20-gauge slug loads

[Bill in Oregon]

Having plunged recently into the mudpuddle of shotshell slug handloading, I found it remarkably simple. I ordered a bag of 100 factory-primed Fiocchi hulls, a bag of DGS "Dangerous Game Slugs" with wads attached, and their slug-loading manual from Ballistic Products, and a roll crimper from Precision Reloading. Process couldn't be simpler. With the recipe I used, I poured 25 grains of Longshot into a primed hull, slid the wad and slug down into the case, then used the roll crimper in my Makita to complete the load. I found that the loaded shell is hard to hold onto while applying the roll crimp, so I quickly fabbed a nutcracker-style hull squeezer that easily holds the loaded hull still while making the crimp.
The proof, of course, will be at the range to see how these loads perform. My beater Stevens bolt gun arrives Saturday, so I should have an answer soon.

[4t5]

That’s pretty nifty, I am a fan of the 20 ga.

[GunnyMack]

Hey Bill, I just ordered some more components from BP, those guys are great- sent me the data for all the Thug Slugs and the 20ga copper value slugs, just got a box of 100 of those!
I too have to make up a shell holder for roll crimping.

[gcs]

You roll crimping with a hand drill or a drill press?

[Bill in Oregon]

Will, I was too cheap to buy BP's hull vise. Vise grips and a piece of leather also work, but it would be easy to be inconsistent with that set up for me.
GCS, I was using my hand drill, but will switch the roll crimper over to the drill press when I get serious about this. That's the crimper in the chuck of my Makita ...

[horsesoldier03]

Looking forward to seeing how it performs. The Nutcracker vice is very creative!

[Tycer]

Looking forward to seeing how it performs. The Nutcracker vice is very creative!

Yep. Looking forward to the range reports!

[Nath]

Excellent Bill .
Can't wait until range day.

[Bill in Oregon]

Well, I had a chance this morning to try out some slugs in the old beater Stevens Model 58 bolt-action 20 gauge.
It was somewhat of a challenge due to the crudeness of the Model 58's design aggravated by a recoil pad that had turned to granite years ago. Even in 20-gauge these slug loads slug on both ends!
The "rear sight" is just an odd little lump of metal on the bolt, and the front is the usual brass bead. The trigger has to be more than 10 pounds. I can find no sign of any choke markings on the gun, but the calipers say .592 at the muzzle -- somewhere around improved modified; not quite full.
I had five rounds loaded with Ballistic Products' 7/8-ounce Dangerous Game Slug (white wad) over 25 grains of Longshot, and five rounds of the BP 7/8-ounce Thug Slug (red wad) over 20 grains of Unique in factory-primed Fiocchi cases.
I shot two three-shot groups -- the gun holds one in the pipe and two in the magazine --at 25 yards with the forend rested over some padding and using a six-o'clock hold. The DGS slug gave the better group -- 4 inches with some evidence of yaw -- and the Thug load gave a 7-inch group with quite a bit of yaw.
I shot the four remaining shells offhand at a 25-yard gong, and boy they moved that steel when the slugs connected.
I am not sure if I want to invest in mounting a new recoil pad on so inexpensive a shotgun, but I definitely hope to tighten up the bedding and see what might be done to lighten the trigger. The safety is loose as well. Might also try filing the sides of the front bead and filing an actual notch in that lump of rear sight to improve the sight picture.

[Nath]

That sounded fun but I'm sure it would do better sans choke.
Get the hack saw out!

[GunnyMack]

Yeah Bill I've tried Longshot, PB, Universal- not really pleased with any of the accuracy at 50 yards with the thug slug from my Savage 220. But I've got some 3" hulls due any day and I'll try those with one of the recipes in the reviews on the BP site.

[Bill in Oregon]

I do want to do something with that choke. I s'pose I'd rather ream or polish it out rather than cut the 24-inch barrel shorter and remount a front sight, but that is likely the easiest solution.
Will, you must have a shoulder of steel. The 2 3/4-inch loads were plenty for me, although all I had on was a thin shirt. No bruising visible -- yet!
The Longshot load under the DGS slug shot harder and sounded louder than the Unique under the Thug slug

[Grizz]

search term >

20 ga slugs at 200 yards

lots of accuracy videos of both 20 and 12Ga . . . good rainy day links

[GunnyMack]

Oh I've been dealing with slugs for so long I've learned to get some kind of padding between me and the gun! A knit watch cap works well.
I had a Marlin 12 ga slug bolt gun I ported, made it a bit more tolerable. I called it The .729 Pachyderm Pounder

When the Savage hit the market everything I saw said the Remington 3" accutip was the most accurate slug going. That's all I've ever shot until they became 5 bucks a pop!

[jeepnik]

In my 20 for HD I load alternatingly slugs and buck. You don't need any of those fancy/expensive slugs. The good old foster slugs are more than sufficient .

[Bill in Oregon]

Jeep, this slug project is not for home defense but for potential deployment in the famous Texas swine jihad.
By the way, here are three slugs recovered from the caliche/clay berm behind the 25-yard target frames -- probably 30 yards at impact. The BP slug load manual says 25 grains of Longshot should be pushing the Dangerous Game Slug to 1530 fps. Judging by the limited deformation, these slugs seem pretty hard to me.

[GunnyMack]

Yes Bill I do believe the DGS is hard!
I sure hope I can get the Thugs to shoot reasonably well at 50/100 , ought to be a real thumper on deer. Should be good on hogs as well.

[GunnyMack]

20230913_125942.jpg

So the big brown truck was here yesterday afternoon with my order from BP.
Finally got around to opening up the box and 2 things I ordered were not there, gas seals and a bag of wads.
Not on the invoice either. Huh...
Send them an email and they screwed up!

Anyhow I made up a hull vise this morning, loaded a few 3" with 25 gr Longshot, a1/4" felt wad, 4 overshot cards and tested out the new roll crimper. Boy that's different!

Also made up a dummy round of 25 gr Longshot, fiber wad, value slug, was too short so I then made up the same with 2 fiber wads and roll crimped.

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[Bill in Oregon]

Will, I bet those'll work. Nice job on the hull vise, too -- and hardwood instead of my junk softwood 2x4.
I realized that with the roll crimper mounted in the drill press, I need to set a depth adjustment, as relying on feel alone led to inconsistent crimps and in one case, a ruined shell.

[GunnyMack]

Yes Bill that is exactly right. I might spend the money and buy their hull vise, having the ability to clamp it to the drill press table would just be 1 less thing to mess with!

[GunnyMack]

Testing 5 loads today,
Longshot with 2³/⁴ & 3 " hulls with Thug slugs.
Longshot and HS6 with trophy coppers in 2³/⁴".
Variations with wadding, card wads & crimps.

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[Bill in Oregon]

Looking forward to your report, Will. Watch that shoulder!

[GunnyMack]

Well Bill the results are in ...
TERRIBLE!
Nothing shot good let alone great.
Forget fold crimping all together. My theory is the sabot is catching the crimp upon ignition which let's the bullet travel without anything grabbing rifling. Not to mention the sabots are shredded!
One of the 2³/⁴ loads with the trophy copper slug was ok at 50 yards but I certainly would not shoot that at game past that.
So the first shot I took was a federal hull, that stuck in the chamber! Of course I didn't bring a rod! Thankfully I had a box of 308s in my range bag and used it to knock it out. Yet those grouped ok.
The 2 loads of 3" sucked as well with the thug slugs.

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After each group I walked to mark the target and look for wads,sabots. As you can see here, each row with its own trash.

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After I get some lunch I'll separate it all out so you'll have a better idea about it.

[Bill in Oregon]

Sorry your session was disappointing, Will. I am not in a hurry to get back out there until I make a decision about cutting off the choke and having the barrel threaded for a rifled screw-in choke. Then there's the sight work. A guy on castboolits said he epoxied some irons on a shotgun decades ago and they have held up fine.

[GunnyMack]

So here is the trash

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Now the thug slug attached wads im not positive which load these came from- Longshot or the 24gr of Herco.

[GunnyMack]

Oh and none of these loads were terribly abusive recoil wise. Although I did pad my shoulder with a heavy winter glove.

This Savage 220 of mine is 1:24 twist. Like all of these Savages they prefer 3" Remington acutip slugs. This one has produced 1"groups for me at 100 yards. I'm not expecting that kind of accuracy but something around 2" would be ok by me.
So I'll keep trying powders, maybe buy some .50 cal pistol bullets for the sabots.

The acutips are 260 grains at 1900 fps. I'm not sure if it's the velocity, sabot, bullet or what part the crimp plays but the fastest load in the book is only about 15 or 1600 fps.

[GunnyMack]

Now the wheels are turning...

20230917_143203.jpg

All are .499 like the trophy copper that came with the sabots but different weights. Closest thing is the black belt 245 gr muzzle loader bullet.
I even checked a muzzle loader sabot inside the 20ga sabot with a .452 but it's a bit fat at .670.

I might try those black belt 245s...