Birdshot Lead Slug FAIL

[metalliman545]

so I was melting down cheap birdshot to make slugs, ended up making about 40 of them. molded them into the slugs, put them into the shells glued them up.

they fired just fine when inserted into the ejection port. I loaded up a full tube and I guess the recoil made the last shell and glue fail causing the wad to move out of the shell.
long story short, I shot it, squib load. be careful, this could have ended very very badly. luckily, it made a weird noise, didn't have recoil and there was no hole on the target.
the shotgun is an 870 express with modified choke, which I have read is ok to use slugs with. when I took the barrel off the receiver, unburnt powder fell out of the barrel and receiver

[daybreak]

modified choke with homemade slugs? i probably wouldn't have done that.

[epic1856]

Isnt it recommended that you use more open choke for slugs? Modified seems pretty constricted for slugs.

Either way, good think you stopped and checked after you felt and heard something odd.

[John Browning]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3M46XVfVOU

[metalliman545]

the slugs tumble out of the barrel without the wadding.
the slugs are made from the lee one once slug mold, not some home made mold.

[metalliman545]

cut shells seem to be a whole lot worse for your shotgun

[metalliman545]

these are the slugs. one ounce "key driven" from a 12 gauge slug mold made by LEE

[yelohamr]

An old man I used hunt with, told me that during the 1930's he used to open the end of a shotgun shell and poured melted wax over #6 bird shot. Let it cool and pour more wax until the shell is full. He used those to kill deer, during the Great Depression. He used a SxS, not a pump.

I tried it with a 20 gauge and the waxed shot stayed together until it hit the door of an old refrigerator. Slug sized hole in the door and loose bird shot inside.

[yelohamr]

An old man I used hunt with, told me that during the 1930's he used to open the end of a shotgun shell and poured melted wax over #6 bird shot. Let it cool and pour more wax until the shell is full. He used those to kill deer, during the Great Depression. He used a SxS, not a pump.

I tried it with a 20 gauge and the waxed shot stayed together until it hit the door of an old refrigerator. Slug sized hole in the door and loose bird shot inside.

[John Browning]

cut shells seem to be a whole lot worse for your shotgun

Totally harmless, but you have to shoot them through a break action.

[coy80176]

open cylinder and single shot load...

when rollin your own, play safely

[xtra870]

modified is fine to shoot slugs. However IC wil provide best patterns. But these are not rifled so they probably dont group very good regardless just cheap and fun

[metalliman545]

Well the post wasn't so much about the slugs themselves failing, it was more about how the wad moved forward and there was enough space in the powder area that the primer didn't ignite all the powder, it was essentially a squib.

[metalliman545]

when rollin your own, play safely

Best advice, at least I'm fine, and so is the shotgun. Now I need to pound the slug out of the choke.

[Nicoman]

An old man I used hunt with, told me that during the 1930's he used to open the end of a shotgun shell and poured melted wax over #6 bird shot. Let it cool and pour more wax until the shell is full. He used those to kill deer, during the Great Depression. He used a SxS, not a pump.

I tried it with a 20 gauge and the waxed shot stayed together until it hit the door of an old refrigerator. Slug sized hole in the door and loose bird shot inside.

I've done this with birdshot cut the tops off the shells melted wax (I used old broken crayons) then filled the shells back up with wax and the shot. haven't shot them yet kind of afraid to, don't know why.