Lyman 525 for Boomer81

[Hogtamer]

He pm'ed me with questions but can't post pics in pm, so here's the best I have from many combos.
1) Lyman data: I use 37 gr Longshot in new clear Fed. primed hulls from BPI
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2) Use SOFT lead to cast. The harder the lead the worse your accuracy. Overfill bases with hot glue then trim even with base with warm blade after they solidify. Eliminates need for cards in wad. Use either Nobel Sport GTT1 or Trap commander wad. They are the same length and shotcup. The Nobel has a stiffer crush section and minimizes tilting, also cheaper and these are the ones I prefer but either will work.
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3) 37 gr hand weighed Longshot powder. The book calls for up to 39. Here's what they look like in the charged hull.
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4) top load with 1 clear plastic frangible OS card from BPI, and mine are started and finished on a Lee load all. The plastic is soft enough to make the crimp perfectly. You cannot set pressure with a load-all so get the feel of it. Easy.
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5) Both loads fired at 50 yds. You absolutely cannot tell the hulls have been fired except for the spent primer. Perfect clean burn, no blow-by. Try as I might could not find the trap commander base but would look the same. Yes, petals ARE stripped but how could it be otherwise with thin shotgun wads in a rifled barrel? Base is perfect.
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6) Out of 3" 870, 20" hasting cantilever rifled barrel, Nikon Slug Hunter bdc recticle at 50 yds. Typical crummy shotgun trigger. These loads drop about 6" at 100 yds, perfect for 1st ring down with this scope. Shot a 3" group at 100 yds last week in 10-15 mph crosswind, moved the slug about 8".
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Good luck, that's the best I have. A deer or hog will not hold them.

[Boomer81]

Thanks Hal!

I am in Canada so i cant order anything from BPI but i will try finding the components up here!

[SuperBlazingSabots]

Hello Brother Hogtamer, I always said a man with a red four wheel makes good choices.
Very good post.
Thanks for sharing it.
Ajay Madan

[KrakenFan69]

Thanks Hal!

I am in Canada so i cant order anything from BPI but i will try finding the components up here!

Contact Will Bilznor at http://www.bilozir.net/ He is in DeWinton, AB and is a BPI rep. That's where I get all my gear.

Good Luck,

Kraken Fan #69

[Boomer81]

Kraken: Thanks man ill give him a shout and see what i can get.

The lyman reloading thread is where i put down my situation. Seems like these remington hulls might be my weak link for sure.

Hal: what does the OS do for a slug on a star crimp? Ive seen them in roll crimps but not on star.

[Hogtamer]

The right height is critical for a good crimp. Consistent crimps are critical for best performance. Plus the plastic OS card basically turns to powder on ignition and a hard card could get crosswise with the slug up the barrel.

[Boomer81]

So Will has the hulls and oc cards and the trap commander wads. He can place an order on the gtt1 for the summer.

Is the difference all that noticeable at 50yrds? Im thinking ill just wait since then i dont have to pay shipping twice once the gtt1 comes in.

[Hogtamer]

BTW, I failed to mention those are 2 3/4" hulls. The trap commanders are fine but cushion legs will tilt unless pushed perfectly vertically into hull. That's a plus for the clear hulls, Good luck and let us know how they work in the Moooseberg!

[Boomer81]

BTW, I failed to mention those are 2 3/4" hulls. The trap commanders are fine but cushion legs will tilt unless pushed perfectly vertically into hull. That's a plus for the clear hulls, Good luck and let us know how they work in the Moooseberg!

Okay thanks for the heads up! Cant get the gtt1s until summer so i will try my luck with the trap commanders. How many reloads can i expect from the federal hulls?

[Hogtamer]

Except for the crimp it's very hard to tell the 2 hulls I loaded and shot had been fired. See the picture above.

[Boomer81]

Except for the crimp it's very hard to tell the 2 hulls I loaded and shot had been fired. See the picture above.

Thats why i asked lol they look in great shape! Im hoping to get 5+ loads from each or would that be asking too much?

[Rattlesnake Charlie]

Hogtamer, thanks for the excellent post. You provided great detail and even photos. I have tried with silicone calk in the base. I'll try with hot glue next. Will probably be easier to fill that base.

[littlejack]

Good evening gentlemen.
Thought I might dive in and add a good load (for me anyway) with the Lyman 525 grain slug. Nothing fancy, but I do believe componants would be easily found and purchased for most of you all if interested. This load is listed in the Lyman 4th edition. The load is as follows, and very accurate for myself in my 870 with rifled barrell.
Gun Club hull.
Slug is cast of ww plus tin alloy.
Cavity is hot glue filled and trimmed flush.
WWAA12 (white) wad.
30 grains of Alliant Herco.
I have just started back playing with the slug loads after quite a few months sebaticle.
Today I went to the gun club and done some more testing. My barrell is just iron sighted, but shoots very well. At the 25 yard target, the first three shots went into the same hole. At the fifty yard target, the groups were a very nice 2.5". I have shot these loads before in another rifled barrell that I used to own, and they performed just as well, so the groups are consistant. These are not powder puff loads by any means. They shoot and recoil with authority. This is an easy load to put together, with easily found componants.
All the best to you all

[littlejack]

Lyman 525 slug loads continued.
In my testing of componants, I loaded up some of the Gun Club hulls using the WWAA12R (no longer made) wad. With this wad, it was necessary to add three .045 card discs under the slug to bring it up to the proper height to crimp. The powder and charge was Alliant Blue Dot and 40 grains. These loads were also very accurate, but hurt like hell when the trigger broke. This powder charge is not even the maximum listed in the Lyman 45th manual.
So, I have decided to stick with the lighter 30 grain load with the Herco powder.
Regards
Jack

[Boomer81]

Hi all back with a pseudo update lol

Will start casting next week for this new load youve been helping me with as i finally got in the GTT1 wads but i am running low on slugs.

What i wanted to know is how close do the slugs need to be in weight in order to not have accuracy issues. Is it in the +/- 5 grains or does it need to be within 1 or 2 grains?

Cheers!

[Hogtamer]

Couple of grains is fine.With soft lead my mold drops about 522 + or -

[Boomer81]

Couple of grains is fine.With soft lead my mold drops about 522 + or -

I may have to re-melt a few of my slugs since the ones i have can differ by almost 10gr. Guess that depended on how hot my mold was when pouring them?

[Boomer81]

Couple of grains is fine.With soft lead my mold drops about 522 + or -

Mine are coming out mostly between 515 +/- and 518 +/-

The +/- is within 1.5gr high or low

That is without the glue which i'll do next.