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View Full Version : A pile of H&G #68 boolits



lawboy
10-27-2010, 03:19 AM
Here is 85lbs of H&G #68 SWC boolits. I cast these in two nights with one 4-cavity mould. Weight is 205grs with my alloy. I think I will do another three nights and call it quits.
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd221/behightower/boolits001.jpg

x101airborne
10-27-2010, 04:38 AM
good looking pile. those 38's? im not familiar with that mold.

Doby45
10-27-2010, 07:16 AM
Those are 45s and the H&G mold is a classic 200gr SWC.

nicholst55
10-27-2010, 08:05 AM
I'll bet it took 15 or 20 minutes to accumulate that pile! Looking good!

casterofboolits
10-27-2010, 09:02 AM
I am impressed with your productivity with a four cavity mould. That's about 2,900 boolits. How did you maintain the mould temp while casting?

I have two eight cavity and a four cavity (new style with larger front driving band) and usually shoot for 1,600 boolits per casting session. I get about 400 boolits per RCBS 10 kilo pot.

I also have an eight cavity and a four cavity H&G #68 the same style as yours (thin front driving band) which I modified to drop 185 grain boolits by grinding .045 off the tops of the moulds. The 185 grain #68 became my standard IPSC boolit.

Again, good job!

dragonrider
10-27-2010, 09:05 AM
WOW I can only see the picture in my minds eye at the moment, due to restrictions on my computer here at work, but thart's gotta be a bunch. I don't cast that many in a year.

Trey45
10-27-2010, 09:12 AM
My absolute favorite H&G mould is the #68. Those are some good looking boolits there. You should send me a few hundred for extensive testing.

gray wolf
10-27-2010, 09:21 AM
Now that is a nice thing to see, very well done---have fun shooting.
Sometimes I close my eyes and dream of a pile like that, your picture lets me see it in real time.
Good work

Sam

Baryngyl
10-27-2010, 10:02 AM
Looking at those I see some of the sprue's look like they kinda break off and leave a bit of a jagged hole, I thought I was the only one that made bullets like that. ;)


Michael Grace

Dale53
10-27-2010, 10:12 AM
Lawboy;
That is a BEAUTIFUL pile of fine bullets. The absolute BEST .45 ACP bullet design, EVER!

I no longer cast that many at a sitting. Being a bit "long in the tooth", I cast 20 lbs at a sitting (700 bullets) but often cast three times a week. I have a dedicated casting station in my utility barn (complete with A/C and Heat) so I can cast year 'round.

During my five year stint in IPSC, I shot 75,000 rounds of .45 ACP and, by far, my favorite bullet was the H&G #68.

My current mould is a MiHec six cavity aluminum mould that will allow me to empty my RCBS pot in around an hour. I consider it "fun work" and thoroughly enjoy the entire process.

Shoot center!

Dale53

Doby45
10-27-2010, 10:43 AM
I need to work on my #68 load for my 5" 1911, of the different boolits I load in 45 it is the only one that tumbles on me. Maybe I am too low on the charge..

casterofboolits
10-27-2010, 11:50 AM
I need to work on my #68 load for my 5" 1911, of the different boolits I load in 45 it is the only one that tumbles on me. Maybe I am too low on the charge..

The only time I ever saw a #68 tumble was when a friend re-taper crimped a batch of ammo. And overdid it by a bunch! He also turned his barrel into what looked like a smooth bore and was a real bear to get cleaned! :groner:

101VooDoo
10-27-2010, 11:57 AM
Those ought to last you a while. Nice.

Jim

mdi
10-27-2010, 12:04 PM
Wow! Nice pile. I don't like to cast that much at once 'cause it'll be too long before I need (want) to cast again! [smilie=l:

Doby45
10-27-2010, 12:14 PM
Nah, they didn't lead at all. But the last time I worked on a #68 load was in my casting infancy and once again I really did not test it extensively either. I think I was using 4gr of Clays. I will have to go back and look again..


The only time I ever saw a #68 tumble was when a friend re-taper crimped a batch of ammo. And overdid it by a bunch! He also turned his barrel into what looked like a smooth bore and was a real bear to get cleaned! :groner:

lawboy
10-27-2010, 02:11 PM
Thanks everybody, for the kind words.
Those of you who mentioned IPSC, you are right on the money. I shoot a lot of IDPA and practice alot and you go through ammo like Kleenex doing that. My season just ended with the CA state match on 10/9 so my match shooting will slow way down until about May. Now is the time to get the bullets ready for next year. I will shoot 10-15k of these over the course of a year so this little pile is just the start! I will turn about 450lbs of lead into #68 bullets over the next month or so.
My load is 4.7grs of BE or WST under these bullets, with just about any primer.

I am on the look out for another #68 4-cavity if anybody wants to part with one ... [smilie=1:

dragonrider
10-27-2010, 03:13 PM
OH MY, my mental picture did not do it justice at all. Well done.

Doby45
10-27-2010, 03:28 PM
lawboy keep your eye open for one of these..

http://mp-molds.com/shopping/pgm-more_information.php?id=4&=SID

Made by one of the finest mold makers around..

lawboy
10-27-2010, 04:09 PM
lawboy keep your eye open for one of these..

http://mp-molds.com/shopping/pgm-more_information.php?id=4&=SID

Made by one of the finest mold makers around..

I'd need one in brass or steel.

max it
10-27-2010, 05:34 PM
MiHec's are pretty good in Alum too. IMHO.

lawboy
10-27-2010, 08:17 PM
MiHec's are pretty good in Alum too. IMHO.

I have no doubt of it. Just a personal preference.
When I get the pile REALLY big, I will post anothe pic, hehe.

Dale53
10-28-2010, 01:59 AM
I have the Mihec mould (H&G #68) in a six cavity aluminum mould and it is almost unbelievably consistent from cavity to cavity. Beautiful bullets just FALL from the mould. I can cast, without rushing (just a steady pace) 20 pounds of finished bullets of match quality in less than an hour.

FWIW
Dale53

curiousgeorge
10-28-2010, 07:49 AM
Nice job! I use the H&G 6 cavity. My arm is about worn out after 50 - 60 pounds.

lawboy
10-28-2010, 12:25 PM
Okay, I have the first crate filled. Just over 100lbs of boolits here. The crate was from a gift basket from Mikuni's sushi that I bid on and won at a charity auction a few years ago. I have the lid too.
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd221/behightower/boolits001-1.jpg

Swede44mag
10-28-2010, 12:28 PM
I let a friend borrow my H&G #68 mold he cleaned it with a wire brush on a bench grinder. He is not a friend as he ruined my mold. I bought one of these from Midway to replace it.

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=161788

You might consider it if you need another mold. The bullets look like the #68 that I still have and shoot as good. I like the bevel base for reloading makes them easier to go into the case. I cast a 3 pound & 1 pound coffee can full at a time.

ghh3rd
10-28-2010, 12:29 PM
Hey there's mercury, er I mean lead in that sushi!

101VooDoo
10-28-2010, 01:16 PM
I have the Mihec mould (H&G #68) in a six cavity aluminum mould and it is almost unbelievably consistent from cavity to cavity. Beautiful bullets just FALL from the mould. I can cast, without rushing (just a steady pace) 20 pounds of finished bullets of match quality in less than an hour.

FWIW
Dale53

Dale,

What do you think the chances are Miha would make us a 4-banger brass mold in #68?

Jim

NSP64
10-28-2010, 01:30 PM
101VooDoo, ask him he's a member here. shoot him a PM

Doby45
10-28-2010, 01:45 PM
Well you know he has the cherry already. ;) You could also start a proposal topic in the Group Buy Discussion see how much interest there is.

lawboy
10-28-2010, 02:26 PM
Okay, you all have my attention. If a group buy for the Mihec mould is going to happen I WILL TAKE ONE!
Now, where do I send the money?
@ couriousgeorge, I don't cast them in one session! I am only human, man! :lol:

Doby45
10-28-2010, 02:37 PM
Here is the interest thread.. I am sure Miha could do these with no problem. No pins to deal with just brass blocks and cavities..

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=96717

101VooDoo
10-28-2010, 04:57 PM
101VooDoo, ask him he's a member here. shoot him a PM

Doby45's way ahead of me. I was just thinking that Dale seems to speak Slovene so well...

Jim

Dale53
11-02-2010, 03:31 PM
To all;
Thanks for the kind words fellers and gals.

Doby45 has this group buy well in hand. In fact, I have signed up for the #68 four cavity brass mould. I am a bit behind here as I am on a trip (two weeks in Salt Lake City, UT). I neglected to take my password for my Email and it took a few days before I was able to "get with it"...

Anyone that wants or needs one of these MiHec Brass four cavity moulds for the #68 .45 ACP bullet, sign up with Doby45's Group Buy or "You'll hate yourself in the morning"...:mrgreen:

Dale53

frkelly74
11-02-2010, 03:48 PM
in case you do not want to have that mold get cold ,you could lend it to me and I would make sure that it was nice and warm for a while.

Matt_G
11-02-2010, 06:35 PM
Lawboy, that is some serious boolit porn you're posting here. :lol:

Texasflyboy
11-02-2010, 06:36 PM
Purty.

I get my bases cleanly cut by keeping a dripping wet towel neatly folded nearby when casting. Before I break the sprue, I invert the mould onto the wet towel and let it sizzle for 2-3 seconds every third or fourth cast. Makes perfect bases that way and I keep that wide driving band on the 68 nice and square. This works with either a 4, 6, or 8 cavity mould. With the thick sprue plate on the Hensley & Gibbs moulds, briefly cooling a hot sprue plate with a wet towel is just the cure for ragged sprue cuts.

Tom

lawboy
11-02-2010, 07:57 PM
Purty.

I get my bases cleanly cut by keeping a dripping wet towel neatly folded nearby when casting. Before I break the sprue, I invert the mould onto the wet towel and let it sizzle for 2-3 seconds every third or fourth cast. Makes perfect bases that way and I keep that wide driving band on the 68 nice and square. This works with either a 4, 6, or 8 cavity mould. With the thick sprue plate on the Hensley & Gibbs moulds, briefly cooling a hot sprue plate with a wet towel is just the cure for ragged sprue cuts.

Tom

I will give your technique a try. Thanks for posting it!

casterofboolits
11-02-2010, 10:45 PM
I keep my H&G 68 bases nice and clean by running three moulds in series, either two eight cavity and a four cavity 200 grain or two eight cavity 200 grain #68 and an eight cavity 185 grain #68. The eight cavity moulds cool just enough to cut clean bases without losing casting temp.

I run my Lyman and Saeco moulds the same way, altho the Saecos need cooling at times by sitting them on a squirrel cage blower mounted on the edge of the bench.