Any of you fellas load shotgun slugs?

[Zombie Steve]

I cast and load lots of pistol and rifle calibers, but I've never done shotgun. In my never-ending search for lead, I have come across a whole lot of really soft lead I can't use for pistol / rifle unless I spent a ton of money on tin to come up with a 20:1 alloy or something similar.

I starting thinking about casting the soft stuff into 7/8 or 1oz slugs and turning the mossberg 500 into my new big bore rifle. [Coffee]

If anyone here has experience doing this, I'd like to pick your brain about some things. I don't know what I don't know yet. For the low volume amount I think I'd be shooting, I kinda liked this guy's idea...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpCYBgs_KBk

Keep it really simple.

Even though the Lee Load All 2 is only $50, is it going to save me any hassle considering I'm not interested in loading shot?

What mold block do you fellas like? Round ball? Pellet shaped? Obviously, I'm shooting a smooth bore. Any recommendations? Anything I need to know about hulls, wads, primers... ????

Clearly, I have some reading to do, but I'd be willing to trade some lead and / or cast slugs if anyone has a setup I can come check out.

[cstone]

I just ordered a Lee 7/8 oz key drive slug mold. That is where I am starting. Slugs seem to be the only shotgun ammunition worth loading right now.

I assume this will be a learning experience.

I need to load up some of the 1 oz Thug slugs I picked up from BPI just to see what type of accuracy I can expect at 50 yards.

[Zombie Steve]

Any reason I couldn't expect acceptable accuracy with this slug at 50 yards or so:

http://www.ballisticproducts.com/Lyman-12ga-Sabot-Slug-Mould/productinfo/1244112/

in a trap wad, smooth bore? I don't need a rifled slug or a rifled choke, right?

Again, I plan on getting the Lyman manual for shotgun loading, but I just want to make sure I have that much straight...

[cstone]

That is my thought. No choke, smooth bore barrel shooting a slug in a trap wad. With the right powder load should give me ~2" at 50 yards out of my 870.

Casting slugs has to be cheaper than the current .80 cents and higher cost of factory slugs.

If I could, I wouldn't mind sluging my 870 barrel and having a custom pumpkin ball mold made.

I have read that if you are looking for rifle accuracy, some of the factory sabot rounds out of rifled barrels will produce outstanding accuracy, but those rounds can get pricey.

[sellersm]

Another option is something similar to the Dixie Tri Ball loads or the Dixie Slugs!

http://www.dixieslugs.com/products.html

Hang out for a while at some of the shotgun forums and you'll find lots of info/data for whatever you're going to cook up!

[Hoser]

I have loaded the Lee slugs and the Lyman "Sabot" slugs.

Neither was terribly accurate past 50 yards, but both were fun to shoot and easy to load.

Getting low recoil data for the Lyman is tough. Most all the data provided was for full-extra power ammo. Fun for a few rounds then it sucked.

[Bentsight]

I load my own using 100% lead cast from a 1oz Lee mold for 3 gun. They are running 1200fps, cycle my Benelli M1perfectly and are accurate to slightly better than minute of deer. Used them at the CO shotgun challenge and went one for one on the slug targets at 60, 70 & 80 yds.

[Zombie Steve]

I have loaded the Lee slugs and the Lyman "Sabot" slugs.

Neither was terribly accurate past 50 yards, but both were fun to shoot and easy to load.

Getting low recoil data for the Lyman is tough. Most all the data provided was for full-extra power ammo. Fun for a few rounds then it sucked.

That sucker is pretty heavy. 525 grains is 1.2 ounces? I imagine it would belt you pretty hard no matter how you loaded it. I like the shape, but I'm sort of leaning towards the Lee 7/8 oz (382 grains?) drive key slug. I would think you'd be able to get a less punishing load out of that if desired.

[Zombie Steve]

I load my own using 100% lead cast from a 1oz Lee mold for 3 gun. They are running 1200fps, cycle my Benelli M1perfectly and are accurate to slightly better than minute of deer. Used them at the CO shotgun challenge and went one for one on the slug targets at 60, 70 & 80 yds.

Sounds good to me.

Again, I don't have super high expectations about hitting beyond 50 yards. Just a good use of the lead, I get to shoot a gun I rarely ever shoot, and knock the living snot out of stuff in the process. There is a certain printer I have in mind for an "Office Space" kind of moment.

[earplug]

Zombie Steve if you shot a 45 ACP you could use that lead.

[Hoser]

Zombie Steve if you shot a 45 ACP you could use that lead.

He rarely shoots 44 or 45.

He is more of a 380 and 9mm kind of a guy.

[Zombie Steve]

Shaddup, Hosehound. All steely eyed missile men shoot 44 and 45... unless there's a ray gun handy.

http://thumbs3.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/m/mEYQpjeRC_XLLOOjZvHbNdA.jpg

Only fancypants intellectual Dr. Smith type dandies entertain 380 and 9mm.

http://www.defensetech.org/images/zachary_smith.jpg





I already use it to make the clip on wheel weights go further in .45 auto, but I've never been happy with how the cavities fill out without some tin... The softest I've ever been happy with was 3:2 clip-on to stick on.

[Rhino0427]

I'll echo what ZS said and raise the stakes by saying that when he says "we have a lot of soft lead", he means "WE HAVE A LOT OF SOFT LEAD". It would take years of zombie apocalypse to make a decent dent in our stock at a 3:2 ratio with clip-ons.