I have Heard the term, 84 years old never done it

[Deaconllb]

Hope this is ok to post here How do you go about slugging a barrel what do you use? I have never had an occasion to do it just wondering.

Deaconllb

[redhawk0]

I'm sure others have other methods but here is mine.

I take a lead slug (the softer the better) one caliber larger than my barrel caliber...exa...(30 cal...I use a 31 cal slug...if its .357" caliber then I use a .375"...etc). then I use an aluminum cleaning rod as a ram and tap it through the barrel from the muzzle end on anything but a bolt action rifle. If its bolt action, I do it from the chamber side since removing the bolt allows access straight through. Now...even though I do it from the muzzle end on most of my firearms (only have 3 bolt actions)...I do put a muzzle cone on on the rod first to protect the muzzle from nicks that could cause accuacy issues.

Once the slug is pushed through...then I take my measurements.

My largest caliber is a 45-70 and I didn't have any other calibers larger...except my 50 cal Muzzle Loader. For the 45-70 I took a round ball and forced it through. It worked just fine. Like I said, the softer the lead....the better...if you have too much harness to it, it will really be difficult to tap through the bore.

hope it helps.

redhawk

[Minerat]

Here's a good place to start. Just click on the link.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?356251-Pound-Cast-instructions-(for-rifle-chamber).

Two of the gentlemen who contributed a bunch to the thread no longer are here. But there are others that can answer your questions. Me I've never done one on a rifle as most of mine are belted magnum for elk hunting and I have no desire to shoot cast in those monsters.

Good luck,

[Jack Stanley]

And ... it's always helpful to lightly oil the bore before pushing the slug through .

Jack

[Outpost75]

I would worry less about slugging the bore than getting a good pound cast of the chamber neck, the unrifled portion ahead of it before the rifling starts, and the origin of rifling itself, so you can determine chamber neck clearance, ball seat or throat diameter and length of forcing cone.

The sticky on determining bullet size covers this in detail.

[Deaconllb]

Thanks that is about all that I need to know.

Deaconllb

[pietro]

Thanks that is about all that I need to know.

Deaconllb


When driving the lead slug through/out, it's best to use a bore-size (close-fitting) drift rod...…………………….


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[BigEyeBob]

Yes if the rod is too small in diameter and the slug a bit too large ,the rod can punch through the slug and leave a hollow slug in the bore .Never use a wooden dowel rod . I use a gas check on the slug base , just a bit smaller than the bore ,just to stop the rod from burying in the lead slug.

[marlinman93]

I've always used muzzleloader round balls to slug bores, and how big isn't all that important. I keep two boxes of them on the bench in .45 and .38 calibers. Once I use a ball and have measured it, I toss it back in the box to use again on a smaller bore. If I use a .375' ball to slug a .38-55 bore, I simply lay the ball on my vise and give it a hit with the hammer first to flatten the top and expand the diameter a little. It makes it fit the larger .380" groove and I can do so without using the larger .45 caliber ball.
I simply put the ball on the end of the muzzle with the gun standing vertical and the muzzle clamped in a vise I have mounted on the end of my bench for this use. Then using a brass hammer I begin tapping on the ball to drive it into the bore. When it's fully in the bore it will leave a ring on the lead ball that lets me see the outline of the bore. I situate a brass punch on the center and tap the ball deeper into the bore.
I then push it back out with a cleaning rod and measure the ball with my micrometers. Don't use dial calipers, as they aren't accurate enough for me. If I want to see if there are restrictions in the bore I do a 2nd ball completely through the bore using a hardwood dowel to tap it through. I compare that reading to the first, but have never found it smaller so far.
I've found on older guns that it's not good to do the full length slug if the bores aren't perfect. The bad areas might disturb a good slug, and give me a false reading from some pitting or minor corrosion. I prefer the slugging at the muzzle to get an accurate reading, and it's worked fine for over 40 years on my guns.