A Bit Larger Slug Mold?

[Smithy]

I use to cast "slugs" for my shotguns before slugs became a thing of note. I remember using 58 caliber mini's in an appropriate wad column and had pretty good results. I've used many a different type of slug mold from the Lee keyed slug, to a Lyman Foster slug, to a Lyman sabot slug (which looked like an air gun pellet on steroids.

I now have a golf ball cannon that folks here hooked me up with the right sized Palmer sinker mold to fit, but I'd like to try something different. So if you were in your shop (or farming out the work), how would you go about making a two or three piece mold to produce a Foster or Lyman sabot type of slug for a 1.7" bore. The reason for this is that I can maintain the same weight as the round ball, but in a more ballistic shape, ie. something with a hollow skirt. Smithy.

[375RUGER]

Look for a post by Goodsteel in mould design. keyword pellet, slug, shotgun
that'll give you an idea about how to make a mould

[MBTcustom]

What kind of equipment do you have access to?

[Smithy]

What kind of equipment do you have access to?

Machining wise? Not much since the lathe and mill didn't make my last move.
(I do have a reasonable Machinist that has done gun type work for me, no receivers)

Casting wise? a Lyman bottom drop 20 pounder and although my son talked me out of it, I'll be getting another electric ladle that holds 5 pounds of lead. Smithy.

[MBTcustom]

OK, I was talking about machinery.
If you are wanting to have something made, I can't help you with that, because I'm up to my ears in gunsmithing work. If you want to know how to make it, I might be able to help you come up with a devious plan.
You are going to need special mold handles, as well as mold blocks ya know?
just make a really big version of this:
http://i1120.photobucket.com/albums/l481/goodsteel/IMG_2134.jpg

[Smithy]

Wow! goodsteel, what a beautiful slug mold!! As far as the handles are concerned, I was thinking of using a design I found on a lead hammer mold and that is to have the normal alignment pins, but instead of handles it used a carriage bolt though both halves and wing nutted on the other side. The hammer came out perfect, unlike the cast iron versions of the same where alignment is in question. Also there was NO sprue plate, but a sprue funnel milled into the mold halves so it had to be removed after casting.

So for this mold I was thinking of a casting base that held the pin or core for the slug and two mold halves that indexed off the base plate and each other. Secured with bolts like the hammer mold. It would take a bit to assemble and a propane torch to heat up prior to casting. Pretty much a slow go to produce, but if you're casting a pound slug at a time, that would be fast enough.

My son works for a good friend of mine writing code for CNC machines in the friend's machine shop. Between the two, they have made wonderful custom pieces that I've dreamed up including gun parts, reloading tools, and various other pieces. Talking to my friend costs me money and takes quite a bit of time. Talking to my son is a bit tricky'er since he always want's to re-engineer my design rather than just build it. Not from an easier machining point of view, but more from a "See here Pop, I can make a better one!". Sometimes that's a good thing and sometimes not.

For some months now I've been trying to get my son to build me a simple design of a ramrod that only has two diameter's. The handle one size for some of my mortars and the end another diameter for the rest of my mortars. Also it's only 12" long due to the short barreled nature of my mortars. He thinks there is a "Better" way of doing it, but I've yet to see his ideas? I'm sure that a mold would never get done due to the planning of it alone. Smithy.

[turbo1889]

. . . The reason for this is that I can maintain the same weight as the round ball, but in a more ballistic shape, ie. something with a hollow skirt. Smithy.

With respect, you need to do a little more research on ballistic coefficients of various shapes.

Think of it this way, a round nosed hollow base foster type slug is a like a flat based regular boolit. Then lets take the round ball, same nose shape but the rear isn't flat, its almost like a rounded off boat-tail ain't it. Think about it, look at the BC tables.

I'm not saying that the hollow base foster of equal weight doesn't have some advantages. Especially, when you consider that under the right (or more correctly wrong) conditions you can get some side roll in a smooth bore that can make your gun shooting "curve balls". Claiming that an equal weight, equal caliber hollow base foster type slug is ballistically more efficient then a round ball has some holes in it to say the least.

[Smithy]

I really think a good portion of my interest in this was one of wow factor in just having the ability to make it and look at it. For general display for my carriaged piece, I've made a steel plate with appropriate spaced 1/2" holes five by five or 25 holes in a square. This will allow the next level to have 16, then 9, then 4, and finally 1 for a four sided pyramid. Will those rounds get shot? Probably not unless a new range being talked about and at the planning commission stage gets approved and built. Then I'd be able to send some lead down range. Smithy.

[MBTcustom]

I really think a good portion of my interest in this was one of wow factor in just having the ability to make it and look at it. For general display for my carriaged piece, I've made a steel plate with appropriate spaced 1/2" holes five by five or 25 holes in a square. This will allow the next level to have 16, then 9, then 4, and finally 1 for a four sided pyramid. Will those rounds get shot? Probably not unless a new range being talked about and at the planning commission stage gets approved and built. Then I'd be able to send some lead down range. Smithy.

Your honesty is music to the ears.
And yes, you have to admit there would be a pretty big wow factor!

[TonyfromItaly]

I have made this mold that allows you to make the bullet longer or shorter (therefore heavier or lighter) and i load it as a sabot in a baschieri Z2M wad (in america called commander from BPI). At the range at 50 meters gives me 8 centimeters groupings (3 inches) The mold is inspired by Lyman's molds, but made of alluminum.

here are some pictures

[DODGEM250]

Same here Smithy. I still cast the .58 and use it for my 20 gauge Deer slugs. Nothing but happy with my results in both casting them and reloading them. I no longer use the filler wad in this picture, but, the rest remains the same.

I would love to find some free lyman slugs for 20 gauge to try though.

[Smithy]

I would love to find some free lyman slugs for 20 gauge to try though.

Hey DODGEM250, I'd check with Lyman's site. I could have sworn that I saw both in 20 and 12 a package of 20 or 25 slugs for exactly what you mentioned. No wads or anything else. There may have been some recipes for the slugs, but I'm not sure? And I know for a fact that they do the same with their new fangled muzzle loader bullets and sabot's. It might be worth a look (I don't think that they'll be free though). Smithy.