slugs for shotgun

eldorablerentals · April 28, 2011, 02:12 PM

Hi
I am looking at reloading a 20 gauge, 16 gauge, and 12 gauge with slugs and experimenting for deer season. Clearly I am looking at an early start.

My question is when you allow for the plastic wadding inside the shell... what caliber lead slug is appropriate for each gauge? I am already set up for a 405 grain .454 for a 45/70 springfield and I was wondering how appropriate that slug would be for any of these gauge guns.

I am loading with Red Dot... so I am also wondering about how much powder to put under each one.
Jerry

DPris · April 28, 2011, 05:12 PM

You don't buy or cast lead shotgun slugs for handloading by "caliber".
You buy a 12-gauge slug for a 12-gauge bore, and so on.

If you're looking at saboted rounds, those do use bullets, encased in a plastic sabot.

I'm not aware of any lead projectiles used with sabots.
Clarify what you're trying to do?
Denis

zippy13 · April 28, 2011, 05:58 PM

Greetings eldorablerentals, and welcome aboard.

Most folks don't shoot enough slugs to get into loading them. Yet, there are members who load their own and report good results. There are many choices when it comes to the actual slugs. Obviously the cheapest are home cast. Lee makes inexpensive molds to cast 12-ga 1-oz and 7/8-oz slugs that use conventional one piece wads. Loading instructions are included with the molds. Ballistics Products offers a variety of molds and ready-made slugs as well as loading data.

I think you'll find that most slugs are in 12-ga with a few 20's. You'll be lucky to find them in 16-ga.

April 28, 2011, 02:12 PM	#1
eldorablerentals Junior Member Join Date: April 28, 2011 Posts: 3	slugs for shotgun Hi I am looking at reloading a 20 gauge, 16 gauge, and 12 gauge with slugs and experimenting for deer season. Clearly I am looking at an early start. My question is when you allow for the plastic wadding inside the shell... what caliber lead slug is appropriate for each gauge? I am already set up for a 405 grain .454 for a 45/70 springfield and I was wondering how appropriate that slug would be for any of these gauge guns. I am loading with Red Dot... so I am also wondering about how much powder to put under each one. Jerry

April 28, 2011, 05:12 PM	#2
DPris Member Emeritus Join Date: August 19, 2004 Posts: 7,133	You don't buy or cast lead shotgun slugs for handloading by "caliber". You buy a 12-gauge slug for a 12-gauge bore, and so on. If you're looking at saboted rounds, those do use bullets, encased in a plastic sabot. I'm not aware of any lead projectiles used with sabots. Clarify what you're trying to do? Denis

April 28, 2011, 05:58 PM	#3
zippy13 Senior Member Join Date: August 23, 2008 Location: SoCal Posts: 6,442	Greetings eldorablerentals, and welcome aboard. Most folks don't shoot enough slugs to get into loading them. Yet, there are members who load their own and report good results. There are many choices when it comes to the actual slugs. Obviously the cheapest are home cast. Lee makes inexpensive molds to cast 12-ga 1-oz and 7/8-oz slugs that use conventional one piece wads. Loading instructions are included with the molds. Ballistics Products offers a variety of molds and ready-made slugs as well as loading data. I think you'll find that most slugs are in 12-ga with a few 20's. You'll be lucky to find them in 16-ga.