Hollow point molds

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  • Last Post 09 July 2011
technojock posted this 04 April 2011

I recently picked up some used molds and with them were a Lyman .358 and .429 hollow point molds.  It will be a while before I get a chance to cast and shoot any of these and I was wondering how well cast hollow points perform.

Are they worth the trouble?  They look like they would be hard to get good bullets with them.

Tony

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RicinYakima posted this 05 April 2011

Are they worth the trouble? Yes if you use them to shoot “game", but are hard to make for plinking rounds.

Hints:

pre-heat your mould, as the first 20 from a cold mould are rejects

set your pot 50 degrees hotter

use an alloy of not over 3% antimony and make sure it has at least 3% tin

make BIG sprue puddles

practice, practice and practice

HTH, Ric

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technojock posted this 05 April 2011

Thanks and I do plan to use the .429 ones for game but not the .358 or at least not right away.  I will be ordering a .44 mag barrel for my NEF single shot rifle soon.  I've been wanting something that will shoot a cast bullet more suited for black tail deer...

I have to admit that I'm not very good at casting yet.  I bought some new Lyman molds last year and I've yet to get consistent results from them. 

Tony

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DAMRON G posted this 05 April 2011

I have two rifle molds that were a bit more accurate after the HP's were done.If you want them them to fragment for varmints use hard alloy like Linotype,if you want them to melt back for hunting deer etc use straight wheel weight or softer.When you get the hang of the HP casting its not a whole lot slower than a single cavity of the same design.I have about 15 HP molds and for the most part are easy to use.I preheat the mold by ladle pouring lead though the thing WITHOUT the pin in.I just keep pouring without opening the sprue(just re-pour over the hole again and again) until it flows though the drilled pin hole.During this time i dip the pin itsself in the lead for a bit and go for it.Usually good bullets are had even faster than a non HP.And remember to remove the pin before breaking the sprue or you will eventually shear it off.Also look into the HP cavity,though the outside HP edge looks good often you will have a a void at the bottom of the cavity from the pin cooling down.I dont cast any hotter with HP's than i do with standard designs but when the noses start to wrinkle or get “goofy” just dip the pin in lead pot to warm it back up.

And you will forget to put in the HP pin about every 20th pour .You will also probably drop the pin in the pot and burn the handle a few times.Or maybe that just my problem!

George

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JeffinNZ posted this 05 April 2011

I had a 225462 HPed. It is SAVAGE on small game at just over 2000fps in air cooled WW. Rabbits rattle.

Cheers from New Zealand

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StrawHat posted this 05 April 2011

Hollow points perform quite well if cast correctly.  Depending on the mold number, the bullet may have been set up for a different alloy than what is usually considered today.  Wheel weights and the like have no true formula and can be made from nearly anything that melts.  I avoid them, especially for HPs.  Try some of the old binary alloys, 30/1 lead/tin is a favorite.  I believe Keith liked 20/1 or 16/1.

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technojock posted this 05 April 2011

I'll remember that for when I get to trying them.  My business is picking up early this year and I don't have as much time for shooting stuff as I usually do in spring...

BTW, I will be buying a thermometer soon, any recreations on one or a starting temp?

Tony

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RicinYakima posted this 05 April 2011

Temperature depends upon alloy: I use 600 for linotype up to 775 for pure lead balls.

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Clod Hopper posted this 06 April 2011

I saw an article years ago where the caster had a wire holder for the pin so it sat in the flame of a butane torch when he was opening the more. The pin was always hot, and did not cool off too fast. Keeping the temp seems to be the key here.

Dale M. Lock

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gunarea posted this 06 April 2011

Hey tecnojock

   The hollow point pin makes it a bit more important to employ correct casting techniques. One point not brought up is the need for molten alloy to swirl into the mould. Sort of like the swirl of a toilet bowl as it flushes. A straight stream into the mould will have the tendency to create blurbs, pockets and bubbles.  Best of skill to you.

                                                                                                             Roy

Shoot often, Shoot well

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technojock posted this 06 April 2011

That really makes sense.  I don't know why I haven't heard that before but I'm certainly going to try to swirl in the alloy from now on.

As the weather warms up I'm finding less time for bullet casting but I will try to set some time aside in for one or to more casting sessions...

Tony

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DAMRON G posted this 06 April 2011

You should stop by a CBA match Clark Rifles in Vancouver and visit match director and CBA region #7 rep. Bill Anderson.He is one of my cast bullet mentors and a super helpfull guy.

George

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technojock posted this 06 April 2011

I'd love to.  Do you have a link for the match schedule? 

The one guy that I knew that really knows this stuff moved away about 10 years ago and I lost touch with my gun stuff mentor.

Tony

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DAMRON G posted this 07 April 2011

technojock wrote: I'd love to.  Do you have a link for the match schedule? 

The one guy that I knew that really knows this stuff moved away about 10 years ago and I lost touch with my gun stuff mentor.

Tony   the info is on the home page of the CBA

George

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technojock posted this 09 July 2011

Getting those .44 molds so cheap I decided the universe was telling me that I needed a .44 so started looking around.  :)

Last month I scored a like new NEF .44 Mag carbine for $175.  So far I've only shot it with jacketed bullets but I can say for sure it's a keeper. :D

I slugged the bore in anticipation of using cast bullets and to my disappointment, the bore slugged to .432".   This leaves out all the commercial cast bullets and all the molds I have so far.

My solution is was to order a Lee 240 grain round nose mold and I plan to hog it out with valve grinding paste.   This is my busy season and I've been ill so I haven't started on this project yet.  So far do y'all think I'm on the right track?  I don't want to modify my Lyman molds but I'm only 20 bucks into this Lee mold and that's an acceptable risk...

Tony

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