Thread: Ghetto shotgun slugs

I've been experimenting with ghetto shotgun slugs (I am not sure if it actually has a name) where I buy cheap 7.5 bird shot, cut out the crimp with a stanley knife, empty out the shot and push in a slug. It works out to cost like 90 cents per slug shell. I bought two lots of slugs from the guy on trademe that casts them, one lot of 34 gram diablos and one lot of those super common 28 gram Lees. Long story short I have had mixed results but the Lees are working far better in testing. I used 34 gram Gun City birdshot hulls for the diablos and 28 gram for the lees and for some reason the diablos keep flying right. It was consitent too, I was holding over two metres left of the target and hitting it every time, it's very strange. The Lees are dead on but before testing I was certain the diablos would perform better due to the more stable projectile shape and I would prefer a heavier slug so I'd like to get them working properly.

Anyone else screwed around with these kinds of ghetto slugs before? Any advice or knowledge on why the Diablos are acting so weird?

Bonus question, I know it's not likely but does anyone know of anyone selling something similar to the prepper tool that Taofledermaus and friends use? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70oOMHwbZis&t

@TheWuce

Interesting. If you want to go even cheaper...

Originally Posted by Cordite

@TheWuce

Interesting. If you want to go even cheaper...

A very simple effective way to do the same thing.

@physeptone

Originally Posted by Max Headroom

A very simple effective way to do the same thing.

If you like to feck your barrel up

Originally Posted by FatLabrador

If you like to feck your barrel up

Didn't know that. Tell me more?

wad plus outer shell fatter than barrels made to fit...the old days loads didnt have plastic one piece wads they had card/felt spacer/wad at each end of shot column....for years guys have spanked on about cut shells,Ive even seen fellas saying they good to hundred yards FFS!!!!!!! even lyman who arguable have vested interest in shotgun loads say solids only really good to 40 yards,with a rifled barrel and saboted type loads you can better that by a long way but like anything shotgun YOU HAVE TO PATTERN /try it out over and again to get consistant results. you can shoot pigs at under 5 yards with any old load of birdshot as the shot will still be in tight ball and indeed often the wad will be found inside animal at that range.
to the OP....if the LEES are working for you.....be happy and stick with it..dont change a thing....if you want to tootoo,get a hold of some steel shot loads with higher velocity and try them out...it can only be better or worse,the wads used in steel loads are really hard compared to light clay type lead loads so will give barrel good protection.

The other old school one is to open the crimp and pour molten wax (I think its paraffin wax?) down through into the shot charge. Holds it together for a while but not a solid per se'.
Like Mickey Duck said. if those Lee jobbies work stick with it.
I did hear a story about an NZ copper over in SA (this story was told to me back in the 90's).
Ducked into the local coppers as you do. They offered to let him go for a ride one night cruising one of the rougher areas.
Given a firearm in the back and was told to basically not be frightened to use it.
Whilst riding saw a box in the back full of batteries and thought they were for tazers/torches or something.
asked the local coppers what they were for when he got back to the cop shop.
They laughed at him and told him that if they had time when they got into trouble, they'd drop a couple down the shotgun barrel first.
Reckoned it had the coroners really scratching their heads.
He apparently wasn't sure if they were taking the piss or not.
I would suggest they would be more in the line of a ghetto slug-literally.

Originally Posted by csmiffy

The other old school one is to open the crimp and pour molten wax (I think its paraffin wax?) down through into the shot charge. Holds it together for a while but not a solid per se'.
Like Mickey Duck said. if those Lee jobbies work stick with it.
I did hear a story about an NZ copper over in SA (this story was told to me back in the 90's).
Ducked into the local coppers as you do. They offered to let him go for a ride one night cruising one of the rougher areas.
Given a firearm in the back and was told to basically not be frightened to use it.
Whilst riding saw a box in the back full of batteries and thought they were for tazers/torches or something.
asked the local coppers what they were for when he got back to the cop shop.
They laughed at him and told him that if they had time when they got into trouble, they'd drop a couple down the shotgun barrel first.
Reckoned it had the coroners really scratching their heads.
He apparently wasn't sure if they were taking the piss or not.
I would suggest they would be more in the line of a ghetto slug-literally.

Thats not entirely true, they didn't use them in shotguns that I am aware of but in 37mm riot guns.
When you put AA batteries down a shotgun barrel they tend to open up and spray all over the place - not cool if you're down wind.

D cells fit perfectly into a 37mm muzzle. (34mm battery) DAMHIKT



But but to the topic at hand - I used to load shot shells and I cast slugs with a Lyman mold.
Worked pretty well but had a specific loading table - accurate to about 100m (30x30 steel plates)

Brenneke make the best slugs I have ever used.
May be pricey but they really work well.

@terryf there you go. That makes way more sense. Sounds like you tried it but lol
I couldn't work out the size of the batteries- I did try one for fit and thought why would they have aa's?

@Tertle - I think he’s a bit of a slug officiado...

A few years back, had a very good friend do some research with slugs. Used both a rifled barrel and a rifled choke. Easily got a 3" group at 100 with the rifled barrel and just a tad more with the rifled choke. Fitted a scope and was happy to use it on deer sized targets out to 150 metres.

Originally Posted by Cordite

@TheWuce

Interesting. If you want to go even cheaper...

I remember we used to refer to them as rabbit board solids.