Inline FabricationMidSouth Shooters SupplyRotoMetals2Lee Precision
Load DataRepackboxWidenersTitan Reloading
Reloading Everything
Results 1 to 7 of 7

Thread: Lee 7/8 & 1 oz 12 Ga slug molds - couple of questions

  1. #1
    Boolit Grand Master bedbugbilly's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Location
    MI (summer) - AZ (winter)
    Posts
    5,098

    Lee 7/8 & 1 oz 12 Ga slug molds - couple of questions

    I'm not a "shotgunner" so please bear with my ignorance. I am looking at either the Lee 7/8 or 1 ounce 12 gauge mold as a possible candidate for a not shotgun related project.

    As I look at a couple of photos as well as a video - are these slugs very similar to a hollow base round nose "Foster" slug? From what I am seeing, they look like a Foster but with a "divider" cast into the hollow base?

    I have done a lot of looking and finally found that a Lyman 12 gauge Foster mold casts a slug that is supposed to be .705 in diameter.

    Can someone supply me with the diameter of the slug that the Lee 12 gauge 7/8 and 1 ounce's slugs drop at?

    My project revolves around a .69 caliber rifled musket I have recently purchased. 50 years ago, I had an original "Whitney Plymouth Rifle" - a .69 caliber percussion rifle produced during the Civil War. It was never cut down like a lot of post war muskets were, but the rifling had been reamed so it was used as a smoothbore shotgun. At there time, I had a source for cast 12 gauge Foster hollow base slugs and they worked well in the bore - I never measured the bore but if the Lyman mold drops them at .705, the reamed bore probably measured at around .707. With the hollow base lubed with my BP lube, they shot very well out of the reamed bore.

    I haven't received the .69 caliber rifled musket (a version of the 1842 Model that was rifled - but a shorter version known as the "Macon Rifle") but I have to believe that the bore will be .690 + or -. While I am looking for one of the Lyman/Ideal .68569 hollow base minie ball molds - the mold drops a boolit over 600 grains in weight. Fun to shoot once in a while but not a steady diet of them. That is why I need the O.D. of the Lee mold slugs.

    I am guessing that the Lee mold will drop them too much oversize to size down to use in the .69 caliber. Ideally though, a 1 oz. hollow base slug that will accept BP lube - 1 oz = 437.5 grains - would cut down on lead usage and still shoot pretty well at reasonable distances. If I can't find something that will work, I will probable contact Tom at Accurate and see what he can cut for a hollow base mold. I know he doesn't make HB base pins, but easy enough to get one made up.

    I do have a Lyman .678 RB mold which was commonly used in the .69 caliber muskets. Undersize, yes, but one has to remember that they were used in conjunction with paper cartridges - no lube to speak of to keep fouling soft so undersize ball to be used in a .69 smoothbore in order to keep shooting. I will be experimenting with that RB as well - using both paper cartridge as well as RB with lubed patch. I have read where one fellow "knurled" the .678 balls to increase the size enough that they shot well out of his .69 rifled musket (1842 Macon Rifle) and had a target to prove it. That will be another "experiment". Once I get this .69 caliber 1842 Macon Rifle figured out - the next step will be to build one of the smoothbore .69 caliber 1842 Muskets. That one will get some experimentation with buck and ball loads as well as RB by itself.

    Thanks for any info that you can provide on the Lee 12 gauge slug molds - greatly appreciated. Will probably not work for my needs but still worth getting the information on it to see if it might be a candidate or an immediate "forget it".

  2. #2
    Boolit Master
    Mr Peabody's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    Idaho
    Posts
    923
    BBB, my Lee 1oz drops at .685 with coww. The Lee .690 RB actually drops .690 with coww.

  3. #3
    Boolit Master


    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Posts
    681
    Billy, I only have the 7/8oz lee slug mold. Miked some cast of pure lead & got .671 to .675 at skirt base, .681 to .686 at top of cyl. portion just below ogive. Mold casts a bit out of round but it seems these may be usuable for you. If you'd like to try some PM me an address and I'll send some so you don't have to buy a mold to see if they will work.
    An old Cherokee was teaching his grandson about life. "Inside me two wolves fight," he told the boy.
    "One is evil - he is anger, envy, greed, arrogance, self-pity, resentment, lies, false pride, and ego. The other is good - he is joy, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, generosity, truth and faith. The same fight is inside you - and every other person, too."
    The grandson thought for a minute and asked,"Which wolf will win?"
    The old Cherokee replied, "The one you feed."

  4. #4
    Boolit Grand Master


    Join Date
    Apr 2017
    Location
    Aberdeen, South Dakota
    Posts
    7,136
    I've got the 7/8 oz, mine casts a nice round .687" at the widest spot, but taper down a lot at the base, about .672". For use in a muzzle loading musket, I really doubt you are going to beat a patched round ball. PRB weights just a little more, but casts way easier.

  5. #5
    Boolit Grand Master bedbugbilly's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Location
    MI (summer) - AZ (winter)
    Posts
    5,098
    Thank you all for your kind responses - greatly appreciated! I am glad I asked as it appears that the mold will cast a slug that will be a good candidate to try. The rifle is made by Armisport and I haven't been able to find what the twist rate is but it will have the typical 3 groove rifled musket rifling and a slower twist. The rifle is supposed to be here in a week and once I can get an accurate measurement of the bore, I will order one of the 1 ounce molds. Even if a bit undersize, I can certainly work with it and paper patching the slug is a possibility.

    Mr. Peabody - thanks for the info and I'm glad you also let me know that the Lee .690 RB drops at .690. I was figuring it would and would be too large - but - it might be another one to try. it wold be easy enough to make a push through sizer - an 11/16 drill would make size the ball middle circumference down to .688. Not unlike sizing a soft lead ball down a few thousands to make a taller load in a cartridge. I'm going to be experimenting with a lot of different things and a .690 ball sized to .688 with a cardboard over the powder card and then the ball - possibly with a dab of BP lube on the top of the ball with a light card on top fo that would help keep the fouling soft for some repeated shots - if not - wet patch between shots.

    RoyEllis - thanks so much for your response and the kind offer to send me some 7/8 ounce slugs - greatly appreciated and the measurements help as well. I will order one of the 1 ounce molds as the 437.5 grain weight, though less than the weight of a .678 round ball, will be closer to it. Greatly appreciate your response!

    megasuperman - thank you as well for your kind response and the measurements - greatly appreciated. The reason for trying the slug is based on ky success many years ago with the Foster slug out of a reamed .69 caliber Whitney Plymouth Rifle. I fully agree that a patched round ball will probably give one of the more accurate combinations and probably the Lyman 68569 HB will give the best. I haven't located that mold yet but eventually, one will show up.

    It's going to be later in the fall before I can pull all of this together and test out the various loads. One of the things I anticipate and will be looking at is the issue of fouling and the number of shots I can take with each individual projectile/load. I have shot .58 cal. rifled muskets for many years and am pretty familiar with how well the lubed hollow base of a minie ball works as far as keeping fouling soft, etc. I will be using 2F Goes and will start out at 50 yards - not a high tech test but will see where POI is at in relation to POA for each the loads. I shot N-SSA years ago and I remember several of the guys had come up with original .69 rifled muskets of one description or another (there were o repros in those days) and the thinking was that the larger .69 caliber would make quicker work of the "stake chopping" event where teams were timed on how long it would take to shoot a 4 X 4 off - they were marked off and you had to hit between the marks or you were "out". One guy altered one of the Lyman/Ideal minie ball molds so that it would cast what amounted to as a hollow base wadcutter - one good size piece of lead. After a year or so of experimenting, most of them went back to their .58 rifled muskets as they worked just as well, if not better. LOL

    Once I get everything together and the testing done, I'll post here to at least let you know how the Lee slugs worked out. Not exactly a shotgun but still might be helpful in some way to someone casting/loading/shooting slugs.

    I am keeping my eyes open for a single barrel 20 gauge as I want to get my feet wet loading shot shells with BP and the idea of playing with BP slug rounds is also an interesting thought. I no longer hunt but for me, trying and experimenting to see what works and what doesn't is half the fun.

    Thanks again - greatly appreciate the help!

  6. #6
    Boolit Master

    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Location
    39.7594° N, 84.1917° W
    Posts
    850
    OP - touch based with missionary5155 he might be able to pour you some 68569 slugs.
    I sold him my mold earlier this year, I couldn't get that 730+ grain slug to work with anything I tired, both smooth bore or rifled.

    I even sent the components to gpidaho to have a hand at it, as I recall his results were slightly better than mine.

    Scott
    Scott

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

  7. #7
    Boolit Grand Master

    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    Castlegar, B.C., Canada
    Posts
    7,933
    Oddly, Taofledermaus videos show the Lyman .69 Minie and the Moose Molds .69 Minie both shooting well and fully drag stabilized from smoothbore shotgun. I have made a mould like the Moose Minie to try out but have not gotten to the range in some time to try it.

    They should certainly stabilize from rifled musket.

    If the OP is using BP in a .69 cal. musket I'd suggest a bore diameter (or slightly under bore diameter) Minie style bullet rather than playing with Lee slugs. The Lee slugs are smooth sided and quite tapered and with the drive key won't likely fill the grooves properly. If you were to make a sizer to remove the taper from the Lee slugs then paper patch that might work. I suppose you could PP a solid boolit too like Idahoron does. If there isn't a suitable mould available Accurate can cut whatever diameter you need. Although if you are shooting in reenactment events you may not be allowed to shoot PP boolits.

    As far as I know Lyman is still making the 68569 mould and Moose Molds makes a .69 cal. version of the Lyman .58 target minie at 535 grs. so considerably lighter than the Lyman .69 Minie.

    You could also get Tom at Accurate Molds to make a mould for you then get an HB pin made elsewhere. Tom will cut what you want at whatever diameter you want but he does not supply HB pins.

    Whatever route you choose, good luck and let us know how it goes.

    Longbow

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
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