"What loads have worked best for the Lyman wadcutter slug?"
I'm not sure if the load I make is in any book, got the info from a trusted friend.
Take this at your own risk and Graybeard can certainly pull this post as needed.
I pick up 12gauge 2 3/4" Remington Slugger hulls from the range, check to make sure the base inside the hull is intact/present, then trim to 2.70". (only takes 30 seconds per hull)
Federal 209A primer
mec #33 bushing with Hodgdon Clays powder
Federal 12S3 wad (I use Claybuster)
6 point crimp
Using Slugger hulls seemed stupid to me at first but some of the others I tried didn't make nice crimps. Since I planned on trimming the hulls, and there were hundreds of Sluggers (free) sitting at the range after sight-ins for deer season, it was a no-brainer. They are what my friend uses but he doesn't trim them for length.
Trust me, you want to trim them.
I'm hoping to get the Lyman shotshell book soon. Sounds like it's about the only book having several options for slugs. I emailed Lyman about some data, they mailed a few photocopied loads and told me to get their book.
I have another friend who likes to shoot slugs. He's going to try some things and we'll see if we can find a hotter load that's more accurate. What I'm making now is plenty for deer up to 100 yards but I think a little more speed wouldn't hurt.
The Clays powder is nice because it's clean and hardly kicks at all. I can shoot 50 rounds and the gun is barely dirty. Plastic fouling is always worse. I'd like to read some data on slugs and try to find a little bit of a slower powder that may still be tame for recoil but give better velocity.
Winchester Super Field (WSF) is supposed to be good with these slugs. Don't know much about this powder but it sounds like it could be a winner.
You have to have a little fun with these slugs; turn a couple upside down when you load them. That big hollow point is hell in mud. If I had more to make right now, I'd like to see how they'd do on paper between 50 and 100 yards. They seemed to do OK on the bank at 55 yards but it was kinda hard to tell :grin:
Some people have told me to make slug ammo using shotshell data. My slugs are about 15 grains heavier than 1 1/8 ounce of shot. That's not a huge difference when you're talking about 500+- grains, but I don't believe it's a wise idea to substitute the data.