The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > The Skunkworks > Handloading, Reloading, and Bullet Casting > Bullet Casting

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old November 9, 2009, 10:25 PM   #1
IllinoisCoyoteHunter
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 23, 2008
Location: Southern Illinois
Posts: 1,527
Cast Hollow Points

For all those who have never seen one of these this a two-cavity brass mold with cramer-style hollow point pins...sometimes referred to as cramer molds. This style of HP casting has many advantages. The main advantage is that the pins stay hot because they stay in the mold and use the heat from the mold to stay hot. Casting with these molds is fast and easy. To do so, pour alloy as usual and break sprue. After breaking the sprue, turn the mold upside down, open the cavity, and slide the pins out (towards the opposite mold block half). The bullets fall off the pins. Carefully close the mold and start over. Great design!

This mold happens to be a .453 HP mold with round HP pins and Pentagonal HP pins. Plus, either set of HP pins can be turned around and flat nose bullet can be cast. 3 different styles of bullets in one mold. The bullets in the pic are sized to .452" and lubed with WhiteLabel BAC lube. Expansion test to come in the future...



__________________
~~IllinoisCoyoteHunter~~

~NRA LIFE MEMBER~
~NRA CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR~
IllinoisCoyoteHunter is offline  
Old November 9, 2009, 11:04 PM   #2
Shane Tuttle
Staff
 
Join Date: November 28, 2005
Location: Montana
Posts: 9,443
Too bad they don't have a 6-cavity mold....or do they?
__________________
If it were up to me, the word "got" would be deleted from the English language.

Posting and YOU: http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/posting
Shane Tuttle is offline  
Old November 9, 2009, 11:22 PM   #3
azjohn
Member
 
Join Date: April 25, 2007
Location: Amado, Arizona
Posts: 73
Check this link.
http://omgili.com/jmp/jHIAmI4hxg8gi6...SYha8u274SECE-
__________________
Not cool sunglasses for the AZ sun.
azjohn is offline  
Old November 9, 2009, 11:58 PM   #4
IllinoisCoyoteHunter
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 23, 2008
Location: Southern Illinois
Posts: 1,527
I have 2 molds on order from NOE. Expecting both by the end of the month. They let you customize your mold however you want...within reason. Their RG style molds are kind of like cramer style molds...but just a little different. I am having a gas check cavity and a plain base cavity cut on both my molds on order. This gives many options along with hollow point or flat point (molds come with HP pins and flat nose pins). So you can have a plain base HP, Gas check HP, plain base flat nose, or gas check flat nose. And yes Shane they do offer multiple cavity molds...but those are not capable of hollowpointing (unless you have someone else HP it after the fact). But, say you want a 6-cav mold with 4 plain base cavitites and 2 gas check cavities....no problem. When my molds arrive I will be sure to give a full review.
__________________
~~IllinoisCoyoteHunter~~

~NRA LIFE MEMBER~
~NRA CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR~
IllinoisCoyoteHunter is offline  
Old November 12, 2009, 08:08 AM   #5
GP100man
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 1, 2007
Location: Tabor City , NC.
Posts: 1,969
Good lookin mold & bullets!!!

Looks like some of Erik`s handy work???
__________________
GP100man
GP100man is offline  
Old November 12, 2009, 09:15 PM   #6
IllinoisCoyoteHunter
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 23, 2008
Location: Southern Illinois
Posts: 1,527
No, not eric.... Miha Prevec from Slovenia. http://mp-molds.com/shopping/pgm-mor....php?id=4&=SID
__________________
~~IllinoisCoyoteHunter~~

~NRA LIFE MEMBER~
~NRA CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR~
IllinoisCoyoteHunter is offline  
Old November 12, 2009, 09:43 PM   #7
Shane Tuttle
Staff
 
Join Date: November 28, 2005
Location: Montana
Posts: 9,443
You know, after seeing the price for molds on that site, I'm wondering if all the Lee molds I just purchased was a mistake...
__________________
If it were up to me, the word "got" would be deleted from the English language.

Posting and YOU: http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/posting
Shane Tuttle is offline  
Old November 12, 2009, 10:24 PM   #8
IllinoisCoyoteHunter
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 23, 2008
Location: Southern Illinois
Posts: 1,527
I no longer buy Lee, Lyman, or RCBS molds. They are ok...don't get me wrong... I just prefer custom molds. Quality is higher and the mold-makers really stand behind their products...and if there is a problem they are extremely quick to fix it at no charge. BTW Shane, your stuff will be on it's way tomorrow.
__________________
~~IllinoisCoyoteHunter~~

~NRA LIFE MEMBER~
~NRA CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR~
IllinoisCoyoteHunter is offline  
Old February 9, 2010, 10:15 PM   #9
IllinoisCoyoteHunter
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 23, 2008
Location: Southern Illinois
Posts: 1,527
This a a mold by NOE (Night Owl Enterprises). Al Nelson does great job on these molds. This is a 180 grn WFN or 170 grn HP .360" mold (I size down to .358 for 357 Mag). I have one plain base cavity and one gas check cavity. I like the versatility of gc/pb and flat point/HP. It is truly a work of art!





GP100Man, if I remember correctly, I owe you some of these......
__________________
~~IllinoisCoyoteHunter~~

~NRA LIFE MEMBER~
~NRA CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR~
IllinoisCoyoteHunter is offline  
Old February 9, 2010, 10:21 PM   #10
okiefarmer
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 20, 2006
Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 381
Guys, I'm a slow learner. I watched a DC mould like this go at auction recently. Couldn't figure out how the pins were removed. I am still wondering even after looking at these pics up close. Especially the first pic, pins have no handle. The second steel mold appear to have flat bases on the pins, but that would be hot also.

It ain't even Friday, but help me out here. I may have to check these sites out and order some of these HP moulds too.
okiefarmer is offline  
Old February 9, 2010, 10:33 PM   #11
IllinoisCoyoteHunter
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 23, 2008
Location: Southern Illinois
Posts: 1,527
The first mold is a brass mold and the second one is aluminum. The pins on the brass mold must be pushed once the mold is opened and upside down (you can't see where the pins stick out on one side of the mold. When the mold is closed, they stick out a bit). The boolits fall off the pins under their own weight. Then when you close the mold, the pins are pushed back in postition, ready for another pour. The same goes for the second (aluminum mold). Once the sprue is broken, the mold is turned upside down and opened. The pins slide away from the cavity (on the steel guide) and the bullets are then pulled off the pins under their own weight. Closing the mold resets the pins, and you are ready for another pour. Both of these styles are advantageous because they keep the pins enclosed in the mold, thus keeping them hot. Other HP'ing techniques use a removeable pin (that is completely removed from the mold) that was a pain in the butt to keep hot. A cold HP pin is very hard to cast with. These methods are much quicker, too.
__________________
~~IllinoisCoyoteHunter~~

~NRA LIFE MEMBER~
~NRA CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR~

Last edited by IllinoisCoyoteHunter; February 9, 2010 at 10:39 PM.
IllinoisCoyoteHunter is offline  
Old February 10, 2010, 11:13 AM   #12
jimkim
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 3, 2008
Location: middle GA
Posts: 326
While we're at it, I might as well mention Erik Ohlen at Hollow Point Bullet Mold Service. If you already have a mould and want it hollowpointed(or modified/repaired) he does good work, and is very reasonable. http://www.hollowpointmold.com/
__________________
Jan. 4, 2007 gasoline $2.10 gal....HMMM?
jimkim is offline  
Old February 10, 2010, 02:50 PM   #13
salvadore
Junior member
 
Join Date: January 1, 2007
Location: Idaho
Posts: 2,282
I second jimkim's endorsement of Eric's work. He has modified two Lyman molds for me, and the work was primo.
salvadore is offline  
Old February 13, 2010, 10:41 PM   #14
David Wile
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 14, 2001
Location: Mechanicsburg, PA
Posts: 585
Hey Coyote,

Your original post really has me intrigued. I have been casting with steel moulds for over 50 years, tried a Lee aluminum mould about ten years ago and just did not like the aluminum mould. I know other folks like them, and you can chalk it up to old dog not learning new tricks, but I just don't want aluminum moulds.

I also don't like single cavity moulds. I had a couple of nice hollow point steel moulds that made good bullets, but I hated making one bullet at a time and sold my hollow point moulds. Again, the old dog & new tricks thing I guess. Then you start this thread with what looks like an absolutely amazing mould. It is hollow point and double cavity, and it is not aluminum. I never used a brass mould so I don't know how that would go, but I think it ought to be better than what I disliked about aluminum moulds.

I am very interested in the mould you pictured, but I did not see who made the mould and how much it cost and where to get information. If you did provide that information, it went over my head, and I beg your forgiving my miss. Would you mind giving me some more information on those moulds? At my age, I shouldn't be buying any more stuff, but I really would like to have a 200 grain 10mm Ray Thompson type design cast bullet with a gas check groove. I have never seen any such mould, so I continue to buy commercial 180 grain bullets for my 10mm. Any information would be appreciated.

Best wishes,
Dave Wile
David Wile is offline  
Old February 13, 2010, 11:20 PM   #15
IllinoisCoyoteHunter
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 23, 2008
Location: Southern Illinois
Posts: 1,527
Mr. Wile,

Both of these molds were purchased in a Group buy over on Cast Boolits. The site has a handful of custom mold makers...and they ALL do an awesome job! http://castboolits.gunloads.com/

The first is a brass cramer style HP mold made by MP molds. It is a one man show run by Miha Prevec, from Slovenia. He makes custom molds. The mold was right around $100 delivered. It drops 200 grn beauties for my 1911. Included with the mold are and extra set of pins to make flat nose bullets, and a set of pins to make the pentagonal shaped HP.

The second mold is an aluminum mold made by NOE (Night Owl Enterprises). Al Nelson makes molds in his spare time after work. This mold is great because I have much versatility with it. It is a 2 cavity mold, with one cav being a plain base design and the other a gas check design. It drops bullets right at .360", which i size to 358 for my 357 mag. The pin options are hollow point pins and flat point pins. HP's run 170 grain and the flat points run 182 grain. Cost...$100 plus delivery. (BTW, this is an RG2 mold....it also come in RG4 which is a 4-cavity HP mold).

Cast Boolits has many group buys going on at any given time. There is a group buy section, with 4 subsections. Go over there and check it out. Anyone can get in on them.

It looks like they only have one going right now....it is still in the preliminary stages. http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=73869

If you join up there, you can put up a "feeler" thread to gauge interest. If there is enough interest, then a mold maker will pick it up...or you can specify which mold maker you want to produce it.
__________________
~~IllinoisCoyoteHunter~~

~NRA LIFE MEMBER~
~NRA CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR~

Last edited by IllinoisCoyoteHunter; February 13, 2010 at 11:42 PM.
IllinoisCoyoteHunter is offline  
Old February 13, 2010, 11:23 PM   #16
Pbearperry
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 9, 2008
Location: Massachusetts
Posts: 283
Those are very nice looking bullets.I would love to have some of them.
Pbearperry is offline  
Old February 14, 2010, 12:25 AM   #17
GP100man
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 1, 2007
Location: Tabor City , NC.
Posts: 1,969
HPs

358156 Ideal HP with Gas Check removed.

__________________
GP100man
GP100man is offline  
Old February 14, 2010, 12:56 AM   #18
IllinoisCoyoteHunter
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 23, 2008
Location: Southern Illinois
Posts: 1,527
Good lookin' boolits Rich! I like the gas checks on my 358156. I like to push that bullet HARD. You should be getting some goodies soon...prolly monday. You will notice that the Flat point boolits I sent you have a slight HP. When the pinds were machined, they were made a touch too long. If I close the mold upside down, the pin sticks into the cavity even a little further and makes the "HP" even a little deeper. You will notice if you compare the flat point boolits. This may just work out as a great hunting boolit. The full HP is very exposive. I have a feeling the shallow HP (flat pointed one) will expand more than a FP, but retain more weight than a full HP. I will have to test it. Enjoy!
__________________
~~IllinoisCoyoteHunter~~

~NRA LIFE MEMBER~
~NRA CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR~
IllinoisCoyoteHunter is offline  
Old February 14, 2010, 06:49 AM   #19
GP100man
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 1, 2007
Location: Tabor City , NC.
Posts: 1,969
Thanks ICH !!

& look out water jugs!!!!

This alloy gives up around 1250 fps & starts strippin a little .
__________________
GP100man

Last edited by GP100man; February 16, 2010 at 07:28 PM. Reason: add on
GP100man is offline  
Old February 27, 2010, 07:36 PM   #20
Hamour
Member
 
Join Date: September 9, 2007
Posts: 68
I think it should be pointed out that both the MP brass molds and NOE aluminum molds have the ability to cast solids as well as hollow points simply by reversing or changing pins. So one mold can do double duty. These are very versatile molds! I have both and love them.

PS: Both makers make gang molds as well for volume casting.

Here is a view of MP's 41 mag offering


Here is a view of NOE offering (a .360-180gr wfn hpt)
Hamour is offline  
Reply


Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 03:55 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.07193 seconds with 10 queries