some slugs that Longbow, Biker Beans, and Denver Eady sent me. I’ll be doing part two soon, hopefully.

The distance, like all my initial work-ups, is 50 yards. The temp was around 90 degrees. I was using a Caldwell chrony, lead sled with 75lbs of weights, shooting my USH and 835 rifled barrel shotgun. Both have glass on them.


Here’s the YouTube link:

https://youtu.be/a4WaKRophNQ


The two loads in the video are the same slug from Biker Beans. These are lubed, solid-base slugs weight around 700 grs. One load was sitting under 40 grs of Steel and the other was sitting under 38 grs of BD:





Accuracy using Steel was awesome. These slugs were pretty dang fast considering the weight. Gun used was my USH. Recoil was stiff with no obvious signs of pressure on the hulls:






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[Blood Trail]

Here’s the group from using 38 grs of BD. No signs of pressure. Gun used was the 835.





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[Blood Trail]

Next, I ran some of Denver PC solid base hollowpoint slugs. These have a deep cavity like Uncle D devastators. Great accuracy out of this slug. I call these the Thunder from Down Under:










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[Blood Trail]

Longbow sent me the next two. First, is a fairly long hollowbase slug. This slug was the prettiest out of all of them. I’m curios to see how I can make them shoot out of a smoothbore. The accuracy was more than adequate for short-medium distance, but not as tight as the solid base slugs:










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[Blood Trail]

Last is another hollowbase slug from Longbow. These a copy of the old Nessler Balles. It’s a short, stout, heavy slug with a shallow hollowbase. The accuracy was better with these than the long hollowbase slugs mentioned above. I used Longshot to propel these beauties. The next batch, I’ll load these in a 3” hull with a slower burning powder. I think I can do better:











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[Blood Trail]

Looking back, I should have used one shotgun for these test to keep everything equal. I have some slugs left over so at least I have a good starting point.

It should be noted that all slugs, with the exception of the Nessler Balles, were loaded using new primed 3” Fiocchi hulls. I switched out the Fio616 primers for Fed209A for all BD and Steel powder loads.

All slugs where roll crimped with the exception of the Thunder from Down Under’s. Those had too much of an ogive to roll crimp, so I folded those.

The only hollowbase slugs tested were the two I got from Longbow: the long hollowbase and the Nessler Balles.


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[bikerbeans]

BT,

Very nice report!

What where the velocities of these loads?

BB

[Hogtamer]

Did you require stiches to the forehead after any of these, LOL! Very nice job BT! Those big hollow points kinda turn my crank. One suggestion though, you need to find some pigs for the round 2 testing please!!!

[Blood Trail]

BT,

Very nice report!

What where the velocities of these loads?

BB

Your slug came in just under 1400 fps (yikes!) with 40 grs of Steel. I bet adding .5 grs will put it over the edge, not like you need it. With your Slug and Blue Dot, I was in the 1260-1280 fps Range.

Denver’s Thunder from Down Under came in around 1380 fps.

Longbow’s slug were running around 1320-1350 fps.


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[leadhead 500]

The slug from bikerbeans looks amazing!!! Awesome job on the video and the loads those roll crimps are nice. Looking forward for the part 2 video

[longbow]

Great write up!

Did you recover any slugs? I always like to look at recovered slugs/boolits to check them out... if I can recover any that is.

Did you fill the cavities of the TC HB slugs (no point with the Nessler Balles)? That TC slug is a smooth sided copy of turbo1889's 10 ga. HB slug scaled down to 12 ga. I am again leaning away from HB slugs as the skirts seem to be a constant issue... for me anyway. These have done reasonably well for me in my smoothbore with filled cavities but no better than round ball to 50 yards. Haven't shot them at 100 yards yet but plan to.

Contrary to reports from the 1800's on the Nessler Balles, I did not see anything magic from smoothbore and I think they are just marginally stable as I got some quite good accuracy but a few wild fliers too. That's why I was wanting to see them shot from rifled gun. They are very boolit like but not quite solid. These you tested were cast from ACWW but the originals for smoothbore muskets would have been soft lead. They are a strange design but the claim was that they were as fast to load as round ball and gave much improved accuracy and range from smoothbore musket. Not sure I believe that!

I like BB's slug too, that's a nice one!

Thanks for doing that testing.

Longbow

[Blood Trail]

Great write up!

Did you recover any slugs? I always like to look at recovered slugs/boolits to check them out... if I can recover any that is.

Did you fill the cavities of the TC HB slugs (no point with the Nessler Balles)? That TC slug is a smooth sided copy of turbo1889's 10 ga. HB slug scaled down to 12 ga. I am again leaning away from HB slugs as the skirts seem to be a constant issue... for me anyway. These have done reasonably well for me in my smoothbore with filled cavities but no better than round ball to 50 yards. Haven't shot them at 100 yards yet but plan to.

Contrary to reports from the 1800's on the Nessler Balles, I did not see anything magic from smoothbore and I think they are just marginally stable as I got some quite good accuracy but a few wild fliers too. That's why I was wanting to see them shot from rifled gun. They are very boolit like but not quite solid. These you tested were cast from ACWW but the originals for smoothbore muskets would have been soft lead. They are a strange design but the claim was that they were as fast to load as round ball and gave much improved accuracy and range from smoothbore musket. Not sure I believe that!

I like BB's slug too, that's a nice one!

Thanks for doing that testing.

Longbow

LB,

I didn’t attempt to recover any slugs. Nothing but rock out here. I have plans on digging a shelf in the side of the bank (my backstop) and dumping a load of pavers sand so I can get my lead back at the very least.

I’ll fill the base of them next time. I know I can get them a little tighter, just need to find that sweet spot. I still have a few left.


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