Low Cost Shotgun Slugs

[Meketrefe]

As many of you probably know shotgun slugs are becoming so expensive and whether is loaded shells for practice or just the slugs to reload.
Also one can cast them but there is some serious investments and melting lead is not an option inside the house at least for many and it is also a hardarous thing so many do not want to do it.
So I have been thinking for a long time about a solution and came up with this idea and process that works really well.
I just want to open the thread in case someone is interested but the goal is to make the slugs good enough for practice and for 10-15 cents already reloaded vs. the crazy prices we are paying
today. It doesn't have to be lethal, it doesn't have to be the most accurate, it just hast to be easy, affordable and yes work with a reasonable degree of accuracy and reliability.

https://www.ballisticproducts.com/bp...out/slugs1.htm



So what I did was start collecting 20 gauge hulls aside from the 12ga. hulls that I already have and use for reloading regular bird and clay target loads.

One of the first things I wanted was to be able to use the same powder, wads adn everything I use for bird shells making everything compatible and thefore easier and cost effective.

I realized that the diameter of the 20ga shell would be perfect to form a projectile for the 12ga.

BORE DIAMETERS

Bore / mm / inches

12

18.53

.729

20

15.63

.615

410

10.41

.410

So a 12 ga slug made from a mold would have a .681" diameter (more or less) that along with the wad will allow to fit perfectly inside the shell.
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/778...eter-525-grain

So when using a 20 ga shell that is originally design to work on a .615 bore but it is actually larger on the chamber we will have to do two things
when forming that shell into a cup. One will have to remove the rim that is larger and 2nd we will have to size it to the desired size.

For this I made a couple of simple dies that all they do is to form a cup with the 20ga shells. That is how the process is started.

so these are the steps I follow...

A) I cut the 20ga shell to the size cup I want and to be formed.
B) I put the 20ga shell on a punching die that has a lip for the rim and when I push in the reloading press this swags the shell down
and both removes the rim but also gives me a cup with the actual brass/metal part and a bit of the plastic accordign to the cut length.
C) The cup is pointed a little and I put the cup on a wood tray I made with a 3/4 drill for 50 cups and or shells.
D) Then it comes the filling process. Here you have several options all good options and cost effective and with different densities and weights.
- Fill the cup with shot shell. One should leave a bit of space to seal the cup with either wax or hot glue.
- Fill the cup with nylon, silicone, windown glacing and any other mixture you can find. Bulk liquid glue is also inexpensive and easy.
- Clay or even sand will provide a good media to add weight to the slug. Liquid glue or paint mixed can be pored on top to seal the media you use
so it will not come apart when firing.
E) The end part of the slug could be finished with something of less density that will provide support to the mass inside so the slug will
not desintegrate. Like a cheap woold dowel cut in little cylinders, or even foam or some plastic scrap. I found that even 410 shell heads
make a perfect cup to end the cup formed from the 20ga so it all comes out as a one sealed unit and if one uses liquid glue or hot glue like
other materials this will be sealed and very strong.
F) Once these are cooled and dried / glued next day you load them as regular inexpensive slugs usign the regular shot wad as the based
for them.

If one is using a scale for filling whatever media inside the cups one can get pretty consistent through the entire process. In reality is not
very different from reloading shells with powder. One could use a dipper depending on media. Then it is a matter or having a tray with a good
batch and finishing the sealing in a consistent efficient way.

I have tested a few variations and they are working great. I am testing more with some other media and I am liking the results and even
the accuracy.

I promise pictures.

[thughes]

why not wax slugs made from old crayons and lead shot: cheap, easy, relatively safe to make indoors, accurate enough for practice, etc.

[Meketrefe]

why not wax slugs made from old crayons and lead shot: cheap, easy, relatively safe to make indoors, accurate enough for practice, etc.

Those will work too. I think however the 20ga cups behave more like a varmint round but even more brutal. And on top the cheapest option so far that is the sand mixed with
liquid glue or some other agent (very cheap) can be contained in the cup w/o the fear breaking apart to damage anything. you see the 20 shell head makes a perfect jacket of soft material that swags perfectly and will not damage
anything while carrying all the weight of the load straight to the target. Plus also the cup puts a bit of a taper that makes it more ballistically efficient.
I have not tried this for terminal effects but my take it could be pretty brutal. Sicne the made up jacket gives a bit more penetration but then it explodes as a varmint round (like
the varmint grenades) but 10 times bigger. So I am going to say will provide decent penetration and then massive broad wounding. But I will not shoot an animal with them,
well unless an emergency /shtf.

But yes the wax / crayons is an old method that can be used. Same wiht cut shells. they are just not ballistically efficient but they do work that is for sure.

What I am doing is trying to replicate and even improve the trajectory and accuracy of the commercial loads even high end commercial loads w a bit less recoil and a lot lot cheaper.

[thughes]

pics

[Meketrefe]

Also with the jacket one could make an igniting and mildly explosive round. not sure what the purpose but it might have an application in the wild like chopping down a tree! lol.
I believe there is a potential to replace the dead primer in the head of the cup with a live primer. But his will have to be seen in many tests before confirming this is a safe option.
But in reality not very different than some other obsolete and obscure rounds now that could be designed for specific things. But I am not going to try this ... well at least not now. lol.

[thughes]

stuff like taofledermaus is doing?

[DarthVader]

This is out of my league but I like what your saying Meketrefe..I remember you helping me with some info on reloading over at NYF,but that was not going to happen because of the landlords and to make thing worse I really do not have a place to do any reloading even if I did my landlord is dead set against me doing it even though he has reloaded before..

But like I mentioned I really like what your doing to see about saving with the cost of 20 and 12 gauge slugs..

Clarence

[Meketrefe]

I promise pics. And yes I am surprised how well they are working.

who is taofledermaus anyway? LOL

[thughes]

who is taofledermaus anyway? LOL

Prepare to lose a few hours.....make sure you check out all the other stuff he does (especially with mercury and other chemicals)

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...4AC0C59947E7A9

[Meketrefe]

OK, as promised....































​

[Meketrefe]

Anyone interested on a specific variation of the home made slugs?

[Meketrefe]

So any questions, suggestions, etc?

[thughes]

I don't have a lathe. :-(

Seriously, I came across a how-to awhile back that I have been trying to find again....basically the author was buying cheap target loads, opening them and melting the lead and casting slugs, and dropping the slugs back in with a roll crimp. I like what you've posted but I don't have access to 20ga shells and would be much more likely to buy a lead pot than a lathe. I do appreciate your always-informative posts though!

[Meketrefe]

At any clays club one can find truck loads of hulls in the trash any given weekend.
If one doesn't have a lathe is simple, have someone cut you one (very simple job) or one can even make one with a drill press. Not as nice and only to punch the heads
but that is how I started. They are a little more rougher but this works. Obviuosly with the threaded die is easier in the press but punching them in and out on a solid
die is not so bad.
There are several advantages vs. melting lead. This gives you the option to use other media and you have the precise same projectile just with more or less weight/density.
Also they seem to be more accurate than the shorter modded ones. One can put more weight too. Another advantage is that one can still melt led but don't even need a melting
pot. simply remove the plastic hull and with the brass only and old primer put the shot and with a torch melt the shot.
Really, once you start going one can put 50 shells in no time and that is a lot of money if one is to buy commercial slugs. I calculated that I can do 50 slugs for $6 vs. $45-50 of the
other alternative. It is a no brainer and what I am surprised is how well it works.
If you are interested let me know.