410 loading ?'s and chronoing?

[Old Ironsights]

BTT.

Waiting for some .399 swaged paper-patched bullets I scammed off of a guy to play with until I get a mold worked out...

Gonna try them in the .410 plastic hulls. They have a smaller ID.

The folks at Dixie Slugs tend to think the shoulder is a good idea if the bullet is ever to be loaded in standard hulls. It's somthing for the roll-crimp to set on...

[oksmle]

Folks .... Just to carry this a bit farther. I have been loading stuff for all my .410 shotguns (5) using .444 Marlin cases. The one shotgun they don't like to function in is my pump. The other four are (2) Savage Mod. 24s, O/U, a Spanish S/S & a single shot "Eclipse". I have attempted to use the loads in a friends Mod. 9410 & another's auto loader. Sometimes they worked, but not in a reliable fashion. These loads use #4 through #71/2 shot & Clay Buster S410 shotcups are used with an over shot wad to hold everything together. I've been doing this for probably ten years or so & am very satisfied with the results on game. When I decided to attempt a "slug" load I searched around for something that would fit the .444 Marlin cases & didn't even consider the plastic hulls. I won't go in to all the different types of bullets tried, but nothing gave the accuracy I wanted in any of the guns that had any choke at all. I have one Mod. 24 which I had cut the barrels off about 1/2" behind the choke to make it a true cylinder bore shotgun. I wanted it that way for jump shooting rabbits at short range where I was either required to shoot or lose the game. And if hit solid with a full choked gun (even a .410) too much meat was wasted. Both the Mod. 24s have receiver sights & the front sights have been changed to something I can see. Anyway the open choked gun surprised me at 25 yards & then at 50 when I used the Lee .45 cal. Minnie ball. It's a PITA, but I chucked up a bunch of them in the headstock of my wood lathe & turned the skirts down (by hand using a wood turning tool) until I had a Minnie ball that weighed about 225 grains. I was concerned about the bullet's nose sticking out so far, but since the guns are chambered for the 3" shell, when loaded into the shorter .444 Marlin case they worked just fine. Since I have solved my personal problem of supplyng a .410 slug & I know the hollow based bullet will work, I encourage you to have a special mold made to your specs. I will certainly order one even if it's designed for the plastic hulls.

oksmle

[Old Ironsights]

What kind of accuracy do you see out of the turned-down minnies?

Lee is more than willing to stop cutting a .450 Minnie at .412, but I wonder whether the hollow is deep enough to prevent tumbling beyond 50yds.

They WILL do a base pin at whatever depth we want, but I don't know what depth that would be.

Lee suggested getting 2 long base pins (set to say 2/3 OAL) then start grinding one down specific amounts until the bullet became unstable at Range X. Then grind the other one down to the recorded point just before that.

Extra $50 on top of the $125 mold cost for the extra plug though (since their base plugs are integral plugs and not adjustable pins...)

[oksmle]

Old Ironsights .... Now I wish I'd saved the targets. The first 25 yard target (fired by me) was 3 shots not quite touching. Then my shooting buddy sat down & fired 3 shots at the same target. He enlarged the group to about 2". We did the same thing at 50 yards & (I'm guessing now) I think he enlarged my 3" group to about 4 1/2", firing 3 shots each. I had loaded 15 rounds with Unique & another 15 with 2400. I don't remember now which we shot from the bench. But it was probably the Unique loads because I have so much of it I try to use it whenever possible. After that we shot the remaining rounds off hand at a 1# coffee can sitting at the base of the 75 yard berm. We bounced that can all over the place, but had to hold over quite a bit. (Remember the sights were sighted in for the .22 barrel at about 30 yards, & the shotgun barrel followed along where ever.)
BTW, I lubed the Minnies with my regular lube.

oksmle

[Old Ironsights]

I'm hoping for no more than 6" groups at 100yds out of a rifle-sighted .410 Levergun.

All about geting the "Foster Point" right.

[Old Ironsights]

A Lee #5 is the same as a Lyman #13 & RCBS #4

Pepe Ray

BTW: THe CBC .410 brass uses a LEE #14 shell holder...

[Single Shot]

Anybody try a single .390 round ball?

[C A Plater]

Anybody try a single .390 round ball?

Ballistic Products has a .375" 93 gr. round ball & wad kit available. I bought a couple of them but have not tried them out yet. Supposed to be able to load them with regular shot shell tools. I plan to run them through a Mec 600 I have for .410 and see what kind of accuracy I can get. They also have some stubby wads that would let you stack three or more in a shell. So many toys, so little time.