Aguila mini shells for home defense ??? hunting ??? - Page 2

Three Steps · August 8, 2008, 08:58 AM

Quote: "I'm also considering buying a couple 100 all brass 12 ga. shells, & reloading my own, & I may cut them down to duplicate the minis, if I can get function at that length to 100%".

6THMichCav is probably right about the dangers of cutting down the length of a shotshell. In my foolish youth (about 1970) I was shooting black powder loaded slugs in an Iver Johnson single with soldered on sights. Jack rabbit deadly out to 30 yards or so. I got the bight idea to make a short shell with a slug load but used a factory loaded shot shell cut down and the factory powder charge re-used. Black powder would have been too bulky to make a short shell. The chamber split where the extractor rod is and split the stock where it joins the action from gas pressure. I was not hurt at all (lucky!) and hopefully learned a lot. I may have been 30 years ahead of my time but that ended my experimenting on that project, glad somebody made it work.

hogdogs · August 8, 2008, 10:05 AM

I asked of a guy that owned them short shells and he called them "poacher rounds"... said they were not suitable at any range beyond "across the fence from a road"...
Brent

Magnum Wheel Man · August 8, 2008, 10:29 AM

I guess I look at power wise, if they can blow a 1"hole through both sides of a steel 55 gallon drum, they aught to be OK for home defense or hunting, to at least 1/2 that distance, & mine ( out of that short barreled lever action ) will do that at 100 yards...???

Magnum Wheel Man · August 18, 2008, 11:07 AM

got the chance to play with my shotgun this weekend... my buddy added an adjustable block on the load fork to fit the mini shells, & made a new part that controls the timing on the feed fork... I can now put 8 mini slugs in the magazine, one on the lift fork, & one in the chamber, so it'll hold 10 rounds...

getting the bugs out... I can now put 9 in the gun, & if rack the lever "with authority", & consistantly, it will feed all 9 rounds well... it will ( for some reason ) not feed the 1st round on the load fork, but seems to handle the rest of them afterwards... we are thinking the magazine spring might be too light, as sometimes the shells seem to jam up in the mag ( might be too much lead in the same space ), with the shorter shells... also shooting them, might help ( I'm low on mini shells right now, so while tweaking, we are just racking them through )... the concussion may either help or hurt...

but anyway... we're making headway...

Huntergirl · August 25, 2008, 06:02 PM

The mini slugs work great in my Win 1300, like they were made for that shotgun. Prolly were...

M14fan · August 25, 2008, 09:09 PM

Another link for inexpensive mini-shells
http://ammunitiontogo.com/catalog1/p...e-all-12-gauge

Also, I remember reading when I first heard of these shells that only the Winchester 1300 would reliably feed them without alteration.

August 8, 2008, 08:58 AM	#26
Three Steps Junior Member Join Date: July 15, 2008 Posts: 1	cutting down shotshells Quote: "I'm also considering buying a couple 100 all brass 12 ga. shells, & reloading my own, & I may cut them down to duplicate the minis, if I can get function at that length to 100%". 6THMichCav is probably right about the dangers of cutting down the length of a shotshell. In my foolish youth (about 1970) I was shooting black powder loaded slugs in an Iver Johnson single with soldered on sights. Jack rabbit deadly out to 30 yards or so. I got the bight idea to make a short shell with a slug load but used a factory loaded shot shell cut down and the factory powder charge re-used. Black powder would have been too bulky to make a short shell. The chamber split where the extractor rod is and split the stock where it joins the action from gas pressure. I was not hurt at all (lucky!) and hopefully learned a lot. I may have been 30 years ahead of my time but that ended my experimenting on that project, glad somebody made it work.

August 8, 2008, 10:29 AM	#28
Magnum Wheel Man Senior Member Join Date: July 26, 2006 Location: Southern Minnesota Posts: 9,333	I guess I look at power wise, if they can blow a 1"hole through both sides of a steel 55 gallon drum, they aught to be OK for home defense or hunting, to at least 1/2 that distance, & mine ( out of that short barreled lever action ) will do that at 100 yards...??? __________________ In life you either make dust or eat dust...

August 18, 2008, 11:07 AM	#29
Magnum Wheel Man Senior Member Join Date: July 26, 2006 Location: Southern Minnesota Posts: 9,333	got the chance to play with my shotgun this weekend... my buddy added an adjustable block on the load fork to fit the mini shells, & made a new part that controls the timing on the feed fork... I can now put 8 mini slugs in the magazine, one on the lift fork, & one in the chamber, so it'll hold 10 rounds... getting the bugs out... I can now put 9 in the gun, & if rack the lever "with authority", & consistantly, it will feed all 9 rounds well... it will ( for some reason ) not feed the 1st round on the load fork, but seems to handle the rest of them afterwards... we are thinking the magazine spring might be too light, as sometimes the shells seem to jam up in the mag ( might be too much lead in the same space ), with the shorter shells... also shooting them, might help ( I'm low on mini shells right now, so while tweaking, we are just racking them through )... the concussion may either help or hurt... but anyway... we're making headway... __________________ In life you either make dust or eat dust...

August 25, 2008, 09:09 PM	#31
M14fan Senior Member Join Date: March 26, 2006 Location: Tennessee Posts: 777	Another link for inexpensive mini-shells http://ammunitiontogo.com/catalog1/p...e-all-12-gauge Also, I remember reading when I first heard of these shells that only the Winchester 1300 would reliably feed them without alteration. __________________ "Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master." --George Washington

August 8, 2008, 10:05 AM	#27
hogdogs Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 31, 2007 Location: Western Florida panhandle Posts: 11,069	I asked of a guy that owned them short shells and he called them "poacher rounds"... said they were not suitable at any range beyond "across the fence from a road"... Brent

August 25, 2008, 06:02 PM	#30
Huntergirl Senior Member Join Date: January 8, 2005 Location: Wyoming Posts: 907	The mini slugs work great in my Win 1300, like they were made for that shotgun. Prolly were...