I have seen posts about shooting round balls out of muzzel loading shotguns but has anyone used slugs in a 12 ga shotgun ? they don't weigh near as much as a 12 ga ball and most of them are almost hollow . they are almost an inverted hollow point . I have robbed several slugs out of 12 ga shotgun slug shells and would like to try shooting them in my bp pedersoli 12 ga sxs but don't know of any load data , has anyone else tried this type of load ?
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12 ga slugs
- Thread starter hornetk4
- Start date
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Just remember: a rifled slug is a very loose fit in a bore. They are designed to expand, yet still squeeze through a choke. It won't take much to jostle the slug off the powder and turn it into a bore obstruction.
bigbore442001
50 Cal.
I wonder if it wouldn't be a bad idea if you could have a custom made bullet mold of a slug fitted to the bore of your gun? That way it would shoot more accurately and the issue of the slug creeping up the barrel and acting like an obstruction would be minimized.
jimeckersley
40 Cal.
If the slug fits too loosely you can use a patch to hold it in place. I have a .58 mini mould that's a little undersize in a clean bore but works fine after the first shot. So I lay paper strips (+) across the bore and seat the mini for the first shot. I've also seen the 12 ga shotgun slugs used in a 12 bore. You can use either a cloth or paper patch if needed. Seems to work just fine.
Or you can put an overshot card wad over the slug to hold it in.
jimeckersley
40 Cal.
I sure wouldn't want a card wad slipping off to the side of a slug. It probably wouldn't but I'd personally rather rely on some paper strips or a cloth patch to hold an undersize slug in place.
I use a card wad over rd balls all the time. Don't think it would be a problem with a slug eitheras long as you use a good Tight fitting card. I am using .19 ga cards in my .20 ga for that reason.
jimeckersley
40 Cal.
What's the purpose of the card over the ball? Doesn't the patch provide a tight enough fit to hold the ball in place?
WV_Hillbilly
45 Cal.
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I have had encouraging results using the Lyman "Shocker" sabot slug (Sorry, but it does need a standard shot wad as a "sabot" to make it work).
The Winchester WAA12R wad is (I think) the kind that I used that worked best. This projectile looks like an oversized air gun pellet, which if you have done any serious shooting with air guns, you will know that even a smoothbore air gun will shoot pellets amazingly accurately within normal ranges.
So, basically you are doing the same thing as using a badminton shuttlecock (or "BIRDIE"). The design has a heavy nose and a light "tail" which is kind of "self-righting" in flight. I'm sure there are some users that might be able to explain this phenomenon better, but it does work.
You may want to fill the hollow space in the tail of the slug with a cornmeal filler, so the wad won't try to collapse into that space upon firing. After it leaves the muzzle, everything separates (as it should) and you are sending that gigantic "air gun pellet" on it's way to your target.
As I stated, you may have to do some experimenting with different wads and powder charges, and also please note that you can use a hard alloy for casting these as the slug doesn't need to obturate to fill the windage in the bore (the wad does that as a sabot). BTW, the last batch I cast were averaging around 510gr with the alloy I had on hand (wheelweights with pure lead at 3:1 ratio).
This slug will pulverize a cinder block, or a same size piece of solid rock. It has shattered 2x4's and will penetrate 24 inches of packed dry topsoil with ease. It also ruined my 1/4" steel plate .22 LR gong, as it buckled the plate and left a tremendous scar on the steel.
Please note too, that I was firing from a straight cylinder bore, no choke at all. I don't know if you could even load this combination in a choked barrel???
As usual, the obligatory liability disclaimer applies. You alone are responsible for what goes in, out, and on your muzzleloading firearm(s).
Happy Experimenting and PLEASE Shoot Safely,
WV_Hillbilly
The Winchester WAA12R wad is (I think) the kind that I used that worked best. This projectile looks like an oversized air gun pellet, which if you have done any serious shooting with air guns, you will know that even a smoothbore air gun will shoot pellets amazingly accurately within normal ranges.
So, basically you are doing the same thing as using a badminton shuttlecock (or "BIRDIE"). The design has a heavy nose and a light "tail" which is kind of "self-righting" in flight. I'm sure there are some users that might be able to explain this phenomenon better, but it does work.
You may want to fill the hollow space in the tail of the slug with a cornmeal filler, so the wad won't try to collapse into that space upon firing. After it leaves the muzzle, everything separates (as it should) and you are sending that gigantic "air gun pellet" on it's way to your target.
As I stated, you may have to do some experimenting with different wads and powder charges, and also please note that you can use a hard alloy for casting these as the slug doesn't need to obturate to fill the windage in the bore (the wad does that as a sabot). BTW, the last batch I cast were averaging around 510gr with the alloy I had on hand (wheelweights with pure lead at 3:1 ratio).
This slug will pulverize a cinder block, or a same size piece of solid rock. It has shattered 2x4's and will penetrate 24 inches of packed dry topsoil with ease. It also ruined my 1/4" steel plate .22 LR gong, as it buckled the plate and left a tremendous scar on the steel.
Please note too, that I was firing from a straight cylinder bore, no choke at all. I don't know if you could even load this combination in a choked barrel???
As usual, the obligatory liability disclaimer applies. You alone are responsible for what goes in, out, and on your muzzleloading firearm(s).
Happy Experimenting and PLEASE Shoot Safely,
WV_Hillbilly
Hillbilly, I've used plastic wads as sabots for round balls with excellent results in several shotguns, both muzzle and breech loading. In 12 gage I used a .648" ball from a Lyman mold that is no longer available. That gave fist size groups at fifty yards from several 12 gage guns.
I'm now loading a .562" ball in a plastic shotcup in a 20 gage breech loader and yesterday shot a 3/4" group of three shots at 50 yards, just touching the aim point. That gun has rifle sights. I had tried all of the available factory loaded slugs and none shot nearly so well except for the Brenneke one ounce Magnum slug which grouped well but 14" low of the point of aim. Those balls were also cast of hard alloy, which I think helps keep them round, without flattening from the acceleration up the bore. I first tried commercial swaged lead .570 balls and accuracy was not so good. I've always gotten better accuracy with the plastic wad than with a cloth patch. In fact, that is my only use for plastic in a muzzle-loader. :grin:
I'm now loading a .562" ball in a plastic shotcup in a 20 gage breech loader and yesterday shot a 3/4" group of three shots at 50 yards, just touching the aim point. That gun has rifle sights. I had tried all of the available factory loaded slugs and none shot nearly so well except for the Brenneke one ounce Magnum slug which grouped well but 14" low of the point of aim. Those balls were also cast of hard alloy, which I think helps keep them round, without flattening from the acceleration up the bore. I first tried commercial swaged lead .570 balls and accuracy was not so good. I've always gotten better accuracy with the plastic wad than with a cloth patch. In fact, that is my only use for plastic in a muzzle-loader. :grin:
I use the wad over the ball when i don't patch the ball.
I have done the same thing by cutting down Winchester AA plastic shot cups to just come up to the top of a .690 rd ball and used them in a .12 ga. Got good accuracy with them.
Russianblood
45 Cal.
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Sometimes I wish I could use plastic wads in my NW Trade Gun. I would like to give it a try on ducks but don't want the damage from the steel shot. But I just can't use plastic in a 18th firelock, reproduction or not. I may have to take out a second mortgage and buy some Bismuth.
Yea, i know what you mean. I used steel shot in my Navy Arms double barrel, but can't bring myself to do it in my flintlock Fowler. And no way could i afford Bismuth. So i guess i am done waterfowl hunting, at least with muzzleloaders.
I also have had good luck with the Lyman Shocker slugs. I have found that the Win AA wads are a bit thin as the petals sometimes get worn through going out the barrel. I have better luck with the brown CVA shotgun wads. Groups can be as small as 3 inches at 50 yds. I use 1 1/4 oz equivalent volume of Pyrodex RS. Drop at 100 yds is 9 inches lower than 50 yards. I find it best to put a soft 1/8" thick felt wads beneath the CVA "sabot" and fill the grooves of the wad with MaxiLub.
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