Swaging 12 gauge jacketed slugs

[uncle dino]

I finally started playing with my 12 gauge set. Slugs are a little on the heavy side, but I was trying to work out the process to get them made. I would welcome any thoughts or comments. DAttachment 159014Attachment 159015

[jmort]

Wow, how cool is that. Weight is on a par with many slugs, especially considering they are full bore. That .729" 600 grain slug should work well with a Mossberg rifled barrel.

[uncle dino]

Well I'm hoping my h&r ush will like at least one of them...I think the .729 is going to be too tight for it. Best measurement I can get is .727. May run it over to gunsmith and have him double check my measuring. D

[jmort]

Mine seems to be right at .729", and my Mossberg barrels run around .730"
Better safe than sorry.

[scarry scarney]

What are you using for Jacket material?

[uncle dino]

Right now, I'm using rce jackets. Once that supply dries up I have at strip jacket market set for my hydropress. D

[BAGTIC]

Why? A cast bullet will hold together at any velocity suited for a shot gun. Even if you could get velocities up much higher the recoil would be devastating. Both the sectional density and momentum density will be much lower than in a big bore rifle which would not help trajectory or penetration. I once fired a 600 grain cast bullet from my 45-70 M78 at 1900 fps.

[uncle dino]

Well, simple, I don't cast. I like to swage my bullets. These slugs are a little heavy, but it is real simple to make them lighter. Just put less lead in the press and cut the jacket a little shorter. Really versatile, My thought on the hollow base slug with a jacket is to stiffen the skirt area. So it deforms less when fired. Maybe more accurate for my smoothbore, maybe not. I will see, once I get some loaded up. D

[jmort]

"Both the sectional density and momentum density will be much lower than in a big bore rifle which would not help trajectory or penetration."

Serious shotgun slugs have zero issues with penetration and the .73 caliber slug will create a path of destruction like nothing else. I still believe that the 600 grain slug is not too heavy and will work well. Any velocity north of 1,300 FPS typically results in reduced penetration. At 1,300 fps, that slug should be manageable and hit like a freight train at "only" 2,250 ft lbs. That is some good and interesting "stuff" you are doing. Please, keep up the good work and keep on posting.

[uncle dino]

Attachment 159586Attachment 159585

I Finally was able to load up some of my new slugs. I settled on this 650 gr jacketed soft point. Worked up a nice moderate recoil load for my ush. Clocked in at 1450 fps according the magneto speed. Accuracy was very good. 1 - 2 inches at 65 yards. Except ...I would have an occasional random flier, 1 in every 5 or 6 shots. I did notice some of my hulls were tearing and splitting at my roll crimp. I believe this is causing my occasional flier. Could use a little help troubleshooting this issue. I'm not sure if I need an overshot card or maybe a different hull. My slug does not have a shoulder for crimp to set on. These are skivved federal 2 3/4 hulls. Thanks d

[MrWolf]

If I remember correctly, Federals are straight wall hulls. Try a Remington or another tapered wall hull.

[bottomline]

I like what you are doing here. I have been using those LBS Blue Force one-piece wad/slug combo chrono'ed at 1700 fps. They are as accurate as any factory ammo. I would love to be able to create my own projectile, so please keep posting your progress.

As for your hull tearing problem, MrWolf is on to it. I had similar problem with my (roll crimped) loads. Then I tried the skived hulls and getting better results. You can also get a hull skiver.

[uncle dino]

These were skivved hulls...but they are very thin. Federal factory slug hulls quite a bit thicker. I think i better order some better hulls..tried some cheddite hulls today, thinner yet..same result...thanks for the comments D

[Hogtamer]

Keep us posted in the shotgun forum with this please! And yes, no shoulders makes for inconsistency in roll crimps. A .575 diameter would have great potential in a hubel sabot.

[uncle dino]

Hog tamer would I be better served with a fold crimp or overshot card? D

[cpileri]

Ajay recommends a fold crimp, esp for slugs w no shoulder.

[uncle dino]

I tried a few variations to my roll crimp this morning..I added an overshot card, which resulted in less of a roll crimp..well, that didn't work. First shot hang fired, second only went poof..pulled the rest of the loads down. I'll just have to wait till my new mec Jr. Gets here so I can fold crimp. D

[Ballistics in Scotland]

They are a marvelous piece of work and should work about as well as anything else. People in generations yet unborn will dig them up and think "This was a somebody." I certainly don't think they are too heavy. They aren't meant for the sort of shooting where you really need flat shooting.

We sometimes hear from people who have created extraordinary guns in a bit to sneak in under the shotgun-only regulations. But I don't believe that for more or less shotgun velocities in a more or less conventional smoothbore or rifled shotgun, unjacketed lead would do any worse. They can be swaged too. Lube grooves can be rolled in. I have done it with the edge of a warding file, or if you don't want to organize some kind of device which will do it to a preset depth, surely someone makes or has made one. Powder coating should be another option.

I think using a card disc over the slug is a bit dubious. If it tips over and gets trapped between bore wall and slug, it can cause a bulge. If you feel you must, notice-board cork sheet of the thinnest kind is more compressible than card and more likely to disintegrate.

[uncle dino]

Fold crimp fixed accuracy problem 4 inch 4 shot group.. 90 yards...no fliers