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Thread: Sent my .50 AE mold to Erik at Hollowpointmolds.com... Any experience?

  1. #1
    Boolit Buddy Stilly's Avatar
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    Sent my .50 AE mold to Erik at Hollowpointmolds.com... Any experience?

    The guy seems honestly legit all the way through in that he seemed to not like the idea of me GIFTING him paypal as payment.

    Yes, because everyone GIFTS payment through paypal to avoid the fees for the seller and all... I mean- NOBODY would EVER DO THAT. I am ashamed...

    Okay yeah so I picked up a .50 AE mold that was largely unidentifiable. I think it was a cross between a Lyman and an Ideal but It really had no markings, just 50 AE on it.

    Then I made a HUGE amount of HP boolits with it one day and when I went to size them- guess what? They did NOT size. I placed them on the ram and UP and DOWN they came I was scratching my head, I did another and another and another then I decided to MIC them. THAT was when I discovered that they were micing at .493. I was like WTH?

    WHO makes a .50 AE mold (HP even) and then does not even make it near 50 AE? What 50 AE is .493???? Not even Lee has messed up like that. (not to me anyways)

    So, I FINALLY have gotten around to contacting Erik at Hollowpointmolds.com and he gave me a great price. Like, $109 for him to enlarge the driving bands to .501 and make the HP a fatter one that is a bit deeper too, so it will come out like a Devastator.

    Anyways, the guy seems really cool and I have heard nothing negative about him so he now has my mold and is gonna work his magic on it.

    I was thinking though- at what point do you toss a mold out? I mean, I see PC pics here with folks that have WC and then HP WC and it seems like people will first HP a mold to see if they can make it more accurate and then get rid of it if it still fails to deliver. Am I a bit off in this logic or is that what common practice with molds?

    I only have 2 HP molds and the other one is an NOE .45 HP.

  2. #2
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    Erik does a fine job. You'll be happy with the "new" mold when you get it back. He provides a good service. I have traded molds and I have had molds modified, but as you say..... I have never had to toss a mold out. I'm sure there are valid instances, but most of them can at least live on as something else if they won't make the bullet that was originally intended.
    KE4GWE - - - - - - Colt 1860, it just feels right.

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    Boolit Grand Master Good Cheer's Avatar
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    Big thumbs up for Eric's knowledge, experience and abilities.

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    Boolit Buddy
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    I have had Erik HP a couple of molds and his work is top notch.

  5. #5
    Boolit Buddy
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    Erik does a fine job I have three of his molds . I bought one from him and he converted two of my molds to hollow point dam good work .

  6. #6
    Boolit Buddy Stilly's Avatar
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    Sunday afternoon I get a phone call...

    It is Erik. He tells me that my mold is SHOT. It barely mates up, it is not square, it is basically done, looks like a shop mold yadda yadda yadda... He goes on to tell me that I really should not put any money into it because it will not be too long before it breaks most likely. He also says that the bullets might be coming out with Fins and may not even be round. LOL!

    So, because of what I have seen of him and his work, and everyone's good praises for him here, I decided to take his advice. I am NOT a mold expert. I can now see why I got it for $50 on Fleabay. I know that it throws round and nice boolits, but I DID decide to step up today and I now am going to be buying a new Accurate mold with 2x .45 SWC (150gr) and 2 .501 (325gr & 350gr) and I will be sending it to Erik once I get it. The price is REALLY not that bad. $168 for a custom mold and Tom put my design in the mold catalog today. I was impressed at the speed and cleanness of it. So the STORY CONTINUES!

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    Boolit Buddy
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    What mold #'s are your 501's?

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    Boolit Buddy Stilly's Avatar
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    The mold numbers are: 325F and 350V I THINK. I kinda forgot. I know I had a 350 and a 325 and I got the 350V instead of the 350E.

    Got my mold back from Erik along with the MO I sent him. So I guess I will wait for the next one to come in and then send it out.

  9. #9
    Boolit Buddy Stilly's Avatar
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    Got my mold in today from Accurate... I am NOT complaining. It looks good. I am only curious as to why the .45 were on the inside and the .501 were split up. I will ask him that. But it looks great. I will throw a few tomorrow and see how they come out and then off to Erik it will go...

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    I really like how he was able to make that Dardas 150gr SWC take on the TL grooves that Lee uses... I am looking forward to making a lot of boolits with these.

  10. #10
    Boolit Master
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    You be happy with Eric. He done several jobs for me and I have always been happy.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Stilly View Post
    I am only curious as to why the .45 were on the inside and the .501 were split up..
    My opinion is that you want the big boolits on the outside because the ends of the blocks cool faster than the middle. If you had the two big boolits together, the inner one could start casting too frosty before the outside small boolit got hot enough to stop casting voids and wrinkles.
    KE4GWE - - - - - - Colt 1860, it just feels right.

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    Probably a better choice than an HP. If you are already moving an half inch projectile, how much bigger hole do you want and why slow it down faster?
    [The Montana Gianni] Front sight and squeeze

  13. #13
    Boolit Buddy Stilly's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Beagle333 View Post
    My opinion is that you want the big boolits on the outside because the ends of the blocks cool faster than the middle. If you had the two big boolits together, the inner one could start casting too frosty before the outside small boolit got hot enough to stop casting voids and wrinkles.
    Tom? I think Tom from Accurate said almost the exact same thing to me in e-mail. I just figured it would be made 50-50-45-45 but I have never made a mold before so what do I know...

    Quote Originally Posted by MT Gianni View Post
    Probably a better choice than an HP. If you are already moving an half inch projectile, how much bigger hole do you want and why slow it down faster?
    I want a nuclear explosion. Okay maybe not that. These are going to be for my Deagle in .50 when I get the barrel. I also like HP and I want to make some cool looking rounds that are a lot of fun to shoot. I figure if I can get a little more material removed from them, maybe they will be a tad lighter, then faster and then less recoil as well. If I could find a way to get a 100gr swc out of the .50 AE AND have load data, then I certainly would. Just because that would be totally cool. I would settle for 180gr though.

  14. #14
    Boolit Buddy
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    Quote Originally Posted by Stilly View Post
    Tom? I think Tom from Accurate said almost the exact same thing to me in e-mail. I just figured it would be made 50-50-45-45 but I have never made a mold before so what do I know...



    I want a nuclear explosion. Okay maybe not that. These are going to be for my Deagle in .50 when I get the barrel. I also like HP and I want to make some cool looking rounds that are a lot of fun to shoot. I figure if I can get a little more material removed from them, maybe they will be a tad lighter, then faster and then less recoil as well. If I could find a way to get a 100gr swc out of the .50 AE AND have load data, then I certainly would. Just because that would be totally cool. I would settle for 180gr though.
    While not 100gr wadcutters, GunCrafters does make a copper HP 185gr that opens wickedly at 1100-1200fps and while I have never shot them faster I bet they would do what you are looking for... (although a bit expensive)

  15. #15
    Boolit Buddy Stilly's Avatar
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    Well folks. I gotta say... ****.

    I think I can live with these results.

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    I just really like casting things. I know my boolits might look like **** compared to some of the more better artists around here, but my passion is making them look cool after the PC has hardened up...
    I had him do the multifaceted pin/hp on the lighter round and the round HP on the heavier round. now I just need to look for some more data and some 1680 and I think I will be good to go.

    Quote Originally Posted by 475AR View Post
    While not 100gr wadcutters, GunCrafters does make a copper HP 185gr that opens wickedly at 1100-1200fps and while I have never shot them faster I bet they would do what you are looking for... (although a bit expensive)
    Sounds nice. But those GC guys... Yeah they got some expensive toys.

  16. #16
    Boolit Buddy Stilly's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Stilly View Post
    Well folks. I gotta say... ****.

    I think I can live with these results.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    I just really like casting things. I know my boolits might look like **** compared to some of the more better artists around here, but my passion is making them look cool after the PC has hardened up...
    I had him do the multifaceted pin/hp on the lighter round and the round HP on the heavier round. now I just need to look for some more data and some 1680 and I think I will be good to go.
    And for the record- the * out words above start with the letters D and C. On Calguns there is no problem saying **** or ****. They are not cuss words but I see they are blocked here. Lovely... :\

  17. #17
    Boolit Buddy
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    Quote Originally Posted by Stilly View Post
    Well folks. I gotta say... ****.

    I think I can live with these results.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    I just really like casting things. I know my boolits might look like **** compared to some of the more better artists around here, but my passion is making them look cool after the PC has hardened up...
    I had him do the multifaceted pin/hp on the lighter round and the round HP on the heavier round. now I just need to look for some more data and some 1680 and I think I will be good to go.



    Sounds nice. But those GC guys... Yeah they got some expensive toys.
    They look great.
    Last edited by 475AR; 11-21-2017 at 10:54 AM.

  18. #18
    Boolit Buddy Stilly's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by 475AR View Post
    They look great.

    Ahh! Yes. Thank you. I like how they turned out. The HEX hp is a lighter one it is the 50-325F I believe but I have not yet weighed it after the mod. The heavier round HP is a 50-350V I believe. I do not know the weights after the HP though. I need to measure them soon to start looking for load data. These came from a newly purchased Accurate Mold.

  19. #19
    Boolit Buddy Stilly's Avatar
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    End results.

    Bloody Christmas Tree and GITD Blue...
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    And I JUST looked at my brass and realized, do they NOT make regular BRASS cases for 50 AE? I SWEAR I saw some once. I did not realize that I had only nickel...
    Last edited by Stilly; 11-24-2017 at 05:00 AM.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check