Reloading 12 ga Slugs

[kb]

Im just begining to reload 12 ga slugs, and would like to hear of your experiances/loads, ect.  I am trying to keep it cheap.

I will be roll crimping.  So far I have ordered STI Buckhammer, BPI's Dangerous game (both with & without the sabot), and am curious about Lee's and Lyman's offering.

I believe in keeping it simple.  What are your experiances?

kb

[.45 COLT]

Can't get much simpler than the LEE. The 1 Ounce slug and a dose of Blue Dot is a good shooter in my guns, tried their 7/8 ounce slug and found it was wildly inaccurate.

DC

[Roger_Dailey]

kb,
I've been playing with some of the same components.  My intent is to develop an accurate plinking load.  All my work has been in a Hastings rfiled barrel on an 870 pump. Some things I've found:
- good roll crimping takes a little practice
  -- a little dwell time is needed to warm the plastic, but not too much
  -- a little lube on the case mouth helps
  -- its important to have all shells crimped to the same length
- The SPW wad/slug combo shot very when driven at max load.  Lower speed loads tended to tip
- The BRI Blu Force are showing some good promise.
- I haven't found a wad that holds up with the Lee slug. 
  -- The wads I've used are Claybuster white, W/W yellow and W/W red
  -- All of the wads have left LARGE amounts of plastic fouling
  -- Sometimes the "floor" of the wad pushes into the base of the slug far enough to rupture
- I'm playing a little bit with some roundball loads, but have nothing to report

Take care, have fun....
Roger D. in Southern Indiana   

[.45 COLT]

- I haven't found a wad that holds up with the Lee slug. 
  -- The wads I've used are Claybuster white, W/W yellow and W/W red
  -- All of the wads have left LARGE amounts of plastic fouling
  -- Sometimes the "floor" of the wad pushes into the base of the slug far enough to rupture
- I'm playing a little bit with some roundball loads, but have nothing to report

Take care, have fun....
Roger D. in Southern Indiana   

The Federal 12S3 wad works pretty good with the LEE slug.

A hard card wad under the slug should stop the wad pushing into the base of the slug. It did for me.

Punkinball loads are a lot of fun to play with, so are multiple ball (larger than Buckshot, smaller than Punkinball) loads.

DC

[Roger_Dailey]

The Federal 12S3 wad works pretty good with the LEE slug.

A hard card wad under the slug should stop the wad pushing into the base of the slug. It did for me.

Are you saying the Federal 123S didn't leave large amounts of plastic fouling in a rifled barrel?

Thanks for the reminder about the card wads.  I did stumble on to that solution.  I made cards out of various materials.  Picture matting seemed to work best for me.

Thanks,
Take care, have fun....
Roger D. in Southern Indiana

[.45 COLT]

Are you saying the Federal 123S didn't leave large amounts of plastic fouling in a rifled barrel?

Thanks for the reminder about the card wads.  I did stumble on to that solution.  I made cards out of various materials.  Picture matting seemed to work best for me.

Thanks,
Take care, have fun....
Roger D. in Southern Indiana

Sorry, I should have specified - I do all my shotgunning with smoothbores. The 12S3 wad doesn't have a rib in the cup like others do and seems to stay together better than the AA or Claybuster. The rib will cut a pure lead slug (doesn't seem to affect the flight if it does, but I dunno) and will shear the petals if the slug is Hardcast. I really dislike most Federal products, but the 12S3 seems to work well for this particular purpose.

I suspect 'most any wad will leave plastic fouling in a rifled bore, but I can't say that for positive. Maybe a wad that's made of a harder plastic, sort of like the old white T-Wad might be a little better?

DC

[Ranger J]

20G over the powder wads work well to put between AA wads and slug.
RJ

[wgr]

wonder if a guy could paper patch the slug   and get good results it a full rifled bore

[varmitbob]

I prefer the DG Slug.  I shoot them out of my 12 ga, and my kids shoot them out of their 20 ga.  I have tried many slugs, to include some of the most expensive slugs, and have gotten the best results with the DG Slug roll crimped.  All the barrels are Remington rifled, with open sights.  They are extremely easy to load, economical, and very accurate out past 100 yards. I use 3" for the 12ga., and 2-3/4" multi-hulls for the 20ga.
  These are for smooth, and rifled barrels, but I have only used them in rifled barrels.  They are very effective on deer.