finally hot a HP mold

skizzums · August 26, 2014, 01:12 PM

I posted up a classified that was looking for a HP for 9mm or .358, guy came back and sold me this one for a mere 25$.

got to use the blue from smoke, HOLY COW!!! that stuff coats sooo great, cannot even see where I picked them up at, total coverage

I did a pretty soft alloy, gonna hit some water jugs and see how they hold up

skizzums · August 26, 2014, 05:55 PM

not great, went through 4 feet pf water and busted into the concrete. its a very shallow point and it looks like it expanded the diameter it before flattening into the concrete. all good, its still purdy

Beagle333 · August 26, 2014, 06:14 PM

Those look great. I like the blue.

What a great deal on a HP mold too!

I was wondering if anybody was still casting, or if everybody had quit til it cooled off some.

oldpapps · August 26, 2014, 07:39 PM

I like the blue too....
Too bad they are so small

As for casting, nope. I'm staying inside all day long. At 7:36PM my time, it is 95 degrees out there. The sun is down but two storm advisories, so far, for to night... G, more humidity

Enjoy,

OSOK

skizzums · August 26, 2014, 07:41 PM

i'm still casting every couple o weeks or so. just nothing new to report, pretty much have all the molds and everything I need atm. i'm going to get some type of free-chex system soon to do some super sonics in the 300BLK, but yeah, this part of the forum has been dead for a couple months now

the mold is just an old LEE, single cavity. but casts really well and was surprisingly cheap. I had another guy offer me the same mold for 35$, almost got it just to sell some day or giveaway

Beagle333 · August 26, 2014, 08:42 PM

I haven't cast any in a while. I haven't had any to coat in about a month.
Currently, I'm back to testing a new stick lube. This is an improved version of TAC#1 that five of us were lucky enough to get samples for testing.
It is called TAC-X. I am lubing up several different styles and am gonna push em pretty hard to see if it will hold up in the heat.

FrankenMauser · August 26, 2014, 09:45 PM

I like that blue.

Quote:

I was wondering if anybody was still casting, or if everybody had quit til it cooled off some.

It's been cool here, lately, but I just can't find the time. The wife is pregnant with twins, and getting to the point that she can't even move well enough to keep an eye on the 2 year-old in the house. So, even when I have free time... I don't. Even if I found a way to make it happen... the neighbor's dog would jump the fence and attack me.

And I'm not far enough along in the legal process (for aggressive nuisance animals), to want to shoot the dog yet, or have it (or me!) get covered in molten lead.

By the time help arrives to give me some free time (we're importing a family member from Kentucky next week), I'll only have enough time to catch up on more important issues like rain gutter repair, before disappearing for the Utah Elk hunt, Idaho Deer hunt, and Idaho Elk hunt. (Back-to-back, for nearly 7 weeks of hunting, if I want to push it.)

So, I'm hoping to get a lot done this winter, while the imported hillbilly watches the 2 year-old and the twins just sleep and suck on boobs all day.

Daffy · August 27, 2014, 07:03 AM

Beagle I'll be awaiting a range report on the Tac-X...

Mike / Tx · August 28, 2014, 04:07 AM

Your coming right along there Skizzy, with both the pouring and the coating.

Just think, wasn't it about this time last year, you were just wondering if you could do it at all? Sure have come along well, even got your pictures working for ya too.

About what was your alloy? It looks like your just about right with it, other than hitting the cement block. Stuff happens though even when you "think" you have it all figured out.

Also what was your load? don't have to list it exact, just the powder and app. velocity you were tryin for. I know that the MP 359-360 with the 1.5/1.5/97 alloy I am using with them turns inside out with the large pin cavity and around 1300fps of velocity. They work somewhat better with the touch stiffer 1.75/1.75/96.5 I blended up, but trying to get it much stiffer than that only resulted in the noses fracturing off. So you can work the tin and antimony up in equal portions to a point, but once you pass it due to velocity, your simply at a point of diminished returns.

I do however think that you can compensate those blown noses however, by simply varying the amount of cavity or even the depth, and still get away with a bit stiffer alloy and end up with the noses rolled back and still intact at a higher velocity. I'm just patiently waiting on some pins to try that out with next.

Keep up the good work. Your doin great.

skizzums · August 28, 2014, 08:28 AM

unfortunately, i cant change the pin on this old lee, unless you know something i dont. just pushing these with my reglar trget load. i believe these were 142(really dont recall ATM). but were loaded with 3.8 HP38

yup, your right, pretty sure its been just shy of a year. at least i know i didnt do any casting last summer in the heat

Mike / Tx · August 30, 2014, 04:00 AM

Well not having a clue as to how the pin is on that mold I don't know.

With some you "can" change the pin, or pin design somewhat, just will depend on how good you are with a few hand tools and possibly a drill press. I made up a new pin for the Lyman Devastator mold I have in 44. It took a bit of creative filing and sanding on a bolt I found that seemed to work just fine. I just chucked it up in the drill and worked on it a little at a time till I had it fitting just as good as the original. It only had about half the cavity that the original did. I only cast about a dozen bullets with it and decided to swap it out with a friend who wanted it more than I did. Great mold, but I hate single cavities.

If you REALLY wanted a different pin for it though you could contact Eric over at Hollowpoint molds. He could probably fix you up really nice. But, since you already have that one working for ya, I would just play around with the loads or alloy a bit, and you should be fine. After all what works great for me night be a dismal failure to you, and vice versa, and that is what makes this so much fun.

With the MP molds and how he does his pins, I will be hopefully getting a full set for the 360 mold I already have. Then I plan to whittle down on those and keep the original set like they came. When he first offered it there wasn't an option for the cup point, which I think will work great with my alloy. With the large hp pin, I plan to cut it in about half, keeping the depth on two of them and reducing the width, the other two I will keep the width and cut off the tip reducing the depth. Maybe. I plan on starting off with just cutting the depth down on one to begin with. then I will pour up some and test them out, before messing with another one. If I find something that works really well with the alloy I want to use, I will make up one more and just use the 4 cavity as a 2 cavity. Either way the extra pins will alloy me to play around a bit more with it.

reloader28 · August 30, 2014, 08:37 AM

What was the alloy?
Looks a little stiff.
I like something around 9ish BHN.

res45 · September 1, 2014, 06:18 PM

I have an NOE gas check 2 cavity double crimp groove HP mold I purchased several years ago that shoots great in my Ruger and Taurus.

I cast the bullet from 50/50 WW/PB and it mushrooms great in wet pack media when fired for a 38 snubby under 1K fps. I have to cast it a bit harder for 357 loads so it deforms better but the design of the nose and depth of the HP helps with that.

Many years ago I owned one of those 38 cal. Lee HP molds,I have no idea whatever happen to it I probably sold it when I got out of casting for a time when my kids came along and I just had no time or money to spend on that hobby. Anyways the HP pin was attached to the mold so it couldn't be removed.

Pic of my NOE cast bullet and recovered bullet.

Old Lee HP mold,appears to be the same one I had and you have.

August 26, 2014, 05:55 PM	#2
skizzums Senior Member Join Date: July 1, 2013 Location: Douglasville, Ga Posts: 4,615	not great, went through 4 feet pf water and busted into the concrete. its a very shallow point and it looks like it expanded the diameter it before flattening into the concrete. all good, its still purdy __________________ My head is bloody, but unbowed

August 26, 2014, 06:14 PM	#3
Beagle333 Senior Member Join Date: January 7, 2012 Location: Auburn, AL. Posts: 2,332	Those look great. I like the blue. What a great deal on a HP mold too! I was wondering if anybody was still casting, or if everybody had quit til it cooled off some. __________________ . . . Have a Colt and a smile.

August 26, 2014, 07:41 PM	#5
skizzums Senior Member Join Date: July 1, 2013 Location: Douglasville, Ga Posts: 4,615	i'm still casting every couple o weeks or so. just nothing new to report, pretty much have all the molds and everything I need atm. i'm going to get some type of free-chex system soon to do some super sonics in the 300BLK, but yeah, this part of the forum has been dead for a couple months now the mold is just an old LEE, single cavity. but casts really well and was surprisingly cheap. I had another guy offer me the same mold for 35$, almost got it just to sell some day or giveaway __________________ My head is bloody, but unbowed

August 26, 2014, 08:42 PM	#6
Beagle333 Senior Member Join Date: January 7, 2012 Location: Auburn, AL. Posts: 2,332	I haven't cast any in a while. I haven't had any to coat in about a month. Currently, I'm back to testing a new stick lube. This is an improved version of TAC#1 that five of us were lucky enough to get samples for testing. It is called TAC-X. I am lubing up several different styles and am gonna push em pretty hard to see if it will hold up in the heat. __________________ . . . Have a Colt and a smile.

August 28, 2014, 04:07 AM	#9
Mike / Tx Senior Member Join Date: April 8, 2000 Posts: 2,101	Your coming right along there Skizzy, with both the pouring and the coating. Just think, wasn't it about this time last year, you were just wondering if you could do it at all? Sure have come along well, even got your pictures working for ya too. About what was your alloy? It looks like your just about right with it, other than hitting the cement block. Stuff happens though even when you "think" you have it all figured out. Also what was your load? don't have to list it exact, just the powder and app. velocity you were tryin for. I know that the MP 359-360 with the 1.5/1.5/97 alloy I am using with them turns inside out with the large pin cavity and around 1300fps of velocity. They work somewhat better with the touch stiffer 1.75/1.75/96.5 I blended up, but trying to get it much stiffer than that only resulted in the noses fracturing off. So you can work the tin and antimony up in equal portions to a point, but once you pass it due to velocity, your simply at a point of diminished returns. I do however think that you can compensate those blown noses however, by simply varying the amount of cavity or even the depth, and still get away with a bit stiffer alloy and end up with the noses rolled back and still intact at a higher velocity. I'm just patiently waiting on some pins to try that out with next. Keep up the good work. Your doin great. __________________ LAter, Mike / TX

August 26, 2014, 01:12 PM	#1
skizzums Senior Member Join Date: July 1, 2013 Location: Douglasville, Ga Posts: 4,615	finally hot a HP mold I posted up a classified that was looking for a HP for 9mm or .358, guy came back and sold me this one for a mere 25$. got to use the blue from smoke, HOLY COW!!! that stuff coats sooo great, cannot even see where I picked them up at, total coverage I did a pretty soft alloy, gonna hit some water jugs and see how they hold up __________________ My head is bloody, but unbowed

August 26, 2014, 07:39 PM	#4
oldpapps Senior Member Join Date: September 22, 2011 Location: Middle America Posts: 518	I like the blue too.... Too bad they are so small As for casting, nope. I'm staying inside all day long. At 7:36PM my time, it is 95 degrees out there. The sun is down but two storm advisories, so far, for to night... G, more humidity Enjoy, OSOK

August 27, 2014, 07:03 AM	#8
Daffy Member Join Date: December 24, 2012 Posts: 63	Beagle I'll be awaiting a range report on the Tac-X...

August 28, 2014, 08:28 AM	#10
skizzums Senior Member Join Date: July 1, 2013 Location: Douglasville, Ga Posts: 4,615	unfortunately, i cant change the pin on this old lee, unless you know something i dont. just pushing these with my reglar trget load. i believe these were 142(really dont recall ATM). but were loaded with 3.8 HP38 yup, your right, pretty sure its been just shy of a year. at least i know i didnt do any casting last summer in the heat __________________ My head is bloody, but unbowed

August 30, 2014, 04:00 AM	#11
Mike / Tx Senior Member Join Date: April 8, 2000 Posts: 2,101	Well not having a clue as to how the pin is on that mold I don't know. With some you "can" change the pin, or pin design somewhat, just will depend on how good you are with a few hand tools and possibly a drill press. I made up a new pin for the Lyman Devastator mold I have in 44. It took a bit of creative filing and sanding on a bolt I found that seemed to work just fine. I just chucked it up in the drill and worked on it a little at a time till I had it fitting just as good as the original. It only had about half the cavity that the original did. I only cast about a dozen bullets with it and decided to swap it out with a friend who wanted it more than I did. Great mold, but I hate single cavities. If you REALLY wanted a different pin for it though you could contact Eric over at Hollowpoint molds. He could probably fix you up really nice. But, since you already have that one working for ya, I would just play around with the loads or alloy a bit, and you should be fine. After all what works great for me night be a dismal failure to you, and vice versa, and that is what makes this so much fun. With the MP molds and how he does his pins, I will be hopefully getting a full set for the 360 mold I already have. Then I plan to whittle down on those and keep the original set like they came. When he first offered it there wasn't an option for the cup point, which I think will work great with my alloy. With the large hp pin, I plan to cut it in about half, keeping the depth on two of them and reducing the width, the other two I will keep the width and cut off the tip reducing the depth. Maybe. I plan on starting off with just cutting the depth down on one to begin with. then I will pour up some and test them out, before messing with another one. If I find something that works really well with the alloy I want to use, I will make up one more and just use the 4 cavity as a 2 cavity. Either way the extra pins will alloy me to play around a bit more with it. __________________ LAter, Mike / TX Last edited by Mike / Tx; August 30, 2014 at 04:08 AM.

August 30, 2014, 08:37 AM	#12
reloader28 Senior Member Join Date: October 13, 2009 Location: nw wyoming Posts: 1,061	What was the alloy? Looks a little stiff. I like something around 9ish BHN.

September 1, 2014, 06:18 PM	#13
res45 Senior Member Join Date: September 15, 2007 Location: NC Posts: 753	I have an NOE gas check 2 cavity double crimp groove HP mold I purchased several years ago that shoots great in my Ruger and Taurus. I cast the bullet from 50/50 WW/PB and it mushrooms great in wet pack media when fired for a 38 snubby under 1K fps. I have to cast it a bit harder for 357 loads so it deforms better but the design of the nose and depth of the HP helps with that. Many years ago I owned one of those 38 cal. Lee HP molds,I have no idea whatever happen to it I probably sold it when I got out of casting for a time when my kids came along and I just had no time or money to spend on that hobby. Anyways the HP pin was attached to the mold so it couldn't be removed. Pic of my NOE cast bullet and recovered bullet. Old Lee HP mold,appears to be the same one I had and you have.