Cast Bullet Shooters,
NOE has just turned out another new mold design from a group buy. There is a .360 version and a .363 version. I ordered Tuesday afternoon, and the NOE guys got it in the mail that afternoon. It arrived here Thursday morning, and I was casting Thursday afternoon! I ordered the brass four-cavity version.
I'm not an NOE salesman or anything like that, just sharing my excitement at this nice new mold.
Here is the mold warming on top of the pot. I was using the last few pounds of some range scrap. My power cord is burned out, so I "borrow" my dear wife's coffee pot cord. None of you knows her, I don't think, and she is a real sweetheart, so I'm safe telling you that.
The bullets came out nice and round at .3605
The bullets weigh 149 grains; lubed they weigh 150.2 grains. That Ohaus scale is from my Dad, and I'm thankful for it.
The bullets worked great with this .359 Star die from Chris (lathesmith). He makes good stuff and is nice to deal with. The lube is Lars's Red Carnauba. He is also a great supplier.
Here is one with some friends for comparison. L-R 358477, 360640, NOE 360-150, 358495, Mihec 125. I really like all of these bullets.
Here's one loaded in .38 Special. FYI, it loaded just fine in a 9mm, also. The length of the nose and length inside the case seem like they would work well for a heavy 9mm load, if you are so inclined. I am NOT so inclined, but I might have to try it just to see.
This bullet is to be the general plinking and practice load for the kids and me with my old Colt Cobras. It doesn't take much power to make those aluminum-framed guns really kick, so I tried four light loads of W231: 2.0 gr, 2.5 gr, 3.0 gr, and 3.5gr. They all worked fine. The 2.5 grain load was the one that shot the best for me, and recoil was very mild. The picture shows a 1" group shot one-handed at seven yards.
Here is something to consider when choosing what version of the mold to buy: The brass four-cavity mold is a big ole hunk of brass that is HEAVY!!! On the downside, that means the mold takes a long time to heat up, and is a bit hard on the wrists. On the upside, the mold does not lose temp between casts, so that I was able to make hundreds of bullets with ZERO culls. This has been my experience with other brass molds, also. I have another NOE four-cavity mold in aluminum. It is easier as to using it, but much harder as to getting consistently perfect bullets.
Here are the links to the order pages:
360 150Gr. RN (38 Spl.)
http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/index.p...cj6p941a3dnm21
363 150Gr. RN (38 S&W)
http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/index.p...cj6p941a3dnm21
Thanks for reading this post. I hope the info helps some of you.
Low Budget Shooter
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