.410 slug mold from Russia (with love)

[AndyC]

Likely not a very popular interest, but I ordered this .410 slug mold (aluminum blocks and insert) from Svarog in RU (with DHL delivery for about $75 total). Why? Other than experimentation, I have no idea - I want to see what my little SxS Yildiz is capable of, I guess.

Mold with the insert in place which forms the hollow base:



View of the cavity:



Not pretty because I cast them quickly from a cold mold. 107gr (around 1/4 oz) and .410" dia at head and skirt.



Comparison with a .22 LR for scale:



I have wads and .444 Marlin cases on the way - should be here middle of next week.

[puma guy]

Looks like an air gun waisted pellet on HGH and steroids! If necessity is the mother of invention, curiosity is the mother of an empty wallet! It'll be interesting to see the range results.

[ELB]

You can now cast silver slugs for really big vampires.

[eyedoc]

Now you need a big bore air rifle to shoot it in.

[AndyC]

Looks like an air gun waisted pellet on HGH and steroids!

Apparently this is one of the more accurate designs... we'll see.

Brass cases arrived:



Now I'm just waiting for the wads to arrive and I can start loading.

[Pawpaw]

Over on youtube, taofledermaus has done some testing with Diablo shaped 12 gauge slugs, always with good results.

I think you're gonna like these.

[AndyC]

I hope so; I've never loaded anything like this in a .410 but hey - experimentation rocks!

[PUCKER]

And nominee for the 2020 Most Interesting Man in the World...is AndyC!! (I think there are quite a few that would agree!)

That looks really cool. Did not know that it was a thing (casting .410 slugs)...but would be quite interesting, I think, in The Judge.

[AndyC]

[AndyC]

USPS has had my fiber-wads for the past 6 days and still not delivered them - so leaving the slugs aside for now, I'm going to load some regular birdshot loads into red .410 shot-wads I do have and seal them with these overshot cards. I cut them from a milk-jug using a sharpened .45acp case and a mallet:



I also had to thin down the .444 Marlin case-heads by 1-thou' (measured) to get the action of my SxS to close fully on them - done by hand on a flat with 220-grit sandpaper:



Only 99 more to go - but now that I know how much to take off, I'll do those with a drill on a belt-sander.

[AndyC]

Still waiting on USPS to deliver the fiber wads they've been sitting on locally for almost a week, so I loaded a few test-shells with shot and sealed with Elmer's glue (sealed because a shot-shell needs to generated back-pressure or it risks becoming a blooper):

[AndyC]

Fun with red and translucent shot-cards, topped with hot glue:



The sequence, for interest's sake, is powder-charge -> over-powder wad (cut from cardboard - this lessens the amount of gas bypassing the shot-cup to cause a blooper) -> red wad/shot-cup -> 1/2 oz shot -> over-shot card -> glue. Didn't need any reloading equipment other than an electronic scale and a handheld priming-tool.

[AndyC]

I tested out the .410 loads through a chronograph today.

Chrono set up:


First 4 shells done:


Results:


The first shot was a deliberate test of a shell with no over-powder card; I was curious to see whether the red Claybusters was a good enough seal by itself; obviously not so cards will have to be used.

Shot-pattern at 20 yards through the Yildiz alleged Full choke:

[puma guy]

Average pellet count of a ½ ounce of #8 shot being 205 that's an impressive pattern. Looking forward to seeing your slug tests.

[AndyC]

Thank you; I was actually hoping for a bit tighter and I've emailed Yildiz to ask for another Full and (if available) Extra Full chokes.

The slug-testing has been held-up due to an argument between UPS and USPS as to who has my package of wads, so Midway has sent another set which are scheduled for Friday.