I'm been loading Lyman 1-1/4 oz slugs in my Rem 11-87 for a while, with some good results. These are the ones shaped like giant airgun pellets. My 21" barrel has a rifled choke tube, but otherwise is a smoothbore. A modest charge of WSF powder and velocity of about 1100 fps produces promising accuracy, reliable ejection and tolerable recoil. Lately, however, I've been reading about others having success with the Lee 7/8 and 1 oz slugs, which also are designed to fit inside a regular plastic wad with a 7/8 oz shotcup.
My question has to do with the design of the Lee slug. What is the little "key" at the base of the slug about? Lee says its helps transmit the rotational forces of the rifling (assuming you have some) from the wad to the slug. How does this "key" grab the wad? Is it just friction? The bottom of the shot cup in my wads is smooth, nothing in particular for the "key" to grab.
I notice the mold for the Lee slug is only about $20, including handles, whereas the Lyman is more like $90 w/o handles. Cheap is good, sometimes best. Are others getting good accuracy results with Lee slugs. - CW