Dumb question but do Lee slugs need wads?

[sheepdog]

Curious

[diehard]

The slugs are designed to fit inside a plastic shotshell wad cup.

[oldhickory]

And they're pretty dog-gone particular as to which ones too! Someone here said Federal works best. So far I've been pretty much a failure with mine, but I haven't gotten around to trying the Federals yet either.

[diehard]

IMHO this slug design was never intended for more than 70 yard shots. This is typical smoothbore slug range, and I have found the Lee Drive-key slug to shoot within 4-5" 50 yard groups with several different wads and hulls(good enough for hunting). Sometimes a hull/wad combo can get much better than that, but never will you get rifle accuracy. Quite a number of folks here and on other internet sites seem to prefer straight wall hulls with Federal wads. Those have worked for me too, but I have had decent groups through Winchester hulls using Winchester Wads as well. I also have found that through a smoothbore using IC and Modified choke tubes have shot best for me from my guns. My best results though come from using a rifled choke tube. Those groups got into the 2-3" range at 50 yards with a variety of loads.

No matter what wad I've used, without putting a hard nitro card under the slug my groups have been dismal. The hard card wad inside the plastic shot cup seems to be a necessity for accuracy with Lee slugs.

Once again I must state that I am no expert: I started reloading slugs last January. But I've loaded quite a pile of them since then using every possible hull/ wad combo I could scrape together. The most consistantly "accurate" loads for me have used the load data that comes with the mold that call for HS-6 powder.

happy sluggin'

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

+1 on the hard nitro card under the slug. This keep the slug from digging into the plastic wad and keeps the wad from wanting to cling ono the slug as it leaves the barrel.

[GrizzLeeBear]

I just shot my first loads with the Lee 1 oz. slug this weekend. I cast a couple dozen out of WW, air cooled and loaded 5 each with 32, 34 and 36 grains of Win. 540 (same as HS-6). Loaded in Federal Top Gun hulls, Win. 209, Federal 12S3 wad with a 20 ga. nitro card in the wad under the slug. Shot in a Remington 1100 rifled barrel with iron sights.
My goal is a 75 - 100 yard load for deer that doesn't beat the snot out of me. I prefer iron sights for deer hunting as I rarely have occasion to shoot at deer any farther than 100 yards, and I prefer them much closer. Lee data lists a load of 40 gr. of HS-6 in a Fed. hull for 1450 fps. I decided to try and work up until the load functioned the autoloader and hopefully be accurate and have a velocity of 1300 - 1400 fps.
The 32 grain load (as I expected) did not cycle the action. It didn't even have enough oomph to reliably eject, let alone pick up the next shell and was real "smokey" (low pressure).
The 34 grain load ejected all 5, but only picked up the next shell on 2 out of 3. Not as bad, but still a bit smokey.
The 36 grain load functioned all 5 rounds, although a little sluggish. Accuracy at 25 yards remained good will all loads, about 1 1/2" groups. I think I'll load the next batch with 37 grains and see how it shoots at 50 yards. Recoil with the 36 grains was brisk, but not brutal by any means.
On another note, prior to loading the Federal hulls I tried to load the 12S3 wad and slug in a Remington black hull that I have a bunch of. Not good. The shell was so fat that it would not go all the way into the crimp die, and actually stuck so tight that it pulled the base off the hull (spilling powder of course) when I tried to extract it from the die. The Federal hulls loaded and crimped perfectly.
I wanted to use the black remington hulls for my slug loads since I load shot shells for sporting clays, etc. with the Federal hulls. So, I will just have to mark the slug loads in the Federal hulls with a marker and make sure to keep them separate.

[wellfedirishman]

I have used the Lee 1 oz slug successfully with the following wad (from Cabelas):
21-3541 Remington Shotshell Wads FIG8S WAD @ $12.99 each

These work very well with 20 grains of International Clays powder, nice mild load that shoots great at 50 yards (that is as far as I shot them). I took this load straight from the side of the powder can for an equivalent weight of shot.

I only used them in a pump gun so cannot comment on whether this will cycle the action.