12g slug / buck reloads

[SnapShot]

I've been reloading rifle / pistol for a few years now.. and have been thinking about reloading 12g specifically for buck / slugs. but i've heard of lots of complications about reloading slugs - (bad compression / bad roll crimp) inaccurate etc....


is a drill press with attachment the only way to get a roll crimp?

what specifics should i be looking into to be able to produce reliable ammo.

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[DirectDrive]

Loading buckshot should be similar to loading birdshot.
Loading slugs...I dunno.

Instead of loading slugs, I would entertain loading load "single ball".
I remember reading an article about a guy that had his barrel measured for the optimum size ball.
(a cylinder bore or improved cylinder bore might yield best results)
Then he got a bullet mold for that particular diameter.
His results were very good, if I recall.

 

[WasrNwarpaint]

loading slugs with a roll crimp is easy I even used a hand battery powered drill, I had no issues whatsoever and in my saiga 12 they are very accurate, I can hit milk jugs at 100yds
but I spent a couple more bucks for a Lee 12ga reloader because the roll crimp method eats up the shell casing fast & you get less reloads
you will like shooting slugs they make BIG holes and much damage

 

[darkminstrel]

Instead of loading slugs, I would entertain loading load "single ball".

I have some factory single ball loads. Bought them to test next to slugs and the ballistics are very similar. The slug would be preferable for hunting due to expansion profile but for target shooting or HD I, personally, would be happy with a ball load.

There are so many jokes I could make right now.

 

[Stomper]

I have some factory single ball loads. Bought them to test next to slugs and the ballistics are very similar. The slug would be preferable for hunting due to expansion profile but for target shooting or HD I, personally, would be happy with a ball load.

There are so many jokes I could make right now.

I'm feelin' the strain from behaving, too!

 

[etrain16]

I'm looking to load for slugs and buck down the road myself. I've watched a number of videos on it. A guy that goes by FortuneCookie45LC has a number of videos on loading, including for slugs. But one thing I'm wondering - is it really necessary, for general shooting, to use the roll crimp? I've seen slugs done with both roll and star crimps, and it seems the star crimps would be a bit less of a hassle, especially with a MEC or Lee loader.

So is there a good reason to use the roll crimp over the star crimp when it comes to slugs?

Anyway, here is one of a number of videos FC45LC has put out on loading slugs, in this case, using the star crimp method:

By the way, this guy is good about answering any questions you ask on his channel. I've floated a number of questions to him in the past, and he has always responded. Seems like a nice guy.

 

[Member 5605]

Interested as well, but since shotgun reloading has been brought up...

What's your guys costs on reloading 12 gauge? Say playing around loads?

Maybe I'll have to start loading my own too...?

 

[darkminstrel]

So is there a good reason to use the roll crimp over the star crimp when it comes to slugs?

I think it has to do with reloading used hulls. The roll crimp is easier on them, or so I was told by someone who reloaded a bunch of 12ga.

 

[WasrNwarpaint]

is it really necessary, for general shooting, to use the roll crimp? I've seen slugs done with both roll and star crimps, and it seems the star crimps would be a bit less of a hassle, especially with a MEC or Lee loader.

So is there a good reason to use the roll crimp over the star crimp when it comes to slugs?

I spent a couple more bucks for a Lee 12ga reloader because the roll crimp method eats up the shell casing fast & you get less reloads, star crimp is also much faster I cant remember the cost per round but I certainly found that you can buy Federal 12ga paks cheap at wally world and not really worth reload target shot rounds but...it really saves money when you are making slugs or #00 buck, they are expensive rounds

 

[etrain16]

I spent a couple more bucks for a Lee 12ga reloader because the roll crimp method eats up the shell casing fast & you get less reloads, star crimp is also much faster I cant remember the cost per round but I certainly found that you can buy Federal 12ga paks cheap at wally world and not really worth reload target shot rounds but...it really saves money when you are making slugs or #00 buck, they are expensive rounds

I grew up hand loading 12g target/trap loads for my dad on a MEC 600. I agree, it would be a waste to load target loads now with the price of ammo in the store. But yeah, loading buck or slugs at home is a good way to save $$ - that's the main reason I have a loader at home now, just need to put it back to work.

 

[Sgt Nambu]

As a non-shotshell loader this has been an interesting topic for me! The superiority of the star crimp over the roll crimp has been discussed, using up the hulls prematurely, but aren't target hulls literally laying around waiting to be picked up? Gratis?

 

[etrain16]

As a non-shotshell loader this has been an interesting topic for me! The superiority of the star crimp over the roll crimp has been discussed, using up the hulls prematurely, but aren't target hulls literally laying around waiting to be picked up? Gratis?

I've had no trouble finding hulls if I want them. Go out to a few public lands shooting areas and you could probably fill a huge bag. When I was loading for my dad, he would use pickups he got at the trap range. At that time, it was a mix of plastic hulls and kind of paper/fabric hulls (not sure exactly what that material was, don't see it any more), but we would get multiple uses out of each hull - and the plastic definitely could be reloaded more often. That said, I never kept track of how many reloads we could get successfully from the hulls. You would just visibly inspect them and when they started to crack/break in the crimp area, it was time to toss them.

 

[ageingstudent]

As a non-shotshell loader this has been an interesting topic for me! The superiority of the star crimp over the roll crimp has been discussed, using up the hulls prematurely, but aren't target hulls literally laying around waiting to be picked up? Gratis?

They are laying around quite often, but it depends on what hulls as to whether they are useful. Shotgun is a little different in that there is usually little or no substitution of components allowed. I do see a fair amount of slug and buckshot capable hulls once in awhile. Often the bargain type hulls laying around aren't suitable or have no data for reloading.

 

[Sgt Nambu]

I also noticed that, in the video, the gentleman used low base hulls for the round shot loads. That puzzled me. Wouldn't high base loads be better? Please enlighten me, Will Robinson!

 

[ageingstudent]

I also noticed that, in the video, the gentleman used low base hulls for the round shot loads. That puzzled me. Wouldn't high base loads be better? Please enlighten me, Will Robinson!

As far as I know from what I have read and the 12 gage stuff I used to load the brass makes no difference. The low/high base was used to impress the shooter as to the power of a particular load. It's a good way to tell your loads apart if you have a mixed bag. You really don't even need the brass Estate makes some shells with no brass outside. There might be more data for high brass buckshot, ie, Winchester high brass vs AA low brass because buckshot doesn't come from the factory in AA trap hulls. The main difference with shotgun hulls is how the construction is inside. AA hulls are compression formed 1 piece plastic and many others have a separate basewad inside made of various materials.

 

[WasrNwarpaint]

frankly I have been reducing my loads with slugs and buck because for target shooting I get more rounds and for home defense use I dont want a slug or double 00 buck going thru several walls hitting someone that shouldnt be shot
as to hulls I like premium hulls that I can reload more often
there is a difference!

 

[WasrNwarpaint]

forgot to add premium hulls I use.....Remington range hulls....Remington STS hulls
try some and you will immediately notice the difference

 

[Sgt Nambu]

As far as I know from what I have read and the 12 gage stuff I used to load the brass makes no difference. The low/high base was used to impress the shooter as to the power of a particular load. It's a good way to tell your loads apart if you have a mixed bag. You really don't even need the brass Estate makes some shells with no brass outside. There might be more data for high brass buckshot, ie, Winchester high brass vs AA low brass because buckshot doesn't come from the factory in AA trap hulls. The main difference with shotgun hulls is how the construction is inside. AA hulls are compression formed 1 piece plastic and many others have a separate basewad inside made of various materials.

Thank you, good to know!

 

[WasrNwarpaint]

to make a small amount of slugs immediately without a big out lay of reloading cash or you just want a few boxes of slugs or buckshot, buy a Lee 7/8oz slug mold or a #00 buck mold, a 4 pak of federal 12ga. target loads, open the target rounds, melt the shot into 7/8 slugs and repack the slug back into the federal target 12ga. case, this down and dirty way is actually faster than building from scratch if your not really into reloading
I built hundreds of those slugs and it got me started in reloading everything from scratch properly.