Rapine 735600 Slug mold

[pipehand]

I got tired of waiting on the MP Buckbuster group buy in the fullbore version, so when a proper sized new old stock Rapine mold showed up in the auction site, I bought it. It should show up in the next week or so.
Anyone have any experience with this mold in smoothbore or rifled barrel? I am thinking of tumble lubing or powder coating, and then loading over a card column in 3" new Cheddite hulls, roll crimped.

[longbow]

I had a few given to me to try. They shot quite well for me.

I think it is a well designed slug.

Good luck and please post range results.

I'll suggest filling the hollow cavity with hot melt glue, caulk, wax or similar. I'll also suggest tumbling the filled slugs in a baggie with Mica, graphite or talcum powder to prevent the wads from sticking to the filler.

In my experience even hard card wads can be swaged into HB slug cavities by 10,000 PSI. Filling prevents that from happening.

Longbow

[pipehand]

Thanks, Longbow.
I'm going to look at some old data for some 1&3/8 ounce loads with blue dot.

[longbow]

I used the Precision Rifle data for their 610 gr. Piledriver full bore slug for my 0.735" RB loads. The 0.735" RB weighs about 580 grs. so 1.33 oz. Here is the load table:

308284

The pressures seem a bit high to me but the round ball has less bore contact and is lighter so I went with it and started at 36 grs. BD then worked up to 40 grs. but recoil was unpleasant to say the least so I backed down to 38 grs. I did not and would not load to 44 grs. of BD.

You should also search Blood Trail's posts. He has loaded and pressure tested for slugs that are heavier than typical slugs so there is likely some good info there for that slug. I don't recall it being that heavy but I am guessing the "600" is grain weight. I'll have to see if I have any left. I doubt it but I may have a recovered slug to check.

I have loaded slugs up to 880 grs. using equal weight birdshot data.

Longbow

[Blood Trail]

Any new update?


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[pipehand]

Any new update?


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Just picked it up from the post office yesterday. I just tried to upload a pic, but was unsuccessful. That has been the case since i got this phone. Got to figure out how to dumb down the pics so this and a couple of other sites will accept them. The mod is new and unused old stock. It will be a while before I get to cast with it. Hoping y'all have a Blessed Christmas, and everyone makes it through this cold snap without health or property damage.

[longbow]

Correction from my end... I think the Rapine slugs I had were .730550. I don't recall the load recipe but since Greg Sappington sent them to me I'd think I would have used his load suggestion. 550 grs. is about 1 1/4 oz.

Your 0.735600 would have been a better slug for my gun as the bore diameter is 0.733".

Any 1 3/8 oz. birdshot load data should be suitable but you should check your bore diameter because if it is 0.729" or less that is a fair bit of squeeze assuming the slugs cast at 0.735". I wouldn't powder coat if the slugs are already larger than bore diameter.

Another factor that can raise pressure is if you use data with a cushion leg wad but replace the wad with a hard card wad column. The lack of "crush" can raise pressure.

Best to look at dedicated slug data for 1 3/8 oz. payload with stiff wad column. The Piledriver data will be good but if the slugs are more than a couple thou over bore diameter i'd drop the powder charge a bit to start with. If you get sticky extraction you are overpressure. I mention that because I had some loads that I didn't think would be a problem but wound up with sticky extraction so they were certainly over pressure.

I'll be watching for a range report! That is a good looking slug! Not sure why no-one else makes a full bore mould like that.

Merry Christmas to you and yours as well... and to everyone here!

Longbow

[GBertolet]

I have the Rapine 550 gr slug. I have had problems with the wadding being forced up into the cavity. I experimented with hot glue in the base, and tried inserting a nylon ball also to fill the cavity. The wall skirt is just too thin. I had experimented with making a smaller diameter base plug, which made a thicker skirt wall. Slugs weight over 600 grains, when cast this way. The slugs cast rather on the large side, so I made to a series of sizer dies that fit a Herter's Super 3 press. I could make them exact size for whatever shotgun I was testing, in an effort to keep the pressures down. Shot better, but still not as well as the .735 round ball does.

I feel this mold is an uncompleted work in progress. I feel it can be made to shoot, with the right combination of components, if you are willing to spend the time and expense. Powder coating the slugs in something I never tried yet.

I don't think Rapine is in business anymore. Their molds are worth hanging on too. I lived only 45 minutes from the Rapine shop. Way out in the middle of nowhere. So I purchased my mold directly from there in the early 1990's, when my county went to shotgun only for deer. I do have one of their bullet catalogs, in my nostalgia files. They had a quite extensive listing.

[JAMESGR]

I had trouble with the hot melt glue being loose in the slug base when cooled. The glue could be pulled out of some of the hollow base or would come out somewhere in flight.
I solved this by filling the base with hot glue. Then cutting the glue flush. I now turn the slugs upside down on a cookie sheet and put them in the toaster oven on 200 degs. for 10 mins. After cooling the glue ain't coming out. Can't even dig it out.
Best of luck with your new slug mold.
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE
JAMES
JAMESGR

[Blood Trail]

I never had an issue with fiber wads being pushed up in the hollow base of any hollow base slug. I add a hard card between the fiber wad and slug. The hard card always keep the base free of any wad.


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[pipehand]

308538
Still haven't cast any yet, but this is the mold.

[longbow]

That is one nice looking mould! Now we need slug pics! Or at least I do. Then of course range reports! Yoiu have your work cut out for you.

I like both the Rapine slugs 730550 and the 735600 but sadly neither is available now. I guess Accurate could make a mould but Tom doesn't cut HB pins. I can make my own though.

Maybe once you get some slugs cast could you take some close up pics? I can use a graphics program to "trace" the outline then put that into AutoCAD and then into a 3D program to model the slug. I could propbably use the Rapine graphic for that slug but not sure if it is to scale.

Longbow

[phaessler]

WOW...thats a sweet looking mold for sure...

[Greg5278]

My heavy load uses IMR 4759, and will stomp on both ends. It's 1555 FPS with the 735600 Slug.
My Mold was a salvaged reject from Rapine, it isn't right. Rapine never wanted to remedy or replace the Mold, it was started as a Minie Ball mold and bored off center.
They figured a .730 Cavity would remove the issue, but instead left an extra Band on the taper of the nose which in non-concentric.

Mine shoots great in Smoothbores, Rifled, not as well. Smoothbores shoot around 1.5-2" at 50 yards.

Greg
AKA 12 Bore

[pipehand]

As soon as I can cast some, i will post pics. The picture above, I figured out how to send myself the picture as an image in a message, save it to verizon messages and then take it from tjere to post it. Doing it that way is less than a quarter of the bytes as the original pic, which this and othersites reject. I usedto postmore pictures on forums, but once I got this high definition phone, my participation has fallen off. Will try to do better in the future.

[Blood Trail]

Ah, ok. I have that mold. Mine came with three different center pins: one for a deep hollow base (like the one you posted), one with a shallow hollow base, and one for a solid slug.


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[Cap'n Morgan]

As soon as I can cast some, i will post pics. The picture above, I figured out how to send myself the picture as an image in a message, save it to verizon messages and then take it from tjere to post it. Doing it that way is less than a quarter of the bytes as the original pic, which this and othersites reject. I usedto postmore pictures on forums, but once I got this high definition phone, my participation has fallen off. Will try to do better in the future.

If you create an account at https://imgur.com/ you can preselect the size of the image before upload, using the auto-size function (640x480 is fine for forums like this) You can then insert the image by clicking on it, copying the appropriate type of link from a list- I use BBCode - and pasting the link into your message.

[pipehand]

Thanks Captain. Will have to give that a try.

[Greg5278]

I normally use a 3/*" or so plastic ball in the cavity. The ones I use are Polyproplyene, and came from a Bearing manufacturer.
I don't seem to have too many giving me trouble, using 1 or 2 of the Maxi thick waxed cards from BPI. I think the cards are actually made by Fiocchi.
they seal well and release off of the slug base downrange consistently.

I think Corbins might even have Bullet Balls, that they use for Swaging pretty cheap.

Greg
AKA 12 Bore

[pipehand]

309286

[pipehand]

309287

[pipehand]

309288
You can tell it is nose heavy

[pipehand]

After Harbor Freigjt Red PC.

[pipehand]

309290
Followed the PDF Longbow posted. Used new Cheddite 2&3/4" 36 grains of BD.

[pipehand]

Here's the launcher. 870 express with a very old Remington rifled barrel. It had the really long and springy cantilever that took odd rings. I removed it, and used a Nikon 2x pistol scope in the scout position. There is a beer can shim between the barrel and receiver. It was last sighted in with the Lyman 525 clone slugs from an MP mold.309291

[pipehand]

Double posted

[pipehand]

All firing was done from a measured 25 yards away. It had been some time (like a year) since o had cleaned up this range, so I had to stomp down some weeds.
I used a hickory sapling of about 2" diameter as a standing monopod to steady my aim. The point of aim was the center of the 2x2" white gorilla tape square.
I was pretty happy as I saw holes appearing. First two shots about a one holer on the left square aand the third shot a little high and right. Same with the second aiming point- two together, and another a bit high and right, both times the third shot. All rounds loaded through the loading port, not the magazine. If you embiggafy the pics you will see the third shots impacted side on, nose down with the target.
I don't know what to say. Rifled barrel with a projectile larger than bore diameter, a projectie that shouldn't even need rifling to be stable, and there are two identical keyholes. Any suggestions, fellow leadslungers?

[pipehand]

BTW, with my alloy, the slugs weighed 591 grains. They didnt kick too bad at all with the 36 grains of bluedot, but I wasn't shooting off of a bench.

[pipehand]

Cap'n Morgan, I tried the Imgur thing, but I must be stoopid. It grabbed up all my media just fine, but i could find no way to modify and send it to this thread. Might be much easier on a 'puter.

[longbow]

What is your wad column? My first thought, as long as the slugs are larger than Groove diameter is that a wad, got stuck in a hollow base or possibly skirts deformed.

I have had even very thick skirt slugs cast from ACWW flair or otherwise distort. Heat treating and/or filling the hollow base with hot melt glue solved that. Also, a nitro card wad under the slug helps provide a solid flat base under the slug. Better than a hard card wad.

Did you recover any wads? I have recovered hard card wads extruded into the cavity unevenly.

You need a good stable wad column and nothing getting into the cavity plus no skirt collapse or distortion for good accuracy. It looks likes you are about there without the keyholes so solve that and you should be good to go.

36 grs. of BD should be a moderate load and not too hard on the slugs... or your shoulder!

Longbow

[pipehand]

I used a Precision reloading plastic gas seal, and 4 - 1/8" hard nitro cards, then the slug. I don't own a hot glue gun. I thought something could be getting hung up in the cavity, but couldn't find ant of the wad column. I didn't dig in the berm for the slugs either. As far as that went, the first two shots were close enough together that they would have met in the berm. All in all, once I solve the keyhole problem, I'm very happy with how it worked. Actually, the keyholed ones are still pretty close to the group. Maybe plastic balls ofthe right size will help.

[longbow]

There are lots of things you can use to try filling the cavity:

- paraffin wax
- flexible caulk like silicone or acrylic caulk
- bees wax
- drywall filler

The skirt is fairly thin on that slug so it is possible (likely) the skirts may be collapsing some and unevenly.

With the stack of nitro cards I'd say you have a hard enough wad column but the one right under the slug may be deforming and either causing skirt damage or pushing into the cavity... or both.

In my experience HB slugs tend to have deformation problems with the skirt. I should also say that all of my Foster/HB slug experience is with smoothbores though I doubt that makes any difference because the skirt distortion is going to happen either in the hull or during the passage through the forcing cone as that is where peak pressure should be.

In any case, filling a few cavities with wax or caulk or whatever is easy and cheap to try and if nothing else you get to compare results to see if it makes a difference... positive or negative.

Yes, the two group holes are very nice and if repeatable, you are close and just need to find out what is causing the keyholes. Looks like the slug and gun want to shoot!

Longbow

[pipehand]

Parafin would seem the easiest for me. I have some around here somewhere.

[Cap'n Morgan]

Cap'n Morgan, I tried the Imgur thing, but I must be stoopid. It grabbed up all my media just fine, but i could find no way to modify and send it to this thread. Might be much easier on a 'puter.

Well, I'm stoopid when it comes to smartphones, and use a PC for everything. Your best option may be to find an app to do the editing before you upload the pics.

[longbow]

I use Postimages and it is pretty easy to use. It is a free account and once set up you simply upload to the default album or create a named album. Pick "Upload" then navigate to the pic.

I think IMGUR is much the same but I haven't used it.

I find that Postimages works from a cell phone but it is more difficult to navigate and when uploading it seems I can only pick one picture at a time to up load then have to re-navigate. On a PC I can navigate to the folder with pics and tag several to upload at once. However, it does work from a cell phone if that is where the pics are.