Filling the Lyman 525 Slug

[smokeeter]

I see where filling the inside of the Lyman 525 slug helps with improving accuracy. I had good luck with using 2 part epoxy but it was a pain to use and if the cavity didn't fill properly it was also a pain to sand down.
I decided to try and fill the cavity with paraffin wax and it worked great. All I did was melt some shaved wax pieces in a spoon over a candle and filled the slugs, trimmed them down with a utility knife and scraped the excess wax off the slugs, very cost effective also.
The plugs are rigid enough to hold back the wad and release from the slug when in flight.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v513/smokeeter/DSC05786_zpsxkjpcsx8.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/smokeeter/media/DSC05786_zpsxkjpcsx8.jpg.html)

[littlejack]

Hadn't thought of using wax.
Most everyone uses hot glue. I fill the base cavity then turn it over real quick and mash it down on a metal table with a twisting motion. The excess bleeds out the sides, and can be pulled off easily.

P.S. Welcome aboard sir.

[waarp8nt]

Looks good! I've used left over birthday candles and let them drip in the hole before, then trim accordingly.

[Mauser48]

I was very surprised I shot some of these slugs (not filled) out of a 20 inch barrel smoothbore and at 30 yards i was getting about a 3 inch group. I expected them to be all over the place. I had one left with me so i shot it at a 2 foot plate at 200 yards and hit dead center. It was all open sights too. Your slugs look good!

[FullTang]

I'm a big fan of wax slugs, so this makes a lot of sense to me, but why not take it one step further? Why not embed the whole slug in wax, so that the skirt is surrounded by wax on the outside, which would support it even more? This would also make it more aerodynamic; the wax will stick, unless you're using a rifled barrel. The weight of the wax is trivial compared to the lead, so it wouldn't change the balance by much at all.

[SLEI]

I'm a big fan of wax slugs, so this makes a lot of sense to me, but why not take it one step further? Why not embed the whole slug in wax, so that the skirt is surrounded by wax on the outside, which would support it even more? This would also make it more aerodynamic; the wax will stick, unless you're using a rifled barrel. The weight of the wax is trivial compared to the lead, so it wouldn't change the balance by much at all.

Slug don't need more support wads need it. Without filling or hard card wads press in the cavity and leave permanent dimple at the middle maybe also cut petals at least that happened to my first test loads without filling or nitro card. I had a opened bathroom Silicon sealer and used that but it takes a quit long time to harden in deep cavity. Tested also Acrylic sealer but it shrinks a lot. Both are easy to trim with carpet knife but can't match the price of old candle wax.

I think the Lyman slugs are more aerodynamic without any filling on sides.

[longbow]

Personally I doubt that paraffin would stick on the outside. It would most likely crack up as there will be some distortion and if it doesn't either all stay on neatly or all release neatly there will be definite accuracy issues. I'd stick to just filling the cavity. My opinion anyway.

I'll use the paraffin in my lube for rifle boolits! A little paraffin, a little Red 'N Tacky grease, a little Bardahl oil treatment and a little Ivory soap. Works well.

I generally use hot melt glue for filling slug cavities, as many do, and have good results doing the same as littlejack. Whatever works for you.

Heat treating the slugs will (generally) stop distortion too but does nothing to keep wads out of the cavity so filling and/or nitro card wads is what I do whether the slug is hard or soft.

Different strokes.

Longbow

[prs]

smokeeater, are Ya sure the wax is being left behind in flight? Are you finding it on the ground?

prs

[6pt-sika]

I see no reason the wax wouldn't work for my own application . However I already have a couple hundred filled with hot melt glue and at the present rate I shoot them it may very well last me until my demise ��

[smokeeter]

smokeeater, are Ya sure the wax is being left behind in flight? Are you finding it on the ground?

prs

I've recovered slugs from a sand back stop. it's 50/50, some of the found slugs still have wax in the cavity and some don't. I think they stay until impact.