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Thread: 12 gauge slug mold

  1. #1
    Boolit Buddy slownsteady22's Avatar
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    12 gauge slug mold

    Looking to buy a shotgun slug/round ball mold, what is the "best" one to buy? Will be shot out of a smooth bore with removable choke tubes. Best for me means good accuracy with common components.
    Thanks for your expertise and suggestions.

    Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

  2. #2
    Boolit Master Drm50's Avatar
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    I sold mine a couple years ago when we got rifle season. I had a Foster slug mold and wasn't getting good accuracy out of them. I bought a Lyman mold that cast a slug that looks like a big pellet. Easy to load. Just put in plastic shot wad. Good accuracy.

  3. #3
    Boolit Buddy slownsteady22's Avatar
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    Thank you for the reply.

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  4. #4
    Boolit Master
    Petander's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by slownsteady22 View Post
    Looking to buy a shotgun slug/round ball mold, what is the "best" one to buy?
    .

    I have the Lyman pellet mold. I like it. But since I got a Mihec double cavity Lyman style I rarely use the Lyman any more. They both shoot reasonably well out of my smoothbore using common shotcups. I also have half a dozen other slug molds like Lee and Svarog,they all work but Mihec is like a Rolls Royce.

    Mihec quality is excellent and the mold is joy to cast with. I want to get a Mihec HP pistol mold next.

    Click image for larger version. 

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  5. #5
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by Petander View Post
    .

    I have the Lyman pellet mold. I like it. But since I got a Mihec double cavity Lyman style I rarely use the Lyman any more. They both shoot reasonably well out of my smoothbore using common shotcups. I also have half a dozen other slug molds like Lee and Svarog,they all work but Mihec is like a Rolls Royce.

    Mihec quality is excellent and the mold is joy to cast with. I want to get a Mihec HP pistol mold next.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Initially I borrowed a friends Lyman 525 and cast several hundred . Then I saw one of the NOE 4 cavity and bought one . But not for the initial reason you might think ! I wanted it because you could cast as HB or solid base . I use these only in smooth bores so far and testing with solid base has been almost as good as what they did with hollow base / glue filled . So at the moment I have a Rooskie version of the Lyman for the 10 gauge , the NOE version of the Lyman for 12 gauge , another Rooskie versionnof the Lyman for 16 gauge and an actual Lyman for the 20 gauge . They’ve all pretty much met my parameters in smooth bore guns .

  6. #6
    Boolit Master 5Shot's Avatar
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    I have one of the Lyman moulds that I am going to list for sale if you are interested.
    If you live on the razor's edge and slip, you will die in two pieces

  7. #7
    Boolit Master
    toallmy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Petander View Post
    .

    I have the Lyman pellet mold. I like it. But since I got a Mihec double cavity Lyman style I rarely use the Lyman any more. They both shoot reasonably well out of my smoothbore using common shotcups. I also have half a dozen other slug molds like Lee and Svarog,they all work but Mihec is like a Rolls Royce.

    Mihec quality is excellent and the mold is joy to cast with. I want to get a Mihec HP pistol mold next.

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	IMG_20190214_214656_625.jpg 
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    Nice photo ! That's dang ner sexy .

  8. #8
    Boolit Master gpidaho's Avatar
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    The Lyman sabot (pellet style) slugs are a good all-around choice. I have the Lyman and Noe moulds for 12ga., the Lyman for 20ga. and the Svarog copy in .410 Gp

  9. #9
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    W.R.Buchanan's Avatar
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    I have the NOE Lyman mould and the Mihec which I haven't fired up yet. Just about have all my previously cast NOE's loaded and shot up so I'll be doing the Mihec soon.

    Brass moulds just cast better than Aluminum IMHO

    Here's something to consider guys:::

    On cast boolits the trailing edge of the boolit is critical. We all pretty much know that and I just read an article in the new "Handloader" by Venturino, about assembling Quality Hand Gun ammo which reiterated the point.

    Elmer Keith coined the phrase,,, "the back end is the steering end."

    I submit it is also critical on these slugs, and due to the size I think it is probably more critical than we think.

    IE; if the trailing edge isn't perfect the slug ain't gonna fly right. and that is true for either a spin stabilized slug 1:36 twist rate or one turn in 1 yard, Or a weight forward or drag stabilized Slug like the Lyman from a smooth bore.

    All my NOE slugs have minor imperfections around the skirt of the slug. I am hoping the Mihec slugs don't, just because of the slower cooling of the Brass mould vs the Aluminum moulds. More efficient filling of the base of the slug before solidification takes place is what I'm looking for. I think the brass will deliver that.

    We will see shortly as I am gearing up to do a bunch of shooting with various slug loads in both rifled and smooth bore guns.

    Randy
    "It's not how well you do what you know how to do,,,It's how well you do what you DON'T know how to do!"
    www.buchananprecisionmachine.com

  10. #10
    Boolit Buddy slownsteady22's Avatar
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    Thank you all for the post. So far it looks like the lyman may be the way go.

    Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

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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