12 ga slugs??

[gottarollwithit]

I'm pretty new to reloading. Anybody know where to buy 12 ga slugs in bulk??
I'm not to concerned about formulation of the slug or design. I just want a few hundred of them to start reloading with.

Also, got any tips for beginning to load 12ga shells?? I've got a few pounds of blue dot, a box of primers, and a buddy that is a veteran reloader for pistol calibers.
I have a handful of recipes from Alliant. Anybody know if primers are exchangable between recipes, or how much of a difference swapping a 209 Winchester for a Federal will be??

Thanks!

[rksimple]

Swapping primer shouldn't be a big deal. Swapping other components WILL! Loading for shotguns is quite specific. Things can't swapped out as easily as they can be in metallic cartridges...without serious problems. My advice is to follow the loading manual very closely.

[Fjold]

The one thing different about reloading shotgun shells is that they are extremely component sensitive.

You can't substitute a different wad or hull like you can with metallic cartridge components reloading, I don't know about primers but the reloading manuals are very emphatic about not making any substitutions from their tested recipes.

[gottarollwithit]

Hmm, interesting.
I've been prowling around MidwayUSA and a few other sites. I want to reload a recipe that calls for a Remington Premier STS hull. The closest i could find is some kinda Remi STS hull.

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=415049

Do you think this is similar enough? I really don't want to find out that i've made a mistake by having a catastrophic bang in my hands.

Also, anybody know where to buy bulk slugs for cheap?? Does everybody just buy already loaded slugs or cast their own slugs??

Thanks again!

[CSACANNONEER]

Where are you? If you're close to me, you could come by and cast your own slugs.

[gottarollwithit]

I'm up in the Bay area.... so it's gonna be a bit far.

How does everybody else get slugs for reloading? The slugs i've found are hecka expensive and are sometimes sabot slugs. There's no economy in reloading with stuff though. Do the folks that wish to reload a few hundred rounds at a time cast their own slugs?

[ar15barrels]

I don't think I have ever seen slugs projectiles available as discreet components.
Everyone I know that loads their own also casts them.

[gottarollwithit]

Yea, all i could find are some super expensive component slugs.
So i'm basically stuck casting my own slugs if i want really want to do this in bulk.
Just curiously, how has everybody been casting slugs? Are they just buying a buncha lead, melting it down, and casting one slug at a time (pour, cool, repeat..)??

This sounds a bit tedious and time consuming, right?

[CSACANNONEER]

Yea, all i could find are some super expensive component slugs.
So i'm basically stuck casting my own slugs if i want really want to do this in bulk.
Just curiously, how has everybody been casting slugs? Are they just buying a buncha lead, melting it down, and casting one slug at a time (pour, cool, repeat..)??

This sounds a bit tedious and time consuming, right?

Yep, one at a time! You should be able to cast 200 in 3 hours with breaks.

[ar15barrels]

Yea, all i could find are some super expensive component slugs.
So i'm basically stuck casting my own slugs if i want really want to do this in bulk.
Just curiously, how has everybody been casting slugs? Are they just buying a buncha lead, melting it down, and casting one slug at a time (pour, cool, repeat..)??

This sounds a bit tedious and time consuming, right?

I just buy loaded slugs by the case.
I don't shoot enough shotshells to make it worth reloading them.
I barely shoot 200 slugs and 40 boxes of shotshells a year.
At $3.75 a box on shotshells and $2 a box on slugs, it's just not worth picking up the hulls.

[sargenv]

Ballistic Products out of Minnesota I think sells Slug components. And I may add that they even sell a few different types. They have round ball in two sizes, what they call a dangerous game slug, and they may sell foster style also.

Do a google search on Ballistic Products. They even have a slug data manual that they sell and all the components to make slug loads as well.

[gottarollwithit]

Definitely a cool website. I think imma load something using those. I'm sure it'll be a memorable moment when i combine stuff from Ballistic products with 50 grains of blue dot.

Still cheaper to just buy loaded slugs though.