Reloading Lightfield Commander IDS 1 1/16 oz Sabot Slugs

Hi Randy…

I have a Lee Loader II and have been reloading 2 3/4 Rem shells with Clays and 7 1/2 oz shot. I just bought two packages of Lightfield Commander IDS 1 1/16 oz Sabot slugs. My question is can I reload these slugs with my shells and equipment? I’m firing them through a brand new Mossberg 500 24″ rifled barrel! Oh…I’m using Rem primers too. Thanks Chris.

Chris,
Loading slugs with a shot shell loader is do-a-able. The powder charged used must be reduced at least 10%, from the amount used for loading with the roll crimp process, while setting up the shot shell press for slug loading.

It may have to stay that low all of the time. I cannot explain, in this format, the crude ways you have at home to guess at what pressures you are developing using this reloading method. A real pressure gun is the only way that you are ever sure about how much pressure you are developing. That’s why every loading manual is so adamant about not ever changing ANY THING in a recipe for loading shot shells at home.

The real trick is come up with a final OAL shell that is fully crimped, generating the proper pressure on the nose of the slug, but not enough pressure that you start to collapse the pressure wad at a usable pressure at the velocity desired.

Subject
: Hand loading slugs.  Reloading Equipment.

This is an outline of the normal tooling used in the roll crimping process for sabot slug rounds.

Loading slugs, sabot or not, is no harder then loading metallic
rounds but it does require different loading tools.

If you are loading new 12 ga. shells all you need is:

1) A small table mounted drill press. Around 75.00 from
Sears or some such company.
2) A shot shell roll crimper to roll crimp close the end of the
shell over the slug. Starting from 30.00 (at Ballistic Products) up to near 200.00 for any industrial grade roll crimper for factory looking crimps.
3) Powder scale.
4) Shot Shell hull vice to hold the shell from rotating while you
roll the crimp the mouth of the hull shut with the drill press.
Cost $40.00

Most of these tool are a onetime purchase.

Check out the Ballistic Products web page for most
of these tools. TarHunt web site does sell the Lightfield Commander IDS sabot slugs in both a ten pack or by bulk.
570-784-6557
Hope this helps,
Randy