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Thread: How to slug a barrel?

  1. #1
    Boolit Bub oleycow's Avatar
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    How to slug a barrel?

    Just a simple question about slugging.

    I am just getting set up for casting. I have most of the things that I need which I have been buying over the last 6 months +


    Anyway I am ready to slug the barrel of my .454 and I am wondering if I need to lube a cast boolit first before slugging it or can i just use the straight lead unlubed boolit and drive it through?

    thanks

  2. #2
    Boolit Grand Master

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    You don't have to lube the bullet but you need to lube the bore with a good gun oil.
    Aim small, miss small!

  3. #3
    Boolit Master

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    I pretty new to some of this stuff too, but I just slugged several of my barrels lately. I used a soft lead round ball that was lubed up good. For my .45 I hit a .44 cap&ball round ball with a hammer some so it was a bit bigger and shaved off a little when I pounded it in the barrel.

    I can't imagine trying to pound an unlubed alloy boolit into a dry barrel; it would not be good, I think. If you do a search, there are many threads and tons of info here on exactly how to do it without damaging your barrel.

  4. #4
    Boolit Bub oleycow's Avatar
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    thanks,

  5. #5
    Boolit Bub oleycow's Avatar
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    I did do some searches and was looking for some stickies but I reallydidn't seem to find what I was looking for. (as far as lubing the boolit or not)

    maybe I wasn't searching the right phrases

  6. #6
    Boolit Mold roggom's Avatar
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    Here is a nice tutorial from 7.62x54.net (with pics), I use this technique with a 32 cal bullet. I lubed my bullet with Hoppes gun grease.

    http://7.62x54r.net/MosinID/MosinSlug.htm

  7. #7
    Boolit Master

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    I think I oiled the barrel normally with gun oil on a patch, put a coating of case lube on a soft, oversized lead ball, and pounded it through without too much effort. I went pretty slow and careful because I was paranoid about damaging the bore.

  8. #8
    Boolit Buddy Cowboy5780's Avatar
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    If you look in the Stickies section of this form theres a link to a youtube video of it being done
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  9. #9
    Boolit Grand Master

    mdi's Avatar
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    Don't over complicate it. Slugging is just driving a soft lead slug, larger than bore/groove diameter down a lightly oiled barrel. I would not use a cast bullet unless it was very soft and at least .010" over bore size. Just use something softer than your barrel for a driving rod (I use brass) and a large hammer (small taps will tend to swage the slug in the bore where a heavy hammer will be more of a push through the bbl.). Egg sinkers work well. I know it's scary hammering on your gun, just secure it in a good padded vice and be careful...

  10. #10
    Boolit Master



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    For the revolvers, don't depend on just the vice, use some soft wood or whatever to provide as much support as possible. I cast a soft lead boolit for mine. The slugs were larger than the cylinders. I first used the to get a reading on the cylinders then used a couple for the barrel.
    For the autos, I just banged them through from the breach end.
    EW

  11. #11
    Boolit Bub oleycow's Avatar
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    Thanks for the tips gentlemen,

    I casted myself a couple of nice soft lead boolits and let them cool nice and slow,

    lubed 'em up and gave the bore a nice coating of oil. Gently hammered them through using 3/8" hardwood dowel from the muzzle end and it went great.

    Calipers show .453 pre slugg measurement (unsized boolit)

    after slugging shows .451

    (my calipers are not the most precise/consistent tool) so I think it's time to inherit my NOt yet dead fathers Micrometer, when he is not looking.

    oleycow

  12. #12
    Boolit Mold
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    How do you get a cast boolit out of my 308??? It's stuck can someone help me???

  13. #13
    Boolit Bub
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    Quote Originally Posted by Alaksa girl View Post
    How do you get a cast boolit out of my 308??? It's stuck can someone help me???
    Uh Oh


    Mike

  14. #14
    Boolit Mold
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    I have broke off a copper rod... The wooden dowel did not work... The barrel seems to not have the taper. Do you have any ideas???

  15. #15
    Boolit Grand Master

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    1/4" steel rod with a .25 ACP case hammered on the end that hits the lead. A couple
    rings of electrical tape and then a slightly expanded .223 or .25 cal bottle neck case front half cut off as a
    muzzle protector will NEVER damage the bore and WILL drive out the slug.

    NEVER USE A WOODEN DOWEL!!! These can and HAVE broken on a long angle and wedged so solid
    that the person had to make a brass drill to worry it out, all the while sweating damaging his barrel.

    This is NOT theory, it has happened.

    Bill
    If it was easy, anybody could do it.

  16. #16
    Boolit Grand Master Artful's Avatar
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    Alaksa girl, Don't forget to lube that 308 barrel with penetrating oil before going to next step
    - Kroil is a favorite and give it time to work

    http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...-from-a-barrel

    http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...my-bore-throat

    http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...s-or-Steel-Rod

    http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...-slug-a-barrel

    http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...lugging-barrel

    http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...ore-really-hep

    http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...s-the-question!!!!!!

    http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...gging-a-barrel

    http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...e-Barrel-Video


    Oh, and a ready source for round balls is as close as your stash of buck shot - I have several different sizes around myself

    and if your smallest size buckshot is too large you can roll it on a flat hard surface with a flat tool kept parallel to the surface your rolling against and that will oblong it and reduce the size.
    Last edited by Artful; 10-30-2013 at 09:00 PM.
    je suis charlie

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    "The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government."

  17. #17
    Boolit Master AlaskanGuy's Avatar
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    See what happens when i leave her alone for a min?? She likes to do things and learn for herself Lol . Have a friend that has a steel rod that will get er out tomorow... Meanwhile, i gotta replace all my brass and alum cleaning rods. Thanks for helping her out...

    Alaskan

  18. #18
    Boolit Mold
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    Thanks to all for your help my gun back to normal!!! Aaa huh few!!! Thank God!!!
    I got a steel rod from the hard ware store and it worked!!!! It still bent the tip on that rod tho!! Wow ... Mission complete ... The size of the bore is 307. I really love doing this!

  19. #19
    Boolit Grand Master Artful's Avatar
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    Good for you! You got a tight bore there - have you measured your chambers throat?
    Last edited by Artful; 11-03-2013 at 12:43 AM.
    je suis charlie

    It is better to live one day as a LION than a dozen days as a Sheep.

    Thomas Jefferson Quotations:
    "The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government."

  20. #20
    Boolit Master Victor N TN's Avatar
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    You sound a lot like my wife or oldest daughter. If I try to clean my oldest daughter's pistol, she'll get mad and tell me that she'll do it herself. (But she uses my rods and patches, oil and grease...) My wife is a little more diplomatic about it. Oldest daughter's daughter has her hands full of 2 young sons under 4 years old. She'll let me help her.

    I'm glad you got your rifle back in firing order. Congratulations !
    Be careful,
    Victor

    Life member NRA

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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
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LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check