My Lee Key Drive Slug Results

[Adam604]

My Lee Key Drive Slug Results.

I searched for loads to use my 7/8 oz. Lee Key Drive Slug and found very little until I searched the forums on Cast Boolits and some others.

First casting with the Lee Key Drive Slug mold was tricky to get the slug to drop out, but I expected that.

The slug always released fine from the mold but really hung onto the drive key plug. After casting a few out of wheel weight lead and needing to pull them off the drive key plug I inspected the cast slugs for defects on the drive key plug surfaces. I found some so I used a very fine file and 600 grit emery paper and cleaned them off. I then used a bit of cloth ribbon with some polishing compound to buff the plug to a nice shine. I smoked the drive key plug with my butane lighter (do this to a cold mold or it won't smoke coat it)

This time the casting session went much better. The Slug would drop out with just a little tap of the handle or fall out by itself. I've used pure lead (stick on wheel weights) and regular wheel weight lead. I the last couple of months I've cast more than 500 of them and shot most of em too..

The first 12 guage slug shells I loaded and shot where Federal 12 guage target loads in 100 packs I bought at Walmart for $20. 1 1/8 oz of 71/2 shot 3 dram equivelent. I used a scratch awl to open the 8 fold crimp and dumped the shot into a coffee can to be melted down later. I used a deep socket to neatly
open up the crip all the way so I could push in the 7/8 oz slug on top of a 20 guage card wad. Using my fingers to reshaped the crimp I worked the crimp fold mostly closed and used a 10mm deep socket wrench to complete the fold. The crimp refolded like I never opened them at all.

So far I've shot about 200 of these with no sign of pressure or problems and have been getting pretty good groups. Best so far is 3.5 inch groups at 75 yards from a bench. I use a smooth bore Mossberg 500 vent ridge pump with a modified cylinder choke tube. Standing, I can get better than 5 inch groups at 50 yards. My son is a better shot and his groups are smaller than mine.

I just got a Lee Loader in 12 Gauge off ebay and have loaded more than 250 slugs into the Federal hulls from the above loads. (Federal target hulls -- not Federal Gold).

The load I use is:
Federal target hull
Federal 209A Primers
23 Grains Unique
Federal 12S3 wads (pink)

20 gauge card wad
7/8 oz. Lee Key Drive Slug
Crimp with a 8 segment fold

These rounds are shooting almost just like the "dump and load" rounds. Mild recoil, no pressure signs and consistent performance as far as I can tell. I expect I'm getting about 1350 ft sec with this load. This is a recommended load for 1 1/8 oz of shot.

Last week I "tested" for penetration so I made a Deer target. I used some old carpet that I pulled out of a hallway, 36" wide 25' long. I folded it in half and soaked it in water then I rolled a 2x12 inside it. It was heaver than hell and about 1.5 - 2 foot in diameter. I shot at it from 40 yrd, 50 yrd and 75 yrds. I was expecting to get flatted slugs out of the carpet somewhere. Every shot was a thru and thru. I tried pure lead slugs, wheel weight slugs and water dropped wheel weight slugs. No sign of expansion with any and they blew through the target like it was paper. Might need to try a hotter load.

Just the other day we had a shooting party and 12 different folks tried my slug rounds in 5 different 12 gauge guns and they all had similar results. Everyone was able to hold 5-7 inch groups at 45 yards with no problem and no practice. Heck some have never even shot a 12 gauge before.

So to finish up, Dang I'm having a blast with slugs and you don't need a spotting scope to see if you are :-Dhitting the target!

[35remington]

Adam, because of the drive key they don't open up much unless you're shooting old stoves or water heaters.

[adam38654]

Do the Lyman Sabot slugs flatten out? Are the hollow slugs any good without the drive ring? I bet they flatten out real good but accuracy is less .

[Beaverhunter2]

I'm not sure you need a lot of expansion on something that is already 3/4" in diameter. :-D It starts out 2 1/2 times the dia of a .30cal. That's a pretty big hole!

John

[turbo1889]

It is correct that you don't have to have expansion when it comes to 12ga. slugs considering their diameter -- Even a 20ga. wad-slug which is still over 50-cal diameter will do the job without expansion. I've killed plenty of deer and even a few elk with hard slugs cast from WW alloy or harder that punched clean through without expansion.

Figure it this way -- a .270 rifle bullet perfectly mushroomed will be about 50-cal best case scnerio. If a 270 soft point will kill it a non-expanding 20ga. or larger slug will do the trick as well.

[Heavy lead]

Adam,
You certainly don't need a 12 or a 20 gauge slug to expand. Probably you actually don't want it too, as it may hinder penetration. I use the Lyman sabot slug and that big flat chunk of lead does just fine without expansion. I like the design of the Lee. I think all in all it will be less finacky. The Lyman for me has taken a little work, but i have it shooting pretty well now.
Good Luck, and don't worry about the expansion.

[GabbyM]

Is that 20 gauge card wad under the slug an .030" over shot or a .125" nitro card?
I think I have everything except the Federal target hulls. Are thoes the Wal-Mart things? Plenty of those out at the club.
Please forgive all the simple questions.

[Adam604]

The load I use is a .125" nitro card under the slug and the hulls are the Federal Target hulls from the cheap 100 shot packs I bought from Wal-Mart. The underwad is to keep the plastic shot wad from sticking to the slug. I have picked up most of my wads and some wads that I find way down range showed a strong impression of the drive key bar in the wad base before I started to use a undershot wad.

More family visited and we had another shooting party, not as many shooters and just my shotgun was used as I have a scope on mine (homemade mount uses a Leupold See-Thru mount and a homemade bases to hang onto the vent rib rail). 8 shooters this time, most shot last time but 2 never shot before and at 45 yds we all had groups that were good enough to take a deer. (my gun is a Mossberg 500 pump vent ribwith a modified cylinder choke tube)


I shot 50 of them yesterday at the range for practice and to check that my scope is set ok. I shot a bit better from the rest at 75 yards, got four 3 shot groups about 3 inches from a bench rest. I still see some flyers tho. I don't know if its my shooting or the load.

I also fired some just standing behind the benches at 60 yds, 50 yds, 45 yds. I was able to get groups under 5 inches at all ranges and my best groups were at 45 yds. At 45 yds I got three 3 shot groups under 2 inches...

I saw some data from the 12 gauge load book that shows 7/8 oz loads using as much as 34 grains of Unique! I am thinking of working up a load to see if there is a "sweet spot" for the Lee slug in the hulls I am using.

I new to shotgun reloading, are pressure signs the same as rife and pistol? Ejection problems, flattened primers, hull problems? Or are shotgun actions to weak to play around with?

[Johnch]

Some of the Basic shotgun pressure signs are a little differnt than rifle / pistol

Primer pocket being lose when repriming
The brass loosening from the plastic case
Being able to spin the brass or plastic case while holding the other

With those paper based hulls there is something else to watch
With high pressure loads , the base wad can come loose from high pressure gas getting between the base wad and the hull

If this happens it will sometimes exit the hull , it can cause a bore obstruction

Also the base wad will be blown away / chewed up by the primer
Causing base wad seperation or eradic pressures and velositys

Also these hulls have a nasty habit of blowing the plastic part of the hull down the barrel
If the hull is reloaded several times with high pressure loads
Sometimes the plastic will lodge in the barrel
If not caught , the next shot will blow up the barrel
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v312/johnch/hull2.jpg

As I load these for duck hunting with steel shot
I follow a simple plan

Reload only once fired hulls with higher pressure loads
After that , only use for low perssure loads or pitch

Localy I can pick these hulls up for free at the local trap/ skeet range
So I pitch them
John

[GabbyM]

Thanks for the data. I've some .135" on my order. Picking up some over shot wads too for topping off cast buckshot loads.

Sounds like you've enough powder. 34 grains sounds like way to much. I have heard of guys blowing up shotguns with hand loaded slugs. Stories like that get around. You can get an idea how fast you're shooting by taking some 100 yard shots to check bullet drop. If you're making the published trajectory you are their. You've been shooting at 75 so if the target wasn't at the bottom of the scope to aim you're right in their. Foser type slugs run out of steam around 50 yards. So if you're short on velocity they will drop off way short at 75.

[adam38654]

I didn't want a HP slug to mushroom but to help it flatten out and possibly fly better. Remington Rifled Slugs have a large dimpled HP tip.

[missionary5155]

Good morning I have been shooting Round Ball (.685) using the same basic idea as your Key slug. You do not need any expansion to drop any animal that still walks this earth. Hard 12 bore round balls were used to drop elephants.. rino hippo..( still is by a few) and on our side of this world (North or South America) there is no critter that can take a 68 caliber slug or larger in the right place and survive for long. Do not be at concerned about expansion... just hit-em hwre they need hit.

[38-55]

Adam604
I use the lyman "sabot" slug alot.. It's the one that looks like a giant air rifle pellet.
It doesn't seem to expand in the normal sense.. After butchering over 30 deer that have been shot with this slug here's some observations.. Leaves a massive entry hole ( like 4-6 inches in diameter ). Leaves ( relatively ) small exit hole ( about .50 cal size). It act completely counterintuitive but it works ! A twelve gauge hole will kill anything I can think of. All you should concern yourself with is practice and shot placement. Let that big chunk of lead do it's stuff and you'll have no worries about the results...
Calvin

[Muskrat Mike]

Adam604
I use the lyman "sabot" slug alot.. It's the one that looks like a giant air rifle pellet.
It doesn't seem to expand in the normal sense.. After butchering over 30 deer that have been shot with this slug here's some observations.. Leaves a massive entry hole ( like 4-6 inches in diameter ). Leaves ( relatively ) small exit hole ( about .50 cal size). It act completely counterintuitive but it works ! A twelve gauge hole will kill anything I can think of. All you should concern yourself with is practice and shot placement. Let that big chunk of lead do it's stuff and you'll have no worries about the results...
Calvin

What alloy do you use to cast your Lyman sabot slugs? Thanks !