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Thread: Lee 7/8 oz slug in 1 1/8 oz shell? Okay or Ohgodno?

  1. #21
    Boolit Grand Master

    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    Castlegar, B.C., Canada
    Posts
    7,933
    If you are set on substituting slug for shot in factory shells there is nothing wrong with that at all. In fact Petander says that in Finland it costs more to reload shotgun shells than to buy factory loaded rounds and do just what you are wanting to do.

    As for the safety aspect, subbing a 7/8 oz. slug in 1 1/8 oz. factory loaded hull certainly won't cause over pressure but as mentioned, may result in a squib load where the slug doesn't exit the barrel due to lack of pressure resulting in poor powder ignition/burn. If you were shooting rapid fire then you could chamber another round and pull the trigger with a slug still in the barrel. That would not be good!

    However, there is no harm in loading a few up and shooting one at a time to see how they perform. Depending on the factory powder used they may work well or they may not. If not then go to a heavier slug. I'd strongly suspect that a 1 oz. Lee slug subbed in 1 1/8 oz. factory load would work fine.

    I have not gone the slug subbed for shot in factory loads but have subbed slugs for shot using reloading data.

    Not long ago I loaded up a few Lee 7/8 oz. slugs using load data for 1 1/8 oz. if memory serves. Powder was Unique because I had it and didn't want to use up my faster trap powder that I have limited amounts of for slugs. That didn't go well! I had figured Unique would be fast enough for the lighter payload but not quite... well sometimes! The first three or four went BANG! like they should and seemed to shoot okay but then I got a blooper where powder did not burn well so more of a PHOOOM! than a BANG! The first time I kinda wondered but the slug left the barrel so I carried on. Some worked fine and some did not with variations of powder burn and recoil. Obviously accuracy was not good when powder burn wasn't good. The payload must have been borderline for the Unique.

    I have used Unique under 1 oz. slugs with no issues.

    Like I said, if you have factory loads to use and 7/8 oz. slugs cast I'd give then a try single shot and if you get poor ignition and light recoil check the bore to make sure the slug exited. Adding a Lee 1 oz. mould to your collection doesn't cost much and I am sure it would be enough payload to work well.

    Also, what was said above about crimp... especially with light payload. A roll crimper in a drill press or even hand drill will give you good crimps and resistance at ignition to get powder burning well.

    As mentioned shotshell loading is a bit tricky in that there are no clear pressure signs when you are reaching over pressure. Sticky extraction is a sure sign that you are into over pressure territory but my understanding is that by the time you are getting sticky extraction you are well over "standard" acceptable pressure. Small changes can and do make large differences. A simple primer change can affect pressure by 3000 PSI. In your case you are only really changing payload and using lighter payload so other than a possible squib load there should be no safety issue. If you were going the other way and asking if you could put a 1 1/8 oz. slug in a 7/8 oz. factory load the answer would be "Don't do it!"

    Give it a try and report back. We all learn something when someone tries something "new".

    Longbow

  2. #22
    Boolit Buddy
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
    Location
    Ohio
    Posts
    443
    I can understand not wanting to buy equipment... Which leads me to this. Everyone assumed that you have a casting setup to convert that shot to slugs. I sure hope you at least have a ladle or you are going to drive yourself mad. Best of luck.

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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