Please check me out on this. I’m allergic to blowing my shotgun up and my head along with it.
My shotgun bore, I’m told it’s cyl bore sans choke (KelTec KS7). The muzzle of the shotgun measures .725. I tried to insert the 7/8 oz LEE slug with wad into the muzzle. It didn’t want to go and I didn’t force it. My measurement gets .732 with the slug in the wad and measured across the petals. The slug itself isn’t round and I get .687 as the largest diameter near where the curve of the nose of the slug starts. I get the petals of the wad as being .025" (it varies a few thousandths) in thickness.
OK, so in the interest of not blowing myself up I see a conflict with me trying to get something too big down the bore. Yet I already loaded 2 of these before measuring and survived. No sticky extraction and no crazy big expanded brass base on the fired shell as compared to a factory load. It expanded .008 as compared to an unfired virgin shot shell. But if it’s dangerous (and here’s what I need reassurance about or a “DON”T DO IT!” issued to me) I’d like to know before loading more. Does the poly wad have enough “give” so as not to act like a barrel obstruction? Am I concerned about nothing? Is that snug fit a good thing?
I’m in a place where I have no information in the grey matter and little to go by and my intent is to be super cautious. I feel like a human land mine detector, a gent with fingers in the ears and testing for landmines by stomping the ground with a foot.
Note that I’m not asking if the load I’m using is safe. I deliberately didn’t mention the load.
I hope I asked the right questions and supplied enough data.
Thanks folks!