Full bore vs Wad slugs in rifled barrels

[NyFirefighter357]

I just picked up a Hastings rifled barrel for my 12ga. Rem 1100, I have two Marlin 512 Slugmasters as well. I have the Lee Key drive 1oz slug but want to get a Lyman pellet style slug.
Is the full bore MP Pellet style at .730" any more accurate in a rifled barrel than the .681" Lyman pellet slug in a wad?
What have you found to work best in your Hastings barrels?
What have you found best to work in the 512?
The Hastings barrel slugged out at .725"

[Hogtamer]

I have a Hastings on an 870. I quit looking for the “perfect” slug after I shot the Lyman 525 in that rig. Here’s the way I load it and there are many dead pig pics herein to attest to its lethality out to 100 yds. Capable of 3” groups at 100 yds.
https://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?359321-Lyman-525-for-Boomer81&highlight=Lyman+525

[NyFirefighter357]

Thank you Hogtamer. I was at my lGS yesterday and picked it up for a very good price. Everyone here is hot on the 220 Savages so 12ga rifled stuff is abundant.

[W.R.Buchanan]

If you are going to use a Hastings Rifled barrel something to consider are the STI Sabots with either a Lead insert or Brass Non Toxic insert.

298301

The accuracy from these slugs is no Joke. 50 yards, open sights, Browning A5 with Hastings 24" barrel.

298302

This one was shot with a Brass Insert projectile and a load of 23 gr of Unique, new Rio Hull, Roll Crimped The slug weighs 550 gr and the velocity was around 1150-1200 fps, so this was a relatively light load. Still with a 500+ gr slug you really don't need much higher velocity as nothing is going to live thru getting hit by a 12 ga. slug anyway. Probably not shooting Polar bears with these., and I would probably push them a bit higher for big stuff.

I almost cried when I saw the first three holes on that target in a cloverleaf! Had to put two more on it just to make sure it wasn't a fluke.

I am about to get my Mossberg Rifled Barrel back from Vang Comp after shortening it to 18.5" and lengthening the Forcing Cone and I have some Lyman and Lee Slug Loads I am going to test out thru that barrel. I also have a Rifled Choke Tube I am hoping produces some decent results from my Monkeyberg.

As long s the OD of the Slug/ Wad is close to .730 it should perform well in a Rifled Barrel. I'm using the Claybuster Blue Slug Wads with a 16 ga. 1/8" card in the bottom with these, and the Lyman's measure .729 across the wad, and the Lees are .727. I will powder coat both Slugs to get a few more thou on them and they should work great.

I am not one for Butt Kicker Loads so I will be looking at 1200-1300 fps from these

There is a Slug Insert mould from Lee thru STI that makes the inserts. $18?

Randy

[NyFirefighter357]

If you are going to use a Hastings Rifled barrel something to consider are the STI Sabots with either a Lead insert or Brass Non Toxic insert.

298301

The accuracy from these slugs is no Joke. 50 yards, open sights, Browning A5 with Hastings 24" barrel.

298302

This one was shot with a Brass Insert projectile and a load of 23 gr of Unique, new Rio Hull, Roll Crimped The slug weighs 550 gr and the velocity was around 1150-1200 fps, so this was a relatively light load. Still with a 500+ gr slug you really don't need much higher velocity as nothing is going to live thru getting hit by a 12 ga. slug anyway. Probably not shooting Polar bears with these., and I would probably push them a bit higher for big stuff.

I almost cried when I saw the first three holes on that target in a cloverleaf! Had to put two more on it just to make sure it wasn't a fluke.

I am about to get my Mossberg Rifled Barrel back from Vang Comp after shortening it to 18.5" and lengthening the Forcing Cone and I have some Lyman and Lee Slug Loads I am going to test out thru that barrel. I also have a Rifled Choke Tube I am hoping produces some decent results from my Monkeyberg.

As long s the OD of the Slug/ Wad is close to .730 it should perform well in a Rifled Barrel. I'm using the Claybuster Blue Slug Wads with a 16 ga. 1/8" card in the bottom with these, and the Lyman's measure .729 across the wad, and the Lees are .727. I will powder coat both Slugs to get a few more thou on them and they should work great.

I am not one for Butt Kicker Loads so I will be looking at 1200-1300 fps from these

There is a Slug Insert mould from Lee thru STI that makes the inserts. $18?

Randy

I really like those slugs too. I would like really like a slug in the 300gr weight area. I was thinking of maybe having a mold made & casting Zlugs for those sabots

[W.R.Buchanan]

Problem is a 300 gr 12 ga slug is only going to be less than 2/3 the size of a normal Lee Slug. In that STI Sabot there wouldn't be enough mass to get any Penetration. You could probably makes some Aluminum Inserts for the sabot but once again there isn't enough mass to do anything more than punch holes in paper targets If they flew strait.

I had really good luck with the Brass Inserts. Seemed like the ideal mass forward to balance that projectile out. The Lead inserts were not quite as accurate but still acceptable, I don't think anything lighter would have enough weight forward to balance the slug as it flies, even while spinning. Plus the Inertia of the heavier slug keeps it going in the same direction as it was launched.

Randy

[Hogtamer]

You could cast it with zinc.

[Blood Trail]

I know with soft lead, the hammerhead slugs from run either right around 505-510 grs total ejection weight including the SWP wad.

To add to what others have said, it’s a really accurate slug.

I’ve loaded every combination of powder listed with great accuracy. I even submitted the longshot data to the company when they didn’t have longshot listed.

I settled on using 800X for my load. I have them running around 1650 fps and here’s a couple groups:

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220330/babe21c1fb66aa21ee8ed5b8dff7bf4f.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220330/5dbf57ef43e7138002e0cf4b7fc8bf80.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220330/e3abdb4a857feeb3db3a742370504949.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220330/aa51692ef76d3f2a25b9554adc90772b.jpg


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[NyFirefighter357]

You could cast it with zinc.

I have a of zinc WW to try at some point just for this reason.

[NyFirefighter357]

I know with soft lead, the hammerhead slugs from run either right around 505-510 grs total ejection weight including the SWP wad.

To add to what others have said, it’s a really accurate slug.

I’ve loaded every combination of powder listed with great accuracy. I even submitted the longshot data to the company when they didn’t have longshot listed.

I settled on using 800X for my load. I have them running around 1650 fps and here’s a couple groups:

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220330/babe21c1fb66aa21ee8ed5b8dff7bf4f.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220330/5dbf57ef43e7138002e0cf4b7fc8bf80.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220330/e3abdb4a857feeb3db3a742370504949.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220330/aa51692ef76d3f2a25b9554adc90772b.jpg


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

If I could do that with zinc It would be about 320gr. Those are some impressive groups.