Which Slug Mold

[cabezaverde]

I have a 12 gauge fully rifled Encore barrel.

Have not done a whole bunch of work with slugs. Which mold do you guys suggest?

[tommygirlMT]

The Lyman mold that looks like a big overgrown air-gun pellet or a 0.735" round ball mold are you two best options as far as a commonly available mass produced slug mold.

[peter nap]

The Lyman mold that looks like a big overgrown air-gun pellet or a 0.735" round ball mold are you two best options as far as a commonly available mass produced slug mold.

I second the Lyman sabot lug. Very accurate and easy to load for.

[blaster]

I know the lee slug gets bad press sometimes, but I have found it too work well.

I zeroed my shotgun last week with lee slugs and had all clover leafs at 50 yards from a rifled winchester 1300 with a red dot.

To get best accuracy I sort the slugs by weight (+/-.005oz), put a puff of powdered graphite in each wad cup and load the slugs in lots so the poweder drop is consistant.

The mold is >$20 too, so why not try it.

[diehard]

I do pretty well with both the Lyman and the Lee, from smoothbore and using a rifled choke tube. The key to success with the Lee mold seems to be consistancy of components, and use of hard cards under the slug, at least for me. I really like the Lee slug.

Using just my smoothbores without the rifled choke tube, the Lyman shoots best.

[blaster]

Just shot a deer with the lee slug less than an hour ago. The Doe Hammer (that's what I call the lee HS6/remington gun club +graphite load) strikes again.

[cabezaverde]

Just shot a deer with the lee slug less than an hour ago. The Doe Hammer (that's what I call the lee HS6/remington gun club +graphite load) strikes again.

Blaster, can you give me that recipe?

[diehard]

Congratulations blaster! That's what it is all about (for me anyway).



cabezaverde, I would presume that the load is one of these from the link below....or something close to it, with the addition of graphite (as blaster stated in his previous post). I'm sure he'll chime in after he's done skinning.
http://www.leeprecision.com/cgi-data/instruct/SM%203529.pdf

I've shot lots of both the 7/8oz an 1oz Lee loads listed for Universal and HS-6 and definitely recommend the HS-6 loadings.

[blaster]

That is the one. The 1oz slug load at the very bottom. I use a claybuster knock off wad. The graphite seems to have eliminated the occasional flyer. It is a pretty good load in my opinion. Doesn't kick too hard. You get 175 loads from a lb of powder. A 100yd zero gives me a dead on hold +/-2" out to 120yd which is good enough for the hills and hollers of southern indiana.

[cabezaverde]

Graphite on the wads?

[blaster]

In the shot cup. Seems to help the wads release. Also I seat the wad and slug with my thumb so I can feel if the wad petals are binding.

[cabezaverde]

In the shot cup. Seems to help the wads release. Also I seat the wad and slug with my thumb so I can feel if the wad petals are binding.

How much in the cup and how do you apply it?

[big boar]

I prefer the Lyman but not by much. Blaster is right, for the price Lee is quite good and their cust. service is great. Even if you get the Lyman, buy the Lee as well. The first Lee slug mold I bought didn't seem to function well and I phoned the store I bought it from. He sent another and didn't even ask me to return the old one, just took my word for it and wanted me to be happy with the mold. They lost about $25 for a mold but got at LEAST $2000+++ in other products I've got from them. I wish other companies would understand this concept.

[blaster]

How much in the cup and how do you apply it?

I bought the graphite in a plastic, glue type, tube from walmart or autozone or somewhere. I just put 2 or 3 puffs into the bottom. Basically enough to cover the bottom of shot cup with a fine layer.

The problem people seem to have with the lee slug (and what I believe was causing my flyers) is the wad extruds into the base of the slug and sticks there for varying amounts of time. I was going to go with the nitro card and I'd read about filling the base with bore butter (cva muzzleloader lube/cleaner) but, I saw that tube of graphite and thought why not. Seems to eliminate inconsistant wad release.

My thought with the nitro card was that it negates the function of the "drive key" which is supposed to make the wad transfer the spin to the slug. With the graphite, the wad can still dig into the slug when it is under pressure but the graphite lubricant allows it to release cleanly after it leaves the muzzle.

[cabezaverde]

I have a bunch of mica as well as graphite. I wonder if the mica would work.

[blaster]

Seems to me like it would.

[blaster]

The Lee Doe Hammer struck in an old quary this morning at about 10:30. 60 yards right in the boiler room.

[Four Fingers of Death]

Good bye doe, hello hamburger.