NEI moulds--any problems?

[rockrat]

Wondering if any of you have had problems with their moulds and how things turned out getting them to correct things?
Getting ready to ship one back to them and wondering if they will make it right or am I just wasting my time?
I have about 8 of their moulds and have not had any QC issues with any of them, but this latest one is not so wonderful. Thanks

[GLynn41]

I have one old one and never had a problem

[GLL]

I have several older ones that are fine but the most recent custom mould is trash !

No more NEI for me !

MiHec , BRP, NOE (Swede), and Mountain Moulds get my business from now on !

Jerry

[stubshaft]

Nope no problems with the 6 that I have.

[fatnhappy]

I have several older ones that are fine but the most recent custom mould is trash !

No more NEI for me !

MiHec , NOE (Swede), and Mountain Moulds get my business from now on !

Jerry

Those are words you can bank on. I have a number of older moulds walt cut, and they're exemplary. Blammer and I collaborated on a couple NEI groups buys, most notably the 311284. A good portion of them were trash. Blammer can comment further, possibly even post pictures, but NEI is in desperate need of a machinist.

[RogerWatsonfromIdaho]

rockrat,
I have a group buy which was a copy of Lyman 311466 in Meehanite. I could not put gas checks on the bullet. I sent back the mould and some bullets cast from it. NEI sent a new mould and I can set the gas checks easily by thumb. When the bullets are sized, I cannot pull the gas checks off with my fingers. Blammer handled the communication with NEI. The new mould is fine and I much prefer moulds in Meehanite than aluminum. I have a choice when buying a mould from NEI.

[only1asterisk]

I have several older ones that are fine but the most recent custom mould is trash !

No more NEI for me !

MiHec , NOE (Swede), and Mountain Moulds get my business from now on !

Jerry

The last group buy my last NEI mold unless I buy a proven secondhand mold.

[Calamity Jake]

They won't answer my emails on the custom GB 311466. Mine is undersize, I would like to get it fixed.

[59sharps]

The ones walt Did were fine. the new ones Junk sent one back. they told me they had to cut from 2 diffrent cherries. the original broke. (insted of scraping it and starting over) the end of it looked like a balloon partly inflate. sent it back, had them redue it in meehanite. paid the extra charge. when I got it the surface of cavity was flaking. Sent that back they polished it and sent it back to me. could still see were it had a bad spot and it cast that way too. Gave it away. never again from them. To bad QC went down hill price were always fair.

[Char-Gar]

I have been buying NEI molds since I lived in El Paso in 1982 they there were made there. I would go down to their shop and buy them from Walt. I continued to buy them after he got crosswise with the Texas Comptroller and pulled up stakes for Oregon or wherever he went. I have about thirty of their molds and not a clinker in the lot.

I was in on the 311284 group buy and my four cavity mold is a jewel. The bullet run a uniform 311- 312 (depending on the band) and .302 on the nose. The gas checks snap on just fine. I seemed to be the only fellow that got a good mold out of that deal, but mine is just fine.

Would I buy a new mold from them. Sure, I would give it a try based on my experience and not the experience of someone else. I might get bit, but it wouldn't be the first time.

[Blammer]

I am done with NEI.

I fully sent back 50% yes 50%! of all the moulds I recieved in the GB to get "fixed" and yet some clunkers got through.

Not at ALL the quality I expected.

If the mould you're sending back is a "recent" (aka post walt mould) talk to them and see if you can get it fixed. Good luck, be prepared to spend a bunch on shipping. When they finally get it fixed it's a pretty good mould. One only has to ask why it takes so many trips to get it done.

[rockrat]

I just received it two weeks ago. A 3 cav. on a tall block. The cavities weren't centered. The front cavity intruded on the alignment pin area. You can see a small void in the wall of the cavity, when you open the sprue plate and look in the cavity.
They overcharged me, and it wasn't the boolit that I ordered. Cast perfect as far as size went, but didn't order a design with the ring on the nose. Thought I might have ordered it that way, but looked at the catalog again and sure enough, sent me the wrong boolit design.

[RobS]

I just ordered a NEI mold too and had not quite as awful of an experience as you, at least my mold was the design I asked for. The cavities were very rough and like yours the cavities were also off center and nearly ran into the alignment pins. I called NEI as well and they told me they would fix it, but I refused to send it back on my dime so chose to correct it myself. The way I figure it is if this is the best they can do out the door then I may as well take things into my own hands, literally. I worked the mold over by lapping the cavities and now it is in really good shape. The bullet is .001 larger in diameter than what it was before lapping but this didn't effect sizing so all in all it worked out ok.

NEI really does need to find a person who knows what they are doing because it really is not that difficult to make sure that at the bare minimum the cavities are aligned center with the mold block, not to mention everything else which displays of the poor craftsmanship. For the cost NEI is charging, these molds should be coming to us with no flaws.

[GLL]

I honestly feel NEI will be history very soon and Walt will be turning over in his grave.

MiHec, BRP, NOE, LBT, and Mountain Moulds all know what the term QUALITY CONTROL means !


This was the second try by NEI ! The first mould produced something MUCH worse !
Notice how the nose is rounded down into the crimp groove.

The rounded base band is in the mould & not my casting ability !

Jerry

[Bret4207]

That's too bad. NEI under Walt made a truly fine product. You'd think the guy doing the work would see his business slipping away.

[NoZombies]

I've only got one of Walt's molds, and it really is a thing of Beauty. I've considered getting another from them based on that, but I keep hearing these horror stories that keep me from doing so.

[sleeper1428]

I've only got one of Walt's molds, and it really is a thing of Beauty. I've considered getting another from them based on that, but I keep hearing these horror stories that keep me from doing so.

My sentiments exactly! I have only one NEI mould, a four cavity 312-145-GCDD that Walt made up for me for use in my SKS and my Interarms Mini-Mauser also chambered in 7.62X39. With lino it drops beautiful .314 diameter boolits and with Mag Alloy the diameter is just a bit over .3135 which is fine since both rifles slug at .312. As many have said, Walt's moulds were things of beauty but it's apparent that the family members who took over the business just don't have the skill and/or dedication to do things to the same level of quality as their father.

sleeper1428

[Yukoner]

I have had one of their old 375 Spitzer BT molds since around the late eighties. It casts a 3/8 copper driving band into the bullet, and it really works! You just have to get the copper band into the mold with a pair of tweezers because everything is so hot.

Anyone else use one?

Ted

[RobS]

Ted:
I've not heard of the copper band, but have a 330 grain GC #184 .375 mold from NEI. Shoots lights out from my 375 H&H.

[Just Duke]

I am done with NEI.

I fully sent back 50% yes 50%! of all the moulds I recieved in the GB to get "fixed" and yet some clunkers got through.

Not at ALL the quality I expected.

If the mould you're sending back is a "recent" (aka post walt mould) talk to them and see if you can get it fixed. Good luck, be prepared to spend a bunch on shipping. When they finally get it fixed it's a pretty good mould. One only has to ask why it takes so many trips to get it done.