Success with homemade - improvised 12-ga Slugs

[Y-man]

In my search for a GOOD homemade slug, either using a factory mould or a home-built mould – I have experimented with a lot of different methods. Note – I simply replace bird-shot with a slug of same weight. I do not have access to powders and shot shells and wads or slugs (Firearms restricted Country.)

I felt a SOLID slug would work well in a shot-cup fired out of a Mossberg 500A with rifled barrel.

I cast a few using a modified Number 15 Socket Wrench –
And got these:

189819


I have now been able to test-fire them and got this result:
Tests on wooden board targets from 43 yards (Measured) and a few from 35 yards stepped out.)

My shotgun's sights got dislodged and were poorly set. Rear sight completely flew off at one time – luckily we found it. These led to many shots not hitting POA. POA was center of the target boards.
My Laser bore-sight is bad. And I will try to see how I can get a new one, or improvise something from an old DVD player...

Upper target attached to a tree on the farm. On the left pictured with reactive paper fixed, and right without it...
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Lower target:
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Range Visit Findings:
While the Lyman 525 slugs fired also performed very well in the test: the Number 15 Socket Wrench slugs flew straight, rotated well by the rifling, and hit point-first on target with a type of “daisy-cutter” effect. No tumbling. Pictures below show the serrated “teeth” of these slugs as they cut NEAT shark-teeth serrated holes at 40+ yards...

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Grouping achieved With the Lyman and Socket Wrench slugs, of 3 to 5 inches at 40+ yards was not bad as per MY own expectations and targets for a home-cast Slug, and performance was impressively consistent.

Most initial shots went low-right and because we did not go to to the target check, we thought I was MISSING the boards completely... In reality – I had 37 hits on the boards out of about 42 shots fired... I completely forgot to use my binoculars, and even the drone I had with me.

We even had the back-stop tree felled by slugs! So this showed that the slugs WERE hitting quite accurately (This was on LARGE family farmland with a far – distant Limestone cliff back-stop. No danger to anyone...)

Fired wads seen (Unfortunately not recovered) were in good condition – Most had four petals intact, peeled back, but intact.

Four Round Ball (.735”) slugs fired still had some “sticky” extraction and swollen primers as previously mentioned. Accuracy was abysmal- dropping up to 1 to 2 FEET of the center of grouping of other types of slugs. Maybe because I’m simply replacing bird-shot in shot-shells? Powder not strong enough to achieve good velocity? Maybe too ambitious for 42 – 45 yards?

Well, I think I have my “SWEET-SPOT” for homemade/ improvised, SAFE (Weight-wise) slugs now!

Cheers.

[Mk42gunner]

Looks good, I'll have to remember the 15mm socket trick. What did you use to form the nose and base of the mold?

Robert

[Y-man]

For the Nose: a fabricated steel cap: which also serves as a sprue area for ease of cutting.

For the Base - I modified a bolt to fit, and with contours to produce a rounded, contoured base...

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[bikerbeans]

Good work, sir!

BB

[rancher1913]

how did you get the hollow base. can see how you did the top and thats brilliant but can not figure out what looks to be a hollow base on the slug

[JBinMN]

Whoah! Outstanding improvisation with what you had at hand! I just might have to try this sometime soon.

:2_high5:

:)

[Y-man]

Many thanks BB, rancher1913 and JBinMN!

Rancher1913: I improvised a 'pin' for the bottom: initially a slight hollow base, but the ones I fired, which had such good performance actually had a slightly protruding rounded bottom.Pin was improvised from grinding and filing the head of a round bolt.

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[rancher1913]

so you drop a bolt through the socket and it can be made into whatever base you want and then use it to push the slug out of the mold. will have to give this a try, thanks for posting this.

[dverna]

I am amazed at what you accomplish with so little to work with. 3-5 inch groups at 40 yards will be quite effective.

[finstr]

Very good! I'm looking at my old sockets while wringing my hands...I can feel them trembling with fear....:target_smiley:

[longbow]

Looking good Y-man! You have gone full circle and are back to your roots with the socket slugs. Those are pretty good results alright. That does make a nice looking slug too.

Bad guys better beware! Or critters, or whatever those get shot at.

Excellent work!

Longbow

[Y-man]

Thanks.
Longbow - unlike my INITIAL socket slugs which were cast using Number 16 socket - and which were (more or less) bore-size, these 15 socket are meant to sit IN a shot-cup.

They fit PERFECT in up to 5 various Bird-shot shot-cups I used...

I am excited by this!

[54bore]

Pretty darn cool! Good thinking!!

[Bulldogger]

That's pretty slick. Well done and thanks for sharing!
Bulldogger

[longbow]

How tight is the fit? You can custom fit by paper patching if they are a bit loose. Those results aren't bad at all but a little tinkering might tighten the groups up even more. Since they are flying nose first and punching clean "gear" holes through the targets they must be stable so getting decent grip on rifling.

I have to say that I am surprised that the bore size round balls didn't do better for you. However, if these socket slugs are doing the trick you have won the battle to find accuracy and that is a good thing.

All this talk about slug shooting has got my juices flowing again. I have been away from it for a while now. Mostly life getting in the way issues. I have cast up a bunch of different slugs that are waiting to be reloaded now and hope to get back at it shortly, time and circumstances permitting.

In the meantime I am happy to be seeing you making progress while I am on the sidelines. It is nice to read your posts and see you having success.

Longbow

[Y-man]

Fit is GOOD and tight - Took a mallet to pound it out of the bore inside Shot-cup.

Round Balls seem to do well at up to 20 yards - after that: they seem to drop. You remember I am simply replacing Bird-shot with slugs: so maybe the charge is not enough to get/ achieve good velocity?

[finstr]

Y-man have you weighed these to find out what they weigh in grains? Just curious.

[RPRNY]

That's fantastic. Well done.

[cpileri]

Y-man, your ingenuity is always so encouraging!

[Y-man]

finstr:

I definitely weighed and re-weighed, and re-worked the mould several times to arrive at about consistent slug weights cast at 30 to 32 GRAMS: which I can crudely convert to grains [Multiply by logical deduction by factor of 15] so we are looking at about 480 grains.

[I know that the Lyman Sabot Slug is rated for 525 grains]

I am CAREFULLY replacing 32 grams of bird-shot with 30 - 32 grams of slug. Inside shot-cup, roll-crimped.

190119 190120

[JBinMN]

31 grams = 478.403 grains. Just so ya knew. You were pretty close. LOL

;)

I am enjoying following along with you as you do this project. The pictures are a very big help also.
:)

I was telling a friend of mine about it just today. He thought it was quite innovative also.
:)

Looking forward to seeing more as you go along! I really want to try this myself, sometime. Just for the fun of it. I am going to show this to my 2 sons & see if they would like to help.

Thanks again for sharing! & G'luck!
:)

[Retumbo]

Good job. When I got into casting I came across this a few times iirc there are several videos on YouTube

Edit.
https://youtu.be/l_BUDBbdA6A We'll kl

[Y-man]

Yep! I saw this also, Retumbo... Maybe I simply 'ímproved' on several examples I had seen online as part of my research too. Thanks!

[finstr]

Y-man, I've seen your videos on YouTube shooting slugs. Impressive. I only have one question tho. What the heck did those Mercedes hubcaps ever do to you?! lol :confused:

[longbow]

That is a good looking slug!

[Y-man]

Well, the results for a second batch of tests are in, and we do HAVE A WINNER!

I finally got to go shoot the Number 15 Socket Slugs again, this time with properly set sights on my Mossberg 500 [Rifled Barrel] and the right kind of target.

For me: a shooting trip is a 600-mile round trip up north to the family farm. No ranges here!

Using a Bipod for stability, and shooting from a prone position: I was able to get 4 shots into a 4-inch circle grouping at 51 yards. [47 meters]

Second string of shots ended up being in a 9-inch circle grouping: I do believe it is because I got distracted: my phone rang [LOUD and STRIDENT!] just when I started shooting this string: and only stopped at the last shot. So I think I pulled a few shots.

I am glad though: consistently accurate slugs, easy to cast, solid lead [No cavities that can collapse or spread out…]

The Slugs:

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Targets below.

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This is the load:

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My “mold”:

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Recovered wads: see how intact some are?

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Next steps: recover a few fired slugs when next I go to the "range"!

Thanks.

[bikerbeans]

Very good! Did the TV reception at your farm improve after you shot these groups? :D

BB

[longbow]

And here I sometimes wonder if it is worth driving to the range 45 minutes away just to test a few loads! 600 miles is quite a trip.

Looking good though so worth all your efforts.

Did you use a hard card under the slugs? If not, I am thinking a hard card wad or some felt or cork might help protect the wad petals at the base. Your accuracy is good but it would be worth experimenting with some sort of filler wad of maybe 3mm or so thick under the slug to see if wad condition improves.

It does look like you have a good load/slug there regardless. You must be pretty happy after all that hard work and so you should be.

Congratulations!

Longbow

[BNE]

Very Impressive work.

[victorfox]

Very nice Y-man!!!������ I've been following you since you started your posts at that firearm blog... Looks like your ingenuity and some help from that rifled barrel put you where you wanted.

And I repeat myself, can you find a CLASSIER GENTLEMAN than Y-man, who uses Mercedes hub caps for targets? ������ Great great work my brother!!!����������

[RMII]

This is awesome. Can't wait to try this. was in the garage looking a volunteer 15mm socket.

[Smoke4320]

Excellent work .. thanks for sharing .. and ingenious cap for the socket (slug tip maker)

[Plate plinker]

impressed I am.