Does anyone use the old Lyman 69 cal rifled slugs?

[CastingFool]

Wanting to reload slugs is what got me into casting in the first place. Bought the only mold available at the time, which was the Lyman 1 oz, 69 caliber slug. The biggest problem I encountered was that I was not successful in attaining a consistent roll crimp. Eventually, I gave up my quest, although I still have the mold and a lot of cast slugs. Reading some of the posts about reloading slugs kinda whetted my interest again. From my readings, I understand that roll crimp works better on new hulls, where I would prefer to use once fired hulls. Is there any way to use these slugs without a roll crimp?

thanks

C.F.

[littlejack]

CF:
I done some testing a few months ago with the Lyman .69 caliber conical. The number on the mold IIRC, is 685. These dropped at 750 grains. I sized the slugs to fit in BPI's Helix Cushion Driver #18 wad.
I believe the issue for accuracy, was/is the shape of the boolit. It was NOT designed for use in a wad, or shotshell hull.
I did use a fold crimp with my loads. I used the Remington 3" Nitro hulls.
If you look back a few months on the Casting for Shotguns site, you will locate my thread.
Regards
Jack

[ElDorado]

My old Lyman Shotshell Handbook has a few loads listed for folded crimps with the 475 gr Lyman hollow-based slug. It seems like I tried loading some, but couldn't get the crimp the way I like it. I ended up using a Ballistics Products roll crimper, but I have to trim the hulls a little to get a good crimp. I use the roll crimper in a drill press and us a BP Hull Vise to hold it and I like the results.

[longbow]

I have one of those as well and have never gotten anything but poor accuracy from it.

They do seem to cast in a wide variety of sizes. Jack says his is 0.685" but mine casts 0.705". So, mine is too big to fit in a shotcup but too small for the bore.

Lyman used to sell "rifling"swages for these and it is my suspicion that when swaged into the rifling tool the final result was closer to bore size. If anyone knows for sure I would like to know.

What I do know is that my mould is painful to use in that the core pin sticks badly, even though it is very well polished, the skirt is too thin and the slugs are undersize for most standard bore shotguns. Paper patching did work for me but I still got occasional fliers. Patching up to bore size is the only thing that has improved accuracy for me.

You might find a post by SluggerDoug if you search. He made a rifling tool using a helical gear and spud for the cavity. Basically he knurled with really coarse pattern bringing the slug to bore size (his cast about the same as mine) and he says that works well. I don't particularly like the Lyman Foster slug anyway so have not pursued it.

So, after all that negativity, let me try to help some.

I am told that a REALLY SOLID HARD wad column helps a soft lead Lyman Foster obturate evenly and so produces (or can produce) good accuracy. It didn't work for me.

I do have a number of loads in my old Lyman manuals if you are interested. As mentioned though the accuracy I got using book recipes in my Browning BPS with slug barrel was dismal running no smaller than 8" groups at 50 yards.

I can get 3" to 4" groups at 50 yards using round balls so would choose those over the Lyman Foster (Oops! There's that negativity again!).

Honestly, though a 0.678" round ball (standard for .69 cal smoothbore musket) in a shotcup shoots very nicely to at least 50 yards. Some have good success using 0.690" balls in brush wads or donut wads too and Lee 0.690" ball moulds are inexpensive.

I am also assuming you are talking smoothbore right? If not then you are into a different ballgame.

That's about all I've got.

Longbow