@Scott: if you read through the comments prior to yours: you would see that I live in Nigeria, there are NO slugs to buy, No smelting pot (Unless I fabricate one!) no primers, not powder, no reloaders.

Thanks for calling my slugs crappy: I realised that too and have improved them.

Its called the “McGyver spirit.” and it means people like me will thrive when the power goes out, when the factories shut down, when the jungles start creeping back into the deserted, fall-out infected cities…

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Ideally, you want 100% energy dump into the perp. In reality, you need enough power to ensure reaching critical organs at any effective range, and two holes means more perforation.

Also, the point is this was developed during the Depression, one didn’t “just buy” slugs or a bunch of reloading equipment, and offered as info for improvising when circumstances don’t allow “just buying” those items.

You could “just buy a Thompson SMG and not worry about shotgun slugs,” couldn’t you?

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The MOST effective round doesn’t go all the way through. And you’re right, it IS physics. A hollowpoint, or otherwise mushrooming bullet that doesn’t go all the way through will release all of its energy in the target, which is more effective than using half of it on the wall or ground behind your target.

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Birdshot does NOT “Act like a slug at close range.” The mass of pellets act like a fluid. There are numerous cases of bad guys standing up and walking away after being hit with birdshot. It often won’t penetrate the muscle and fat.

Before making pronouncements about what “Everyone knows,” study some physics or look for some test reports. You may be able to find them on the internet, if you have access to a computer.;)

This is a brilliant improvisation under the circumstances.

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@Michael M
If you take the shot out and melt it into a solid the weight remains the same, as long as the cast slug is slightly smaller than the bore size it shouldn’t produce any higher pressure than the original shot did.

Yman,
Have you ever seen a Rottweil/Brenneke slug?
http://www.rottweil-munition.com/en/db_article/Rottweil_BRENNEKE_Classic.php
Best slugs I ever shot out of my smoothbore, the slug is solid with the felt wad attached to the bottom of the slug with a small screw. I believe the wad stabilizes the slug in flight, like the vanes on an arrow, but for whatever reason it IS very accurate in a smoothbore. I’ve had 6 inch patterns at 50 Yards using them.

Another idea is to drill a hole just under bore size, but not thru the block. Then drill and tap a smaller hole centered in the bottom of the first hole and screw in a bolt which has had it’s tip filed to a point and screw it in till it just fully fills the hole, this will give you a tapered nose with a hollow point.
Then add to that something, that will set down into the top of the mold to give you your hollow base. To use it set it on a couple bricks as you will need room for the bolt head to protrude under the mold, pour the lead in and quickly set the hollow base formed into the lead.

I’m sure you can work out the details but that would give you a tapered hollow point foster type slug, and the bolt used to form the hollow point can be turned to push the slug out of the mold. You may want to use a threaded bolt for forming the rear cavity, as that could be screwed out of the finished slug. Also be sure the lead between the HP and the cavity is thick enough to hold the pressure of firing, don’t want the nose of the slug blowing out and leaving a ring of lead behind in the barrel!

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One thing that Y-Man might be interested in knowing is that the Lee Drive key slug is made to go into the shot cup of a one piece wad. (the instructions and descriptions are listed on the Lee Precision website. In the book Modern Reloading (the Lee reloading manual) he talks about how the support across the bottom of the slug,which they have termed a “drive key” keeps the wad from being pressed into and sticking in the slug. He talks about how if you dont have the drive key you need something like heavy cardboard or something to prevent that. My guess is that this is even more the case on cheaper trap shells.

I noticed that the design of that trap shell was rather different than the ones we get here. The design with the roll crimp makes it easy to do your modification,but I wonder if Federal Gold Medal shells are available to you. The federal Gold Medal shells or Winchester AA shells. These are listed in the manual that comes with the lee slug molds as working well for their slugs. (I think its the wads that the most critical part) They do have a star crimp instead of the roll crimp like the ones you used had. In any event,not having the lee mold,you are stuck with your own custom slugs. It might help to put something solid under them like heavy cardboard.

Still,what you have there looks damn good. At 20 cents a piece for the low power Walmart sporting load in a box of 100, I’m tempted to give it a try myself using the Lee Mold.

Stay safe and most importantly be careful this discussion cant be traced back to you. The internet is a lot less anonymous than people realize and your downright dangerous (in what I consider a good way though ). If the wrong person was to come across this they might be inclined to try to track down who was doing it.

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The situation is different for Y-Man. He cant buy any of that stuff so he had to take the risk. What else can he do. Its either that or rely on bird shot which CAN be used,but in many cases is sub-optimal. It worked and it worked well. He should look at the cases carefully for over pressure signs. If he finds any issues,he should reduce the charge in the case or perhaps remove some of the shot when he casts his slugs to make a lighter higher velocity slug that should result in reduced pressures. He should also stick to the brand of shells that he has found works. Just becuase it works with one brand does not mean it will necessarily work with another.

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You would want to be careful with those though. In many cases a 12ga with bird shot will kill just as well as a slug because at close range the pattern is very tight and is going to leave a lot of pulverized tissue. At longer range those slugs would be great so my first thought would be to have the first shell or two bird shot and then slugs behind it. If your gun holds 5 shots,you would keep one or two bird shot shell and 3 or 4 slugs in the gun,with 3 or 4 bird shot shells kept nearby. That way if you used the bird shots and not the slugs,you could swap those slugs out real fast with bird shot and ditch the slugs so when the authorities came you would not be caught with them. (Here in the US,we can get stuff that works well for home defense,but in some cases we cant have guns,like if your working at a mini market in a state that does not allow concealed carry of firearms) In those cases many beleive that “Its better to be tried by 12 than carried by 6″ referring to the fact that there are 12 people in a jury in the US and six people traditionally carry a casket.

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Inkedup: if you had read through carefully: you would have read that I am NOT based in any country where you can walk into a shop and buy ” a damn deer slug” We do NOT have them in Nigeria!

And I agree that shotguns for home defense is better with pellets: but not HERE! We build in Nigeria with concrete/ sand blocks 9 inches thick! And MY family is trained to find the lowest cover possible.

Also: a slug ALWAYS stops the antelopes I shoot occasionally at 35 to 50 yards MUCH better than your itty-bitty pellets!

(Look up antelope: a type of deer…)

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Just buy a damn deer slug round if you want. I for one will not go modifying rounds to “save a buck and look cool”

There are forces here that can obviously kill – I prefer to leave my manufacturing to the professionals.

Seems like a dumb thing to try if you ask me.

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That being said I have an ideal to get even more performance out of your 12 gauge:

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6688/878/1600/SHOTSHELL.jpg

From here:

http://freedomguide.blogspot.com/2005/07/long-range-shotshell-idea.html

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Did you just not read the intro, the linked article or the comments, or did you just look at the pretty pictures?

Where exactly does one purchase molds and slugs (for next to nothing) for about $17 USD in Nigeria?

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