20ga slugs from birdshot loads?

[commando223]

I've heard of people doing this for 12ga but I can't seem to find any info for 20ga anyone have any ideas on making cheap slugs for 20ga?

[farmbif]

Lyman made both sabot and foster molds for 20 gauge some people use lee .575 Minnie ball mold

[Solothurn]

I tried a Lee .54 380gr. REAL mold. The bullet in shot cup was a very snug fit through a modified choke.

But accuracy was terrible. At 30 yards, 9-inch group with most of them keyholing.

[toallmy]

Those lee .575 Pumpkin balls work good for me with a wad out to 50-60 yards with a smooth bore 20 gage .

[commando223]

Those lee .575 Pumpkin balls work good for me with a wad out to 50-60 yards with a smooth bore 20 gage .

Thats perfect more than enough range for a smooth bore 20ga shockwave. Did you empty the shot from a birdshot shell or was this reloaded from an empty?

[Outpost75]

Standard Euro practice for break-open guns is to use a cast round ball of diameter not more than 1/20mm (0.002") larger than the choke diameter, or ideally a sliding friction fit which can be pushed through the muzzle with finger pressure so that the ball falls through the bore of its own weight. A .585 ball fits most 20-ga. full chokes, .595 in a half-choke and .600 in a quarter choke. These diameters only approximate so MEASURE yours!

Cut off mouth of shell at the crimp fold. Dump the out shot, insert a 10mm or 12mm felt cushion wad into the shell to take up excess shot space, drop in the round ball and press a garbanzo bean sized blob of 50-50 olive oil and beeswax over the ball to lube it and retain the ball in the shell. Alternately you can patch the ball to hold it in the shell. No need to recrimp. Cut-off 2-3/4" shells so loaded can then be fired in older 2-1/2" chambered guns.

In boca al lupo!

[toallmy]

Thats perfect more than enough range for a smooth bore 20ga shockwave. Did you empty the shot from a birdshot shell or was this reloaded from an empty?
I load them with the same charge of unique as my standard shot load but drop a felt on top of a 28 gage cork in the wad .
Pm me I’ll send you some stuff to try - as a member here did for me .

[DaveM]

A friend of mine has been taking bulk 20 gauge #7.5 or #8 shells and replacing the shot charge with a patched .575 round ball. He's also reloaded some empties, using black powder or Pyrodex RS for propellent. From a Mossberg Maverick youth models fitted with Tru Glo sights on the vent rib, he's getting minute-of-deer accuracy out to about 50 yards.

I don't recall specifics of the wad but I do think he's putting a nitro card in the wad under the ball, and is roll crimping the shells.