..testing those spitzers mentioned below, I decided to shoot some various sizes of my favourite long .308 HP, which has given the best 100 yard results for me to date:

So I tried 3 sizes:

I rammed a piece of wooden skewer up the hollow in each slug, hoping to reduce the expansion so I could view the engraving. I kinda failed.



There was one difference between shooting these HP's into the pool vs the spitzers that I noticed immediately. With the HP's I got soaked!
Anyway, as with the spitzers, there still seems to be plenty of engraving even at .308.
So the next test, with these and the spitzers, is at 100 yards , for accuracy and at the same time measuring whether there is any increase in velocity.
Watch this space
Cheers
Neil

Hi Neil,

First and biggest thing I notice, is that this slug is "intended" to be a "ringed slug". Note the two large "rings" on the slug (that was my forst clue .. haha).

Now, note in the post-fired slugs ... the biggest slug, actually acted as a ringed slug. All of the engraving is on the rings. That's the way it should be. Less force required to engrave the rings. The displaced lead has a place to relieve (between the rings).

Now ... surprise ... look at the .309" post fired slug. Strangely, now the engraving is on the tail section too! How'd that happen?

Well, it happened when you sized the slug. There was too much pressure involved in sizing it. I suspect you have a nice compound leverage bench mounted press - that could squeeze ball bearings thru kryptonite. haha. You most likely never felt the pressure that was deforming your slug. Actually mushrooming the tail section into a larger diameter. It became larger, evidenced by the fact that now the tail of the slug is being engraved by the rifling.

Now, when you look at the last slug, sized to .308", you see that you've wiped the rings off the slug completely. And, you have expanded the base by doing it. I predict that neither the .309" or the .308" slugs will fly well. They've been damaged in the sizing press.

I've had people wonder before, why I recommend the meager Lee hand press so often. It's small lever and small size, make it hard to ruin slugs with it. If it's too hard to size with one of those little $25 presses, then there's too much pressure involved period (and it would damage the slugs to ram them thru).

You've performed a good test here, and documented it well. The pics show everything clearly.



Gary

Just being clear. It appears that your other slug will size OK ... and hopefully shoot well. This one, if it works at .3095" ... just leave it that way.



Gary

Thanks Gary. I certainly didn't like the look of the .308 version in particular. It doesn't show in the pics but sizing has actually created a slight hollow-base effect, not intended for that slug design I'm sure! It will be hard to better the results from the .3095, so the only reason I will even try the .309's is that I was sent a bunch already sized down. If they are no good they will be recycled....
I was given the .308's to try some time ago and will have to check back to see if I tested them back then.
Cheers
Neil



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/27/2010 04:51AM by neilmcp.

Gary, a little bit more on the "hyper-under-sized" HP's, here is the base of the remodelled slug.....pretty, but not intended I think

Cheers
Neil

Looks pretty uniform Neil. That's a surprise. Your press is centering the ram very well. "If" they all were perfect - like this looks, it would fly."

Gary