Single projectiles available for the Deer Slayer

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PostPosted: Sat Jun 22, 2013 4:34 pm
...If you cast your own!

First off, I won't give out specific load information because of liability. I've shot them all through my Ithaca '37 Magnum Model with success determining the weight of the payload, hull, primer, and gas seal according to several loading manuals and information gained through other's experience using these solid projectiles and their development. I'm just showing you what's available to the home bullet caster. I will say that ALL my loads were developed using 2 3/4" Remington STS hulls ONLY, Winchester 209 primers, and Unique, or Blue Dot powders and a variety of gas seals/wad combinations.

The first projectile I used was a .69 round ball out of a LEE mold in conjunction with three 00 buckshot nested under the ball. Using a smoothbore Deer Slayer barrel this combination makes a deadly defense load, or just fun at the range. I tested it at thirty yards getting 2.5" groups with the .69 balls and 50% hits with the buckshot on a human chest size piece of paper.

The next two projectiles are meant for rifled Deer Slayer barrels. First a sabot "slug" utilizing a .58 Minie bullet, (Lyman 575213 OS). The sabots are available from Ed Hubel @ $83.00 per 400. If anyone wants to buy some, I'll provide contact information, he sells them in lots of 100, 200, and 400 priced accordingly and only makes .01 cent per sabot. I've always wanted a sabot that would shoot a .58 Minie, and Ed has now provided one! In a 12ga. D-S rifled barrel, MV can exceed 1,500fps accurately and safely. A thin gas seal is required under the sabot.

Lastly, I cast and shoot a full bore .73 "bullet" weighing 790gr.from an, Accurate mold. This "bullet" only requires a gas seal, filler wad, and lubricant on the "bullet". I keep MV down to just above 1,000 FPS for my shoulder's sake. So far this one has yielded average 2" groups at 50yards, I still have some work to do with it. It should stop a charging hog instantly!

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PostPosted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 7:40 am
I don't reload, but I *have* been considering it for some time, now.

Those .730" "bullets" - I take it that they're *designed* to swage down nicely just as the "rifled" (vaned) slugs are. Ithaca told me that my 1980s DSPS barrel would be only .690" all the way down.

Regards,

Mark.
Came late in life to shooting but is making up for lost time...

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PostPosted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 8:20 am
Mark, the .730 "bullet" is intended for rifled barrels only with a nominal groove dia. of .729"-.730". Accurate molds makes these molds to customer specs, I ordered mine to cast .731" with my alloy mix. Full bore dia. slugs need to be loaded in a like manner as cast bullets for a rifle.

For my D-S smoothbore the best projectile/wad combination I've tried so far is, a LEE .69 round ball with 3 00 buckshot nested under the ball using a Ballistic Products Inc. Light Brush wad, (pictured without the buckshot). Here's a target shot at 30yds. 2.5" group with the round balls-50% hits with the buckshot.

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PostPosted: Wed Jun 26, 2013 1:50 am
krag96 wrote:Mark, the .730 "bullet" is intended for rifled barrels only with a nominal groove dia. of .729"-.730".


Ah, I see.

On one of the gun forums, someone was asking whether a rifled barreled shotgun would be considered a rifle or a shotgun.

In the UK, a shotgun with a rifled barrel is very definitely considered a *rifle*. So, for example, a semi-auto 12g with a rifled barrel would be considered as a .730 cal centre-fire rifle. (Which would be Section.5, I suppose, like pistols - not *banned*, but requiring a *very* good reason before you'd be permitted one.)

Regards,

Mark.
Came late in life to shooting but is making up for lost time...

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Joined: Mon Dec 31, 2012 5:10 pm
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 26, 2013 4:34 am
Okay so you're pretty much restricted to a smoothbore unless you want to go through lots of questions and paperwork. I believe you have a D-S Police Special, if there's a difference in bore dia. from the regular D-S let me know. My D-S smooth bore barrel measures .700" (measured with calipers) and shoots the .69 roundball very nicely using the Light Brush wads, (pictured with the ball in the cup). I don't know if these, and the LEE mold are available in England, but it's worth a shot. If not, I know there are some very good mold makers in your country who do custom work at reasonable prices and shot cups can be altered to suit the purpose of shooting round balls. Most shot cups designed for bird shot have petals that are too thick for a .69 round ball, simply cut them off below the equator of the ball and there you have it. If you have access to a caliper, measure the bore of your D-S/P-S, I think it should read, .700" at the muzzle and should be straight bored all the way to the cone in front of the chamber. For commercial slugs, I've had good luck with the Brenneke K.O. rifled slugs in smoothbores.

I don't know what laws and restrictions you have in England, just saying what I do here in the U.S.
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 26, 2013 10:05 am
krag96 wrote:Okay so you're pretty much restricted to a smoothbore unless you want to go through lots of questions and paperwork.


Rifled would be pretty much verboten, I should image. You *can* get permits for pistols but only for *very* special purposes such as HD (Humane Dispatch).

I believe you have a D-S Police Special


Indeed, I do.

if there's a difference in bore dia. from the regular D-S let me know. My D-S smooth bore barrel measures .700" (measured with calipers) and shoots the .69 roundball very nicely


The .690" is what was quoted by Ithaca - I haven't actually measured it, yet.

I don't know if these, and the LEE mold are available in England, but it's worth a shot.


I'll have to ask the keener members of our club.

I only shoot a handful of slug per year but it'd be nice to make what *I* wanted rather than be limited to what I can buy.

One further limitation of UK firearms law is that any load with (I think) four or less projectiles is Section.1 and has to be added to your FAC. So, whereas anyone with an SGC can buy bird- or buck-shot, only FAC holders with slug on their certificates can buy slug.

In fact, it's worse than that - as with rifle ammo, your FAC dictates how much, in total, you can hold and how much you can buy at any one time. My slug limits are actually low enough that I probably couldn't enter a pure slug match without purchasing slug - and using it on site - at the range.

If you have access to a caliper, measure the bore of your D-S/P-S, I think it should read, .700" at the muzzle and should be straight bored all the way to the cone in front of the chamber.


Yeah, next time I get the gun out of the cabinet, I'll do that.

I don't know what laws and restrictions you have in England, just saying what I do here in the U.S.


I have to say that it's amusing to see that American gun laws can be just as "sensible" as ours... :)

Regards,

Mark.
Came late in life to shooting but is making up for lost time...

.270 WIN
Posts: 494
Joined: Mon Dec 31, 2012 5:10 pm
Location: Midstate, Pa.
PostPosted: Wed Jun 26, 2013 2:15 pm
How tough is it to get components such as primers, powder, wads, etc?

I actually hear more from the folks in Italy than England on various gun forums, and they seem to have pretty good access to things in the shotgun and muzzle loader worlds at least.

As for gun control issues, I let Mr. Franklin do my talking. He was much wiser than I.

They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
Benjamin Franklin

Rebellion against tyrants is obedience to God.
Benjamin Franklin

Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote.
Benjamin Franklin
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 26, 2013 3:03 pm
krag96 wrote:How tough is it to get components such as primers, powder, wads, etc?


Not too bad, actually.

I actually hear more from the folks in Italy than England on various gun forums, and they seem to have pretty good access to things in the shotgun and muzzle loader worlds at least.


S'funny that you should mention the Italians. Many of our "keener" reloaders get their stuff from here:

http://www.siarm.it/

I've ordered stuff from them myself, in fact, but only to make up some dummy practice rounds.

Regards,

Mark.
Came late in life to shooting but is making up for lost time...

.270 WIN
Posts: 494
Joined: Mon Dec 31, 2012 5:10 pm
Location: Midstate, Pa.
PostPosted: Thu Jun 27, 2013 4:09 am
I'm glad components are not too bad to come by for you. I don't know what you have available, but as I stated, I like Remington STS Premier hulls, but about any one piece compression formed hull will do such as, Winchester AA, Remington Gun Club, or Federal Gold Medal. Personally I like Winchester 209 primers, and for shot shell reloading, Red Dot, Unique, and Blue Dot pretty much cover my needs, (listed in order of burn rate). You can go nuts choosing shot cups, wads, gas seals, cards, etc. so I won't dwell on those unless a specific load/need is mentioned. Shot is shot is shot until you get into buckshot and slugs/single projectile, then things change a bit.

As for reloaders, I like my MEC 600jr. they're affordable and do a really nice job. The LEE Load-All works well enough, and I have one, but resizing on one involves a ring that has to be put on a hull and taken back off, (a real pain) I use the MEC for all resizing and reserve the LEE as a sort of portable for when I'm too lazy to fire up the wood stove in the shop during the winter.

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