Wax Slugs, Anyone Ever Make Them or Shoot Them?

[Hobbes]

I saw some interesting videos on youtube about homemade wax slugs in a shotgun.

Basically you take inexpensive birdshot rounds and encapsulate the shot in paraffin or crayon wax that contains the shot during internal and external ballistic flight but the slug disintegrates on impact producing what amounts to a contact shot with the barrel of the shotgun.

It's supposed to be a good breaching round but the terminal performance should be devastating in other ways as well.

Here's how they are made:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=klsGApl8W3s

And here is some slow-mo video of the rounds:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfbrP7ujerE

I'm tempted to make some just to see how well they work and wondered if anyone else has already tried this?


I would have embedded the video but apparently that is disabled now.

 

[jmusteen]

tried that and cut shells, perferred the cut shells alote easier to do if you just want to do it on a whem.

 

[Sanjuro82]

Yep I make them from time to time. They are fun and pack quite the wallop! Just make sure you file the ends completely flush if you are feeding them into a tube magazine.

 

[Hobbes]

Do you guys use paraffin or crayon wax? I don't which has the higher melting temperature.

 

[Sanjuro82]

I have always used Gulf Wax. Never tried the melted crayon slugs.

 

[44minimum]

We have done that using plain old candle wax. We got an aluminum foil pan, threw in some wax, dumped in birdshot, then used a heat gun to melt it. Spoon the mixture into an empty shell and there you go. And we also made some using no birdshot, just a solid wax slug. At close range it will go through a 1 inch board. At 35 feet, it will not. I did a little write up about it and posted a few pictures on my blog. Here it is, in case you want to check it out.

http://semiredneck.blogspot.com/

You'll have to scroll down to find it. In the future we will be experimenting even more with 12 gauge ammunition. .22 pellets, bb's, .22 bullets, bits of steel, chain, .36 caliber balls, anything else we can think of, we will try. Should be fun.

 

[Pulp]

Never been there or done that before. But wouldn't it be easier to go ahead and put shot into the shell, then pour melted paraffin over the shot? Then after it cools, run it through your crimp die?

 

[44minimum]

I think the guy in the video said that it won't work that way, the wax cannot get down in there all the way before it solidifies. I took his word for it and didn't try it that way.

 

[dennishoddy]

I have always used Gulf Wax. Never tried the melted crayon slugs.

Same here. I've used them in pistol rounds that I've modified to accept shotgun primers. Soften the wax, and push the case through the wax. No powder.
It will put one heck of a dent in an aluminum trash can.

 

[becker_atc]

Wax bullet loads like they use in the world of fast draw. Actually got the chance once to check out that niche shooting sport. Was cool with some highly specialized 3 screw rugers and fancy gun leather