# Hand loading 20ga. slugs.



## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Bought my Remington 870 Slugger about 6 years ago. Young working the counter at the gun shop said he had bought one and found the cheap (for saboted slugs.) Remington 2 3/4 Buck Hammers worked best. My testing showed the same thing, when Remington announced they were going to stop building/selling them I bought all I could find at the time.
I figured i had enough for 20 years if I only shot twice a year.

I am a firm believer in practice not just setting at a bench but free hand and sitting, at odd angles and so forth.
I looked and just didn't feel right paying from 2.00 to 5.00 a shot for practice. So since i reload for every thing else why not the slugs.

Slugs are us were where I turned. I was also told,*"the Buckhammer is a copy of Rich Knosters SPW slug which was on the market LONG before Remington ever came out with their "Buckhammer""*
So the SPW sabot slug combo is where I went.
I used once fired Buck hammer hulls and, Federal power shock hulls at first. Never though about case prep so used my Mec 9000 to deprime the hulls and size them, Also used the press to press the sabots and slugs in place and had to fight to get the sabot started.

Learned a bit over the last few years on how to do things different and make some of my own tools. Today I use once fired Federal top gun hulls I get free from the Clubs bins of spent hulls and cases(rifle).



 Al


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

To correct the problem with the crimp and starting the sabots I resorted to a deep well 7/16 socket 1/4 drive and rotated it at angle Worked a bit but too a lot of time.
Watching a you tube of a guy loading 12ga hulls I saw he took a counter sink tool and ground the sharp edges off to make a spinning case mouth expander and smoother. You can buy for $20.00 from Slugs are us what is called the spin doctor. Chuck it in the drill and in seconds the star crimp is gone.

I made one for a 20 ga from some 3/4 dowel. 




Measure out every charge of Blue Dot with a RCBS Range Master 750. Every fifth charge is double checked with my old balance beam.






 Al


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

A look at the sabot.


The lead end of the Sabot.


The tail of the sabot.


Bought some Honrdy SST slugs last fall to try.


Polymere tip.
they didn't do any thing to impress me. In fact they would not shoot where thr bull was.


Also bought some Remington accritip slugs. Also didn't impress.



Again a polymere tip. 

the two boxes of 5 each cost $29.29
The BPI's shoot as good as the buck hammers, groupping very well.

 Al


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## brownegg (Jan 5, 2006)

While a little off topic Al. For a 2 3/4 inch 20ga magnum load for fine shot I used a 16ga charge bar trap load with herco powder...talk about shot fast to the target. It was hard on casings though. Years ago that combo was listed on the charts as ok to do, but today you won't see that combo listed. I would bet it would really send a slug to target well.

be


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## GunMonkeyIntl (May 13, 2013)

alleyyooper said:


> To correct the problem with the crimp and starting the sabots I resorted to a deep well 7/16 socket 1/4 drive and rotated it at angle Worked a bit but too a lot of time.
> Watching a you tube of a guy loading 12ga hulls I saw he took a counter sink tool and ground the sharp edges off to make a spinning case mouth expander and smoother. You can buy for $20.00 from Slugs are us what is called the spin doctor. Chuck it in the drill and in seconds the star crimp is gone.
> 
> I made one for a 20 ga from some 3/4 dowel.
> ...


I have that same Ohaus 10-10 scale, Al. They don’t make them like that anymore.


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## Oxankle (Jun 20, 2003)

My scale is sitting on the mantle above the fireplace; the rest of my reloading gear is packed away, but I do have some 12 gauge slug loads available for burglars. This 
discussion is making me homesick for the old gun club.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

I used that old ohus scale from 1972 or there abouts when I started reloading rifle ammo. Late 90's went to Ohio for a pup, on th eway home stoped at Cabalas got a cabalas branded scale. Ues it two days reloading a whole slew of rife ammo. put back in th ebox with a recipt.
About 5 years later it was taken out of the box and would not work. Contacted Cabalas about it not working. they offered me thr RCBS range master 750 or another scale. I took the rcbs but they wanted to charge me shipping UPS. Told them No way ship it flat rate USPS about 6.00 compaired to the 20 some thing.
Just let it ride on their account. finally they relented and shiped the rcbs on their dime. I still use the OHUS as a double check today.

I started reloading 16 gauge ammo on a Mec 650 press. Back they the bars didn't have bushings. My bar is a #2 for red dot powder and so much lead what ever the standard for 16s was then.

I had a mechanical problem with my 16 (broken fireing pin) coudn't get a new one.
Bought a new 12 Ithaca model 37 and a new Mec 650 press. It also didn't come with bushings. Still used red dot powder and 1 1/8 once of shot.

My brother came home from the service and bought a bar with the bushings. Don't remember which powder he was loading for his
Ithaca side by side but the shells shot in my Ithaca had the bolt print on the bases.
I stoped shooting the ammo he reloaded.
I have a old Mec chart for the bar Numbers but can't seem to do any thing with it since I scaned it.

 Al


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