HJoch double cut-off mould

[BruceB]

So, I have this new nose-pour .459" rifle mould which cuts off both the nose and base of the boolit. It gives beautiful square bases.

Are there any particular advantages to this type, since I've never had any other nose-pour designs except for a few hollow-base designs?

[Char-Gar]

Bruce... I have several Hock nose pour molds and one NEI. The theory being the base is stearing end of the bullet and a perfect base (without spru scar) makes for a more accurate bullet.

My nose pour molds are very good, but in all truth, I can't tell they are more accurate than a base pour mold.

[Phil]

I have a couple of Hoch molds and they make very accurate bullets. The main advantage of the nose pour is that you don't have to weigh the bullets. I use a 225 grain bullet in my 8.15X46R schutzen rifle and during the last tournament I fired in, I fired just shy of 90 five shot groups at 100 yards. The aggregate of those groups was .387 moa. Smallest group was .162 moa.

One time I tried a couple of experiments with this rifle and mold. It has long been held that with a nose pour mold any voids in the bullet will be at the nose, not the base as is normal with a base pour mold. So I saved a number of bullets cast while the mold was still cold. These bullets had very noticable (and some very large) voids in the nose area. I loaded and fired these bullets for group size. While groups were certainly larger than normal for that bullet and rifle they were still in the .5 to .6 moa range. I've never had a base pour bullet duplicate those results. Next I tried a number of bullets (well cast, no visible voids) loaded without regard to orienting. No difference in accuracy as compared to well cast, oriented bullets. One last experiment was to shoot groups with the cartridge case not oriented. No difference noted in accuracy as compared with good bullets oriented or not oriented.

All the bullets from this mold, fired in this rifle, are NOT weighed. I just visually inspect them for obvious flaws and toss those with flaws. The smallest TEN shot group I have fired from this rifle and these bullets at 200 yards was 1.25".

I have a similar bullet in 30 caliber with gas check shank that is the most accurate 30 caliber mold I've ever used, and since I started casting 30 caliber bullets in about 1957 thats a lot of different molds.

Thats my story and I'm sticking with it. (:>)

Cheers,

Phil

[Ed K]

Which 459 mold are you talking about specifically? I was looking at the 420gr flat nose. It looks like a good design but I haven't heard any feedback on that one.

[Buckshot]

...............There is only 1 sprueplate as the base has no sprue. The other plate is because the cavity was lathe bored. The cavity was created through the base end of the blocks and so it has to be sealed. A non moveable baseplate would present problems other then in dropping slugs from the cavity, so the 2 joined plates end up working best. Kind of like having to shoe a horse. Not necessary in nature, but we created the need.

.................Buckshot